Gov. Rick Scott confirmed Friday that he will unveil his budget for the coming fiscal year at the Capitol. Scott’s office had already said he would release his spending blueprint on Wednesday. Earlier this year, Scott made his initial budget pitch before a tea-party crowd in Eustis, but the governor said he wasn’t trying to send a different message with this year’s plan. As for the outlines of the plan, the governor indicated it would be difficult for the state to fund education at the same per-student level as it does currently, given a $1.2 billion gap between what is needed and what the state is expected to bring in. “This is going to be a tough year to try to figure out how to do the right thing, because we have to do the right thing for education,” Scott told reporters after a Friday morning press conference. He also reiterated a call for the federal government to approve the state’s Medicaid overhaul and consider turning the program into a block grant.
Via The News Service of Florida.
