Florida TaxWatch Releases Initial Review of Florida’s Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget, Focuses on $670 Million Added Through Sprinkle Lists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tues., May 9, 2023
CONTACT: Aly Coleman Raschid, aly@on3pr.com, 850.391.5040

Florida TaxWatch Releases Initial Review of Florida’s Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget, Focuses on $670 Million Added Through Sprinkle Lists

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released $670 Million Added to the New State Budget Through the Sprinkle Lists Deserves Close Scrutiny During the Governor’s Veto Deliberations, an initial review of Florida’s Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget, focusing on the $670 million that was added through supplemental appropriations, or “sprinkle lists,” developed by the Senate and the House of Representatives. The briefing identifies 38 items worth $53.3 million on the sprinkle lists that circumvented the standard budget process, and which may end up on FTW’s annual Budget Turkey Watch Report. However, because the sprinkle lists are deliberated and agreed to in private by just a few legislators, without public input and debate or being subject to an open, transparent process, FTW recommends Gov. Ron DeSantis apply special scrutiny to all projects on these lists as he considers using his line-item veto power.

To be clear, the Budget Turkey label does not signify judgement of a project’s worthiness. For the purposes of this briefing, they are items that provide funding for new appropriations projects or add back projects that budget conferees had previously agreed to remove.

Additionally, it should be noted that this briefing is separate from and precedes FTW’s 2023 Budget Turkey Watch Report – a more thorough, comprehensive review of the entire $117 billion budget – which will be issued in the coming weeks.

Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro said, “On balance, the Florida Legislature has done a commendable job spending an unprecedented level of funds over the last three years. They have increased investments in infrastructure, the environment, and teacher and state employee pay, while also reducing state debt and providing record-breaking tax relief for Floridians. However, the proliferation of member projects and the use of sprinkle lists are problematic. This budget includes funding for more than 1,500 member projects, the largest quantity in history. 

“While still at a high level, Florida’s cash reserves are getting smaller, and economists caution that the recent growth in state revenue may begin to slow considerably in the near future, which means our legislative leaders must continue to be responsible with taxpayers’ hard-earned money. In our role as a trusted government watchdog, Florida TaxWatch encourages Governor DeSantis to take a closer look at all projects on the sprinkle lists, and we offer this briefing as a resource as he begins his review of the Fiscal Year 2023-24 state budget.”

In this briefing, FTW encourages the governor to pay particular attention to the following budget areas: Water Projects, Local Transportation Projects, Housing and Community Development Projects, School and Instructional Enhancements, Private College and University Projects, Special Local Law Enforcement Projects, Local Fire Service, Economic Development Projects, Local Emergency Management Facilities, and Workforce Projects.

FTW also reiterates a longtime recommendation that competitive review and selection processes should be created in statute for these areas. The lack of such a process has become a glaring problem, and member projects have proliferated. This is especially true for local water projects. Despite the numerous existing grant programs created by the Florida Legislature, including some established recently, this year’s budget contains a record $433 million worth of member water projects. Circumventing competitive processes is done at the expense of a strategic, comprehensive water plan that is determined using the best scientific data. 

For more information about FTW’s Budget Turkeys, please click here. To access the full briefing, please click here.     

About Florida TaxWatch
As an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit government watchdog and taxpayer research institute for more than forty years and the trusted eyes and ears of Florida taxpayers, Florida TaxWatch works to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government. Its research recommends productivity enhancements and explains the statewide impact of fiscal and economic policies and practices on citizens and businesses. Florida TaxWatch is supported by its membership via voluntary, tax-deductible donations and private grants.  Donations provide a solid, lasting foundation that has enabled Florida TaxWatch to bring about a more effective, responsive government that is more accountable to, and productive for, the citizens it serves since 1979. For more information, please visit www.floridataxwatch.org.

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