Florida House, Senate differ on local funding requests

With the Florida Senate and House releasing draft budget plans last week, there’s some initial discrepancy as to which Manatee County projects could be funded in the next state budget.

This discrepancy is best illustrated in the state funding request at the top of Manatee County government’s 2017 state legislative priority list. A $2.8 million request for stormwater and drainage improvements to alleviate flooding conditions in Rubonia is included in the Senate’s proposal at the full amount, while it is not included at all in the House’s.

The Rubonia funding request is among a series of items on the county’s 2017 Legislative Platform. Nick Azzara, the county’s spokesman, sent a state budget update email to commissioners and other county officials on Friday afternoon.

“There’s a very long way to go in the 2017 session and much will change with the final overall amounts,” Azzara said in the email.

A $600,000 request for Robinson Preserve restoration is included in the Senate’s Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission budget but not proposed as part of the House’s budget.

The county’s request for $500,000 for an opioid recovery peer coaching pilot project is recommended for full funding in the Senate’s but only recommended for $100,000 in the House’s budget.

Funding for the restoration of the 1914 Myakka City historic schoolhouse would be funded under the House’s budget but not the Senate’s.

The differences in the Senate and House budget proposals must be resolved by May 5, which is the last day of the Legislature’s annual session. The new fiscal year starts July 1. The Senate’s total budget is $83.2 billion, while the House’s is $81.2 billion.

This story was originally published April 3, 2017 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Florida House, Senate differ on local funding requests."