Florida Gov. Rick Scott received permission Tuesday from Republican legislative leaders to file his budget recommendation a day later than its legal due date, which is Feb. 6. The new GOP governor faces a deficit of more than $3.5 billion in fiscal 2012.
Scott had said that he would submit his first budget on Feb. 4. He was to meet with Division of Bond Finance director Ben Watkins on Wednesday, according to his schedule.
During the campaign, Scott promised to cut 6,000 state jobs and create 700,000 private-sector jobs. While he never said exactly how he planned to accomplish those goals, he has been very critical of spending in Florida’s budget.
Immediately after being sworn in Jan. 4, Scott signed several executive orders stopping the implementation of any new rules by agencies under his purview. He established the Office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory Reform to review all agency contracts and rules.
Scott also imposed a 90-day suspension on the execution of any contracts with a value of more than $1 million without first getting approval from the Office of Fiscal Accountability. That order has been widely criticized because it has held up contracts for approved projects that would create a large number of jobs.
