STRAIGHT TALK ON FLORIDA’S BUDGET

It’s a sad fact that Florida has earned its reputation.

Despite repeated warnings of dire consequences, voters overwhelmingly passed Amendment 1, the property tax cut amendment, in January. Now we are seeing the results of that shortsighted action.

The Legislature is trying to cut $500 million (give or take, on any particular day). Some lawmakers want to tap the trust funds to make up the shortfall. Others want to pare the budget down to bare bones. Municipalities across the state are trying to figure out what they can afford, all with the backdrop of a housing crunch and the looming threat of a national recession.

Residents are fed up, and everyday the papers carry stories of families that have just given up, and are leaving the Sunshine State for good. We have only ourselves to blame.

It’s easy to point fingers and say “I told you so,” but it’s much more important to find a way to fix the problem. With only a 60-day window find solutions agreeable to a majority and secure the Governor’s signature, this session is turning out to be as dramatic as an episode of “The Sopranos.”

Let’s hope things in Tallahassee don’t get that out of hand.

As I move around District 92, which covers a good bit of Broward County, I hear the frustration. The biggest problem as I see it is that legislators told voters what they wanted to hear, not what they needed to hear. It seems that’s a cycle that always repeats itself.

As an accountant and financial advisor, I know how important it is to have the right advice before you make a decision – especially one regarding money. My slogan in this campaign is as direct as it can possibly be: It’s Your Money! Implicit in that statement is that you have a right as well as a responsibility to spend it wisely, which you can only do if you’re given the right information.

Now, I’m not one for a “take your medicine” approach, but haven’t we all seen what turning our heads has done to our economy? The current crop of legislators in Tallahassee put themselves in this box.

It’s time someone told you the truth about our state’s budget, the income and outgo, and how we’re deciding what our priorities are. Last month I wrote about Governor Crist’s plan to chop more than 21 percent from the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, despite the fact that more than 1.8 million veterans live in Florida and rely on the services the Department provides.

As a veteran, I am appalled. As an accountant, I see this cut as not productive to the larger good. As a Floridian, I am embarrassed that this is how we treat those who served their country.

But the bottom line is that the bottom line is dripping red ink. Many cuts need to be made to get us in the black.

I think one cut is more important than others: let’s cut the bull and give voters straight talk on the financial consequences of decisions they’re asked to make. Only then will Floridians be proud of the reputation they’ve earned.