Florida TaxWatch released its annual Budget Turkey Watch Report on Monday, identifying 621 appropriations totaling $829.7 million that the government watchdog group says bypassed or violated established budget procedures in Florida’s $114.5 billion spending plan.
The report, published as Gov. Ron DeSantis reviews the state budget, is intended to flag projects for potential veto consideration. Florida TaxWatch said the items it labeled “Budget Turkeys” were not necessarily without merit, but raised concerns because of how they were funded, including by circumventing competitive review processes, appearing late in budget negotiations or being added through supplemental funding lists.
Some of the largest individual projects flagged by the group were in higher education and cultural facilities. They included $50 million for Hillsborough Community College campus improvements, $20 million for the University of Florida’s Advanced Brain Research and Innovation project, $15 million for Florida International University’s Wall of Wind Hurricane and Storm Surge Simulator and $8 million for a University of West Florida critical infrastructure project.
Other high-dollar items included $9.5 million for a new Hardee County library facility, $8 million for the Village of Indiantown’s Seminole Inn historic preservation, rehabilitation and Seminole Tribe museum project, $7.5 million for the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota Collegiate School in Parrish, and $5 million each for a Sarasota County Agricultural Fair Association multipurpose facility, a Florida State University basketball training facility and a Pensacola State College health science and nursing building.
However, the largest category labeled as Budget Turkeys was water projects, with 344 projects totaling about $380.4 million. Florida TaxWatch said lawmakers bypassed the Water Quality Improvement Grant Program, a process created to evaluate and rank projects through established criteria, by using a one-year exception in the budget implementing bill.
The report also flagged 146 local transportation projects totaling about $208.3 million, saying they circumvented the Florida Department of Transportation’s work program and grant processes. Other categories included college and university construction, agricultural promotion facilities, local parks, boating projects, historic preservation, library construction, cultural grants and cultural facilities.
“When considering the budget, Florida TaxWatch strongly encourages Governor DeSantis to assess each project we flagged – Turkey or otherwise – and determine whether its funding is counter to good budgeting practices; it addresses a core state government function; and/or it was selected through a fair process that promotes the best interests of taxpaying citizens across the state,” Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Jeff Kottkamp said.
The group also highlighted another 484 member projects totaling $441.1 million that it said do not meet its formal Budget Turkey criteria but deserve additional scrutiny. Florida TaxWatch said those projects should be subject to a statutorily defined competitive review and selection process if lawmakers continue to fund them through the state budget.
“The principle behind the Florida TaxWatch Budget Turkey Watch Report is simple: taxpayer dollars should be allocated through a transparent, accountable, and deliberative process,” Kottkamp continued.
The report comes after a prolonged budget process that extended beyond the regular legislative session. The House and Senate ended session negotiations with a $1.4 billion gap between their respective spending plans, with the House proposing a $113.6 billion budget and the Senate proposing a $115 billion budget. A special session ultimately produced the $114.5 billion spending plan.
Florida TaxWatch said the budget is being portrayed as a reduction from the current year, but noted that it includes $2 billion more in general revenue spending. The overall reduction, the group said, is tied to decreases in federal funds and state trust fund authorizations.
According to Florida TaxWatch, House and Senate members submitted more than 5,600 project requests totaling $12.5 billion, up from 5,100 requests worth $11.7 billion last year. The group said that averages out to 35 requests and $78 million per legislator.
Nearly 2,000 local member projects worth $2.7 billion were included in the final budget, according to the report. Florida TaxWatch said the average senator had about 45 projects worth $60 million funded, while the average representative had 15 projects worth $20 million funded. The group said the latest budget continues a five-year period in which roughly $14 billion in member projects have been appropriated.
