Governor Scott Signs 2018-19 Florida Budget

On Friday, Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the 2018-19 state budget, which is the largest fiscal budget plan in Florida's history. At $88.7 billion, the 452 page budget includes $400 million for a school safety plan created as a result of the Parkland shooting. $67 million is allocated for a controversial program that properly trains and arms school staff. Another $25 million would be dedicated to a memorial and tearing down the building where the shooting took place.

In a letter to Ken Detzner, Florida's Secretary of State, Governor Scott wrote that "Following the tragedy in Parkland where 17 died, we came together as a state and I was proud to sign the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which invests nearly $375 million to keep our students and communities safe so this never happens again."

The budget also includes $130 million for Medicaid to use for funding nursing homes, $100.8 million for Florida's Forever land preservation program and $90 million for hurricane related concerns that would repair charter schools and universities.

Governor Scott also vetoed $64 million, lower than the $69 million he vetoed in the 2014 budget, and the projects vetoed in the 2018-19 budget included $29 million for local road projects and $25,ooo in trust fund appropriations to be used by the Florida Housing Financial Corp.