These funds, which are derived from a section of the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, known as the “Temporary State Fiscal Relief Fund,” were allotted to states based on population (Florida was eligible to receive $950 million), and were meant to augment funding for essential state services such as education, health care, security, job training and transportation. The intent of these funds was NOT to lure in a bio tech company from outside the state, whose CEO coincidentally has close relations with the Republican party and the Bush family.

Although Congress appropriated $20 billion to the states to assist offset budget crises, Governor Bush, in clear violation of the law’s intent, first placed the funds in a so called “rainy day account,” instead of immediately utilizing them for social services for Floridians. Now the Governor has called a legislative special session to send this money to a lure a California bio tech company to Florida. As a senior Member of the House of Representatives, I am certain that utilizing the money in this way was not the intent of the law, and also believe the request was rubber stamped by the Treasury Department, rather than scrutinized in an in depth manner. The law clearly states that these funds are to be used to “provide essential government services, cover the costs to the state of complying with Federal mandates, and should only be used for expenditures permitted under the most recently approved budget for the state.” It is abundantly clear that the Governor’s use of these funds is not consistent with the intent of the law.

The Governor claims that he needs this money for economic development, but he fails to realize that this money is coming at the expense of all the other important services the state of Florida is supposed to deliver to its residents. Examples are abundant, and include:

public school districts having to drastically cut programs and non teaching positions; state universities raising tuition 8.5%; the court system cutting its budget by 4%, even though case volumes are on the increase; substantial cuts in transportation, and the combat youth tobacco program funding being cut by $36 million. Given that this year’s state budget has been labeled the “worst in a decade,” it seems more than unwise to use taxpayer dollars for anything other than indispensable social services.