News & Public Affairs

Rick Scott signs Florida budget, slashes $600 million in line-item vetoes listen

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Tags: media, Rick Scott, TBARTA, USF, budget, 2011 Legislative session, veto

Republican Governor Rick Scott signed the state budget today. Florida lawmakers had cut nearly $4 billion from the budget for next fiscal year. But today in a private Republican Party of Florida event at The Villages, Scott announced he had vetoed $615 million in line items.

"There were 3,036 line items in the budget. 3,036. I know this because I looked at every single line item in the budget, and it took quite a ...

Crist vetoes controversial teacher bill SB 6 listen

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Tags: SB6, Charlie Crist, education, veto, teacher pay, teacher tenure

Shortly after noon today, Governor Charlie Crist vetoed Senate Bill 6, a controversial education bill that would have tied teacher pay and evaluations to student scores on standardized tests.

Crist said several issues of concern led him to veto.

There was a huge backlash against SB 6 before and after it was passed last Thursday. That includes students walking out of classes, teachers calling in sick, and rallies across the state. Crist acknowledged he was influenced by the bill’s oppone...