Rick Scott agrees to sign $83 billion state budget after reaching deal with Corcoran, Negron
MIAMI — Ending months of bitter political warfare, Gov. Rick Scott and House Speaker Richard Corcoran publicly made peace Friday after striking a deal in private to spend more money on schools, jobs and tourism.
Accompanied by Senate President Joe Negron, Scott and Corcoran made a surprisingly hasty announcement at Miami International Airport that culminated days and nights of delicate talks among the three Republicans and their staffers. Those negotiations, unseen to the public, media and most lawmakers, were called a "farce" by Democrats.
The tentative deal, which must pass the full Legislature in a three-day special session starting next Wednesday, hinges on Scott's willingness to sign a controversial education policy bill (HB 7069) that expands charter schools and teacher bonuses and is the signature priority of Corcoran, who's weighing a campaign for governor.
The compromise has three elements:
• An increase in overall public school spending by $215 million from what lawmakers approved so that funding for each student will rise $100 next school year, rather than $24.
• A new $85 million Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to broadly advance job training and education through the Department of Economic Opportunity, ending Enterprise Florida's programs that favored specific businesses that Corcoran demanded must end: "Zero corporate welfare," he said.
• Restoring funding to Visit Florida, the state's tourism marketing program, to its current level of $76 million.
Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/rick-scott-agrees-to-sign-the-824-billion-state-budget-after-reaching-deal/2325966