Jan 13, 2009 3:07 pm US/Eastern
Gov. Crist May Veto Parts Of Special Session Deal
Legislature to vote on deal Wednesday
Possible vetoes include a plan to cut teacher bonuses
TALLAHASSEE (AP) ―
Gov. Charlie Crist may veto some items from a budget deficit-elimination package that lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday.
The package is a compromise worked out between the House and Senate. It's designed to fill at least a $2.3 billion hole in the budget, but could include a cushion of up to $2.8 billion in case the state's budget deficit grows before the budget year ends June 30.
Crist said Tuesday he might veto a provision that would cut bonuses to teachers who earn national board certification by $11 million. The plan would drop the bonuses from 10 percent to 8 percent of average teacher pay.
"That is a concern I have," Crist said. "Some of these teachers believed I think they were going to have an opportunity to get those bonuses and I'm sympathetic to that."
Revenue from December has already been reported as $100 million short of the $2.3 billion deficit figure state economists forecast in November. Governor Crist said the legislation should still keep the state in the black by at least $300 million.
"One could make the argument that you could veto up to that amount," Crist said. He added, though, that he didn't expect any vetoes would go "too far."
Crist and Florida Cabinet members were dismayed that two deals they've already approved will be canceled as part of a provision to suspend the state's Florida Forever environmental lands program.
"The fact they took those off the table, already committed projects, is not the best way for us to do business," said Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink. She noted the state has already sold $50 million worth of Florida Forever bonds, which would be more than enough to cover the two projects. The two combined total about $10 million.
One is a conservation easement that would prevent development on the 1,489-acre Promise Ranch in Lake County although the state would not own the property. The other is a 54-acre site south of Tallahassee near the Natural Bridge Civil War battlefield that includes relics of Indian settlements dating back 12,000 years and entrances to caves filled with water.
Sink hopes the projects will be at the top of the priority list if the Florida Forever program resumes in the next budget year. Crist said he expects the suspension to be a short-term spending cut.
Despite her worries, Sink supported suspending Florida Forever to avoid even deeper cuts in schools or social services. "We have to suspend all the activities of the state that are not absolutely mission-critical," Sink said.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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