Gov. Rick Scott will propose a two-year budget for Florida rather than just an annual one because he thinks it’s more forward-looking, a spokesman said Friday.
The governor appeared before a group of South Florida business leaders Friday to seek their support for his spending plan, which he says will slash business and property taxes by more than $2 billion. The state faces a projected budget shortfall of $3.6 billion to $4.6 billion.
Scott spokesman Brian Burgess wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press that the governor’s business experience leads him to believe that it’s best to look beyond the immediate impact of financial decisions, which is why he favors the two-year model.
“He will unveil two years worth of budget projections that can be examined together or separately,” Burgess wrote later.
The Florida Constitution, though, requires legislators to adopt annual budgets. Lawmakers are not bound by the governor’s budget recommendations.
Burgess said he did not know whether Scott would push legislation to switch Florida to a two-year budget process.
Scott plans to release his first budget proposal Monday at a tea party rally in Eustis.
