Florida TaxWatch labels South Florida Museum, Port Manatee projects as budget 'turkeys'

Florida TaxWatch on Monday named projects at the South Florida Museum and at Port Manatee as state budget "turkeys."

TaxWatch each year publishes a list of budget turkeys, which are "appropriations that circumvent a thoughtful and thorough budget process." It does not mean the project is not worthy of funding, but means it was not subject to appropriate scrutiny.

The Manatee County projects named as turkeys were $250,000 for the South Florida Museum and Bishop Planetarium and $300,000 for se

curity improvements at Port Manatee. The Port Manatee project was vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott, but the South Florida project was included in the budget Scott signed last week.

Martha Wells, director of community engagement at the South Florida Museum, said the money will go towards upgrading the aquarium so the museum can handle more manatees for rehabilitation. That project costs much more, but the $250,000 would help the museum towards its commitment to provide rehab for the animals, Wells said.

"The aquarium was originally built for permanent residents, like Snooty," Wells said, referring to the 67-year-old manatee that remains at the museum and was raised in captivity.

The project will include additional pools to hold manatees and increased transportation capabilities, Wells said.

"I assure you this is very important funding for rehabilitating manatees in the area," Wells said. "We take that responsibility very seriously."

The TaxWatch report said the South Florida Museum funding was identified as a turkey because it is a non-state facility and the line item was added in conference, rather than going through a grant review process.

The funding for Port Manatee should have gone through a seaport grant evaluation process, which has $11.45 million set aside this year specifically to fund seaport security, according to TaxWatch.

Port Manatee officials said the request never should have gone to the legislature and did not originate from the port. Dave Sanford, the port's deputy executive director, said port officials notified the Florida Ports Council and the Florida Department of Transportation that it did not support the request. Last week, port Executive Director Carlos Buqueras told members of the Manatee County Port Authority that the money, which was to pay for a geographic information system product, was actually requested by a port contractor.

Sanford said he is unaware of the $11.45 million in security funds cited by TaxWatch.

Florida TaxWatch is a nonpartisan, nonprofit taxpayer research institute that works to improve accountability for government officials and tax dollars. It is supported by voluntary, tax-deductible donations and private grants, according to its website. It does not accept government funding.

Staff writer Matt M. Johnson contributed to this report.

This story was originally published March 21, 2016 at 11:41 PM with the headline "Florida TaxWatch labels South Florida Museum, Port Manatee projects as budget 'turkeys' ."