Last year, the state of Florida suffered through a round of austere budgets cuts, which largely fell on state health programs and education. Now, the News Service of Florida is reporting that this upcoming budget will also face a “significant” revenue shortfall — requiring the state to cut spending once more
“„Amy Baker, coordinator of the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research, said Wednesday that earlier projections of general-revenue growth this year and during the 2012-13 fiscal year will drop “fairly significantly.’’
“„That means more difficult budget choices for lawmakers when they start the 2012 legislative session in January — though Baker said things won’t be as bad as during this spring’s session, when lawmakers faced a $3.6 billion shortfall.
“„“I believe that you will be looking at another tight session,’’ she said during a presentation to the state’s Low Income Pool Council, a group that works on Medicaid-related funding issues.
“„Analysts, including Baker and representatives of the governor’s office, House and Senate, are scheduled to meet Oct. 11 to revise general-revenue estimates. Those estimates play a crucial role because lawmakers use them as a basis for knowing how much money will be available to spend.
“„Earlier projections said general revenue would increase $1.2 billion, or 5.5 percent, this fiscal year and $1.7 billion, or 7.1 percent, during 2012-13. That helped lead to a recent report indicating the state would be able to meet expected needs in 2012-13, with nearly $274 million left over.
“„But Baker told the council Wednesday that forecasts have changed as the state and nation have gone through a turbulent economic period in August and September.