Lawmakers get revenue boost ahead of budget talks
A surge in hurricane-recovery building and a change in the way the state collects gambling payments from the Seminole Tribe will give lawmakers a little fiscal wiggle room as they negotiate a new $87 billion state budget.
State analysts on Friday adjusted estimates for revenue collections upward by about $462 million, including $181 million this year and $280.5 million for the fiscal year that will start July 1.
The bulk of the increase is one-time, non-recurring money, which will limit its use in the state budget. But it can be a positive factor as Senate and House members work out differences in their budget bills, which were passed Thursday.
“It was money they weren’t expecting,” said Amy Baker, coordinator of the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research. “It’s going to be nonrecurring, which comes with all the issues associated with that. It’s good news.”
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