Southwest Florida didn't feel the pain of Gov. Rick Scott's veto knife in next fiscal year's budget.
The governor vetoed $64 million in projects and spending when he signed the $88.7 billion 2018-19 budget last week, but not a single cut came at the expense of Southwest Florida.
The $64 million in cuts was the lowest amount he vetoed in his eight years in office. Last year the governor vetoed $410 million in projects and spending, including $20 million in Southwest Florida.
Next year's budget includes several Southwest Florida projects that were cut last year, including $14 million for FGCU's academic building, $775,000 for Billy's Creek restoration in Fort Myers and $2 million for the Sanibel Donax Wastewater Reclamation facility.
State Rep. Ray Rodrigues, R-Estero, believed part of the reason was communication between the governor's office and legislators in regard to proposals, especially those vetoed last year.
State Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, agreed.
"We made sure we were in close contact with the governor's office," she said.
It also helps that Scott, a Republican, probably will run for the Senate seat in November now held by Bill Nelson, D-Orlando.
"It does," Passidomo.
The governor during his term has vetoed as much as $615 million and $461 million and as little as $69 million.
Some of the biggest vetoes this session included $1.5 million to study extending an existing toll road from north of the Tampa Bay area to the Georgia state line and $750,000 legislators set aside to look at reversing the flow on major highways during a storm.
What is in the budget for Southwest Florida
- Florida Gulf Coast University operational support, $13.7 million
- Florida Gulf Coast School of Integrated Watershed and Coastal Studies Academic Building 9, $14 million
- Florida Southwestern State College, $1 million capital outlay physical plant chiller replacement
- Benacquisto Scholarship program increase, $2.8 million, $1.2 million for out-of-state student expansion
- Increase in graduate medical education, $5 million
- SalusCare for opioid crisis, $606,529
- SalusCare community action team, $750,000
- Salvation Army of Lee County addiction services, $165,000
- Family Initiative SWFL Autism Center, $102,000
Elite DNA Therapy Services, $733,000
Everglades Restoration, $143.2 million
- Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir, $64 million
- Herbert Hoover Dike, $50 million
- Increase in Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly by 100 slots in Lee and Collier counties
- Sanibel Donax Wastewater Reclamation Facility, $2 million
- Cape Coral Gator Slouth Reservoir, $1.155 million
- Billy's Creek Restoration, $775,000
- Fort Myers Beach Stormwater Outfall, $500,000
- Harry Chapin Food Bank, $800,000
- Bonita Beach nourishment, $473,620
- Lee County Public Safety Communication infrastructure, $1 million
- STARS Complex expansion phase I, $1 million