Update 4/2/2015: Senate President Andy Gardiner says increased budget uncertainty following the federal government's decision to delay talks about healthcare funding, may eliminate state employee pay raises from future budget consideration.
When asked about Rep. Alan Williams' request for state employee pay raises, Senate President Andy Gardiner replied, "I'm worried about a $2 billion hole."
Democratic Tallahassee Representative Alan Williams attempted to get the language into the budget, but withdrew the plan after it was clear there wasn’t support for it. Still Williams says he hopes the issue will be considered when the House and Senate meet to iron out budget differences:
“If we’re going to run this as a business, members I encourage you as we have surpluses in future years, let’s look out for the people who are blocking and tackling for us," he said.
The House's budget does call for a $1,000 pay bump for firefighters in the Florida Department of Agriculture, but there’s no companion language in the Senate. The last time the legislature approved across-the-board state employee pay increases was 2013.
