Representative Hudson Robs to Pay

[Guest guest]

Budget woes spark Hudson's Choice

C. Lyons Sun Sentinel Senior Editorial Writer

10:02 a.m. EDT, April 11, 2011

TALLAHASSEE — State Rep. Matt Hudson, R-Naples, robbed to pay .

As an appropriations subcommittee chair, Hudson thought the developmentally disabled needed more help than cancer research centers. So he moved millions from places like the H. Lee Moffit Center to close the budget deficit of the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities. Hudson believes he made the right decision, and given the circumstances, he did.

This is where we are. Lawmakers are now forced to make a series of Hudson's Choices, a government policy variation of a Sophie's Choice situation, as they decide how to spend tax dollars amid dwindling revenue and rising protests from individuals and some businesses that rely on government services. Government employees — cops, firefighters, teachers — aren't happy. You know it's bad when registered nurses come to Tallahassee and march in protest.

Florida Gov. Rick seems to be bearing the brunt of it, so far. He and his wife gamely led last Saturday's Springtime Tallahassee parade amid a sea of "Pink Slip Rick" placards, and quite a few jeers. This week, his office twice was crammed with shouting, sign-carrying protesters. Our capital is beginning to look like Wisconsin's.

Still, a majority of legislators continue to talk about "living within your means" and "moving our state forward," even as they acknowledge making tough cuts in the state's health, education and public safety programs. That refrain won't change next week when House and Senate members meet to craft the final budget.

The idea of raising revenue is unthinkable, even though Florida Revenue Estimating Conference figures show that if the corporate income and emergency excise tax were applied to gross reciepts rather than net profits, the state could collect upwards of $81.7 billion. (Yes, that was a "b.")

But, forget new taxes. Florida seems reluctant to even go after any uncollected revenue that's owed the state, like the sales taxes on Internet purchases or the full remittances on hotel rooms rented through online travel companies. Spending cuts are the preferred way to go.

For every dollar spent on collections, the state recoups $17. That figure is from a 1996 OPPAGA study on the Florida Department of Revenue, which back then found the agency could improve the way it collects money owed the state. Unfortunately, that's a distant memory in a place where Hudson's Choice is now the norm.

Senior Editorial Writer C. Lyons can be reached at dlyons@..., or .