The Senate president and House speaker stepped in Sunday afternoon to take over budget negotiations, with several issues still in play as lawmakers race toward a Tuesday deadline to finish work on a nearly $83 billion spending plan. Talks over the weekend between Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, and House Appropriations Chairman Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami, led to agreements on spending levels for public education, higher education and $40 million in water projects. But every other area of the budget was at least partially unresolved.
