Florida Governor Rick Scott has unveiled his proposal for the state’s budget in the coming fiscal year. He calls it the Florida Family First budget, but Regan McCarthy reports some worry it ignores the needs of average working class people.
Trimmel’s Interview with Audubon of Florida’s Eric Draper.
Two years ago Governor Rick Scott imposed deep cuts to public school budgets. He signed off on bills eliminating tenure for new teachers, and requiring government employees to pay three-percent of their salaries to their retirements. The effort left school officials demoralized and didn’t do anything to help the Governor’s sagging approval ratings. Since then, Scott has worked to change his image on education, and as Lynn Hatter reports, he’s putting the state’s money where his mouth is.
When Florida researchers have a great idea for a new drug or other technology, they can hire private consultants to help bring their brainchild to life in the marketplace. Or they can get business help—for free—from the state-run tech incubator. Jessica Palombo reports, that organization says it’s been so successful, that the Florida Legislature should invest five times as much in it.
Florida lawmakers are looking into a proposed initiative to rehabilitate non-violent inmates before they have a chance to reoffend. But, as Sascha Cordner reports, while many agree about the idea behind what’s called “Smart Justice reforms,” they’re not too happy with what the name implies.