Gov. Crist Bumps Up the Budget

Gov. Charlie Crist

For the first time since Gov. Charlie Crist took office, the state’s revenues are expected to increase. It's enough to have Crist proposing more state spending for the coming year.

Gov. Crist unveiled his full $69.2 billion budget recommendation in Tallahassee Friday. It includes a $2.7 billion increase in state spending.

The revenue side of his proposal includes about $1 billion in additional federal money that Congress has yet to approve. And Crist said the state treasury is about $2 billion larger than last year.

“While I know that the values of homes are down, sales are up 31 percent over last year. So from the sales tax and doc stamps, we’re getting additional revenue finally to come into the Florida economy,” Crist said. “It’s starting to percolate out there.”

Senate President Jeff Atwater is more cautious. In a statement, he said that Florida families are choosing between “required and desired” as they prioritize spending and the senate is committed to doing the same.

Atwater promised to carefully evaluate the governor’s proposal as his chamber begins building a budget from scratch.