Florida

Florida’s $1 billion budget cuts: Where funding was cut in Central Florida

By Christopher Heath, WFTV.com
By Christopher Heath, WFTV.com

ORLANDO, Fla. — When you cut more than $1 billion from the budget, there are going to be hard decisions made. The cuts from the budget signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday are impacting Central Florida.

Among the cuts are more than $1.7 million for fire stations in Apopka and Longwood, $5.5 million in cuts to programs at UCF, and more than $2 million in cuts to mental health funding.

READ: Gov. DeSantis announces $1 billion in budget vetoes due to coronavirus pandemic

“Unfortunately, we’re looking at massive revenue losses throughout the state,” said Dr. Sarah Larson of UCF’s School of Public Administration. “The past two months have recorded over $700 million each month in revenue loss, suggesting that we are looking at revenue shortfalls and need to make hard decisions.”

Those hard decisions also include $200,000 cut from the Florida Opioid Crisis Pilot Program.

“I was really surprised by the project opioid decision specifically, because first lady DeSantis had been to Orlando to speak about it in support of the mission,” Larson said.

In total, DeSantis cut more than $1 billion from the $92.3 billion budget passed by lawmakers in the spring, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Video: Gov. DeSantis announces $1 billion in budget vetoes due to coronavirus pandemic Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $1 billion in vetoes to the state budget Monday.

Local cuts include:

  • Bethune-Cookman University - Small, Women and Minority-Owned Businesses - $75,000
  • East River High School - Agriculture Education Program Expansion (HB 3905) (Senate Form 1581) - $60,000
  • Merritt Island High School StangStation (HB 4369) (Senate Form 1478) - $10,000
  • Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) Calculus Project and Starbase Mentoring and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) (HB 2561) (Senate Form 1513) - $100,000
  • Seminole County Public Schools Construction Workforce Talent Pipeline (HB 2689) (Senate Form 1961) - $500,000
  • Astronaut High School Welding Lab Equipment (HB 4371) (Senate Form 1477) - $100,000
  • Daytona State College - Critical Nursing and Health Sciences in Flagler County (HB 3233) (Senate Form 2039) - $895,000
  • University of Central Florida - Advanced Manufacturing Sensor Project - $5,000,000
  • University of Central Florida - Florida Center for Nursing (HB 4417) - $500,000
  • Aspire Health Partners - Behavioral Health Services (HB 4737)(Senate Form 1950) - $550,000
  • Flagler Health - Behavioral Health Services (HB 9007)(Senate Form 2479) - $1,770,000
  • LGBT+ Central Orlando - Mental Health Counseling (HB 4277)(Senate Form 1931) - $40,000
  • Project Opioid - Florida Opioid Crisis Pilot (HB 4297) (Senate Form 1960) - $200,000
  • Flagler Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements (HB 2269) (Senate Form 2040) - $900,000
  • Flagler County West Flooding and Environmental Mitigation Water Control Project Phase I (HB 4979) (Senate Form 2559) - $200,000
  • Osceola County Lake Toho Water Restoration Diversion Wall Design and Construction (HB 3865) (Senate Form 2325) - $300,000
  • Ponce Inlet Ponce De Leon Circle Septic to Sewer (HB 2583) (Senate Form 1701) - $125,000
  • Port Orange Howes Street Drainage Improvements (HB 2383) (Senate Form 1702) - $250,000
  • Volusia County Ariel Canal Water Quality Improvements (HB 2381) (Senate Form 2056) - $500,000
  • Seminole County Lake Monroe Trail Loop (HB 3063) (Senate Form 1952) - $450,000
  • Seminole County Discounted Bear-Resistant Refuse Containers (HB 2367) (Senate Form 1951) - $150,000
  • SW 44th Avenue Extension Project - Ocala (HB 3257) (Senate Form 1915) - $1 million
  • St. Cloud Seaplane Base (HB 3857) (Senate Form 2320) - $375,000
  • Autonomous Transit AV Technology, Workforce and Economic Opportunity (HB 4713) (Senate Form 2126) - $1,000,000
  • Deltona - Normandy Blvd at Providence Intersection Improvements (HB 3159) (Senate Form 1705) - $500,000
  • Culinary Workforce Training Program at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida (HB 3881) (Senate Form 1964) - $150,000
  • Brevard Zoo Aquarium (HB 2489) (Senate Form 1884) - $500,000
  • Deltona Business Center (HB 2513) (Senate Form 2046) - $125,000
  • Apopka Fire Station (HB 2697) (Senate Form 1171) - $750,000
  • Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens Fire Suppression (HB 3309) (Senate Form 1967) - $225,000
  • City of Longwood Fire Station Relocation (Senate Form 2252) - $1,000,000
  • Groveland Train Depot (HB 4589) (Senate Form 2012) - $189,313
  • Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program Revert/Reappropriate - $41.5 million

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