TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott signed a $77 billion budget Monday, the largest in Florida history, and protected hundreds of millions of dollars in hometown projects by his fellow Republicans in the Legislature.
Scott’s use of the line-item veto was his most surgical yet, as he trimmed only $69 million in spending and preserved spending for parks, museums, festivals, elderly meals programs, water and sewer projects and a gun range for police officers in Brevard County.
Scott offered no reason for many of his line-item vetoes, and Tampa Bay felt the sting of Scott’s veto pen in numerous areas.
The governor rejected $1.625 million for Agenda 2020, a city visioning project that was supported by Mayor Rick Kriseman; $1 million for a Nature Coast tourist center in Hernando County; $500,000 for the Largo Cultural Center; $100,000 for a YMCA Tech Smart Tampa Bay project; and $50,000 for a Tampa Bay baseball museum at the home of Hall of Famer Al Lopez.
