The 2000 Turkey Watch Report

This year, Florida TaxWatch has identified 281 turkeys placed in the budget by the 2000 Legislature. These turkeys are valued at $222.0 million out of a total budget of $50.9 billion for 2000-2001 (0.4% of the total budget.). Of the total appropriated for budget turkeys, 281 budget turkeys worth $99.0 million were found in General Revenue and 121 budget turkeys worth $123.0 million were found in trust funds. This year's budget turkeys cost $36 for each Florida family, and cost every man, woman and child in Florida $14.

This year's turkeys almost total as much as last year's record setting crop of $234.7 million, although in number, this year's 281 is far less than last year's 526. It does confirm that turkeys are back in full force, after a few years of relatively small turkey number in the early 1990s.

What Is A Budget Turkey?

Florida TaxWatch has been declaring war on budget turkeys since 1983, and the hunt continues. As in previous years, it is important to note that the "budget turkey" label does not denote condemnation of a budget item's worthiness. The term merely suggests that with the state's vast and pressing needs and limited resources, the question must be asked, "Is this the best use of the Floridians' state tax dollars?" The priorities of all citizens must be considered. This and previous Turkey Watch reports are not attempts to record only government waste or inefficiency. While in some cases that may be a factor, this report offers an independent assessment about the honesty, integrity and public review of the state's $50.9 billion 2000-2001 budget.

"Budgeting Without Discipline" "Florida voters who place greater importance on projects within their community, at the expense of what are clearly more critical needs of the state majority, must share in the responsibility of the turkey fiasco. Legislators, however well-intentioned and noble when first elected, learn very swiftly that petty parochialism pays off when voters tally the score of the legislative sessions. Those who reward turkey-prone lawmakers with re-election are no less guilty of abuse of the state's trust than are the lawmakers themselves." -- Florida TaxWatch

Turkeys are added onto the budget during the legislative process, some very late in the session. This maneuver circumvents normal planning and budgeting processes which, by necessity, require close scrutiny by state agencies, the Governor's Office of Planning and Budgeting, legislative committees, staff and meaningful citizen input. Florida TaxWatch's Turkey Watch criteria make allowances for a considerable amount of legislative initiative. But the definition of what constitutes sufficient budgetary review includes deliberative scrutiny of passages of substantive legislation and substantial review at legislative committee hearings. Too often, these processes are bypassed or given less than full consideration.

Parochial projects may or may not have merit but such spending can undercut the spirit of true performance-based program budgeting. Moreover, such spending circumvents accountability, disrupts logical program prioritizations and subordinates statewide concerns to the localized needs or desires of exclusive areas of the state.

What Else Could a Turkey Buy?

One of the best arguments for stopping turkeys is the many urgently needed state services that the funds spent on turkeys would otherwise purchase. Florida TaxWatch investigated other funding opportunities for the revenue appropriated to this year's turkey crop. To show the magnitude of this spending, $221.9 million could be used to purchase any one of the following critically needed social service, educational and statewide needs:

More than 6,000 new public school teachers An additional 100,000 computers for classrooms $90 in additional funding for each K-12 student 50,000 new child care slots Provide a general tax reduction of $36 per household

On May 30th, Governor Bush delivered his veto message on the 2000 - 2001 Budget. On the Governor's list were 206 items (73% of the total items) identified by Florida TaxWatch for a total amount of $159 million (72% of the total amount).