Florida’s legislative leaders are showing divisions on multiple issues including education. Senate President Joe Negron wants more money for higher education but the plan could run into trouble early in the House.
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Joe Negron has made boosting higher education funding one of his top priorities. Negron wants to increases financial awards in the state’s bright future scholarship program and he also wants to increase money going to the state’s higher ed system. And he says Florida lawmakers can find the money.
“And now we want to focus on our universities. So, to me, to move three-to-four percent of an $82 billion budget, I am confident we can do that.”“
House Speaker Richard Corcoran says he thinks it’s a good idea, but adds he’d rather see dollars going to the state’s public K-12 schools. But Negron says there’s no reason the state can’t use existing revenues.
"If you want to spend money on something different, and I do, I want to spend money on higher ed, then I have the burden of proof to find money in the budget."
State economists have said there won’t be much coming in new revenue to the state and they expect Florida could begin to see shortfalls in the out years.