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Senate Budget Chief Warns Money Will Be Scarce

Nick Evans

State economists are projecting Florida will have slightly more money in its coffers next year.  But lawmakers will still face tough economic choices.

Senate committees will begin meeting this week, and new appropriations chair Jack Latvala is warning members money is tight.  The Clearwater Republican says improving outlooks from state economists don’t change the overall picture.

“I think it’s safe to say one thing you can depend on is there won’t be a whole lot of extra money to spend.”

State forecasters seem ready to increase revenue projections by about 140 million dollars after a Monday meeting.  Senate leaders remain optimistic they can find enough cuts to fund a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee and put a billion dollars into higher education over the next two years.

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.