The state budget is an important statement of what we value as Floridians and where our priorities lie. Lawmakers in Tallahassee are responsible for much of the funding that goes towards K-12 education, public colleges and universities, health care, transportation, public safety and other key building blocks for economic growth. Making smart, strategic investments in these areas will help set Florida on a path toward economic prosperity, stability and opportunity for everyone.

What we have seen from Tallahassee so far does everything but.

The Legislature’s current budget proposals could:

• Cut higher education up to $85 million, hurting the state’s economy by reducing the number and quality of skilled workers and making Florida less economically competitive;

• Slash the Department of Environmental Protection’s budget by more than 25 percent, which will impact everything from tourism and the quality of what comes out of our faucets, to what our children swim in and where our food is harvested;  

• Cut hundreds of millions of dollars in hospital funding, which will drive up the cost of care for all hospital patients and hurt the financial health of local economies;

• Raid affordable housing programs, undermining the state’s workforce and business climate.  

Next week, the FL House and Senate will vote on their respective budgets that determine how billions in our tax dollars will be spent. All indications are that the Legislature will keep balancing the budget on the backs of hardworking Floridians, but there’s still time to have our voices heard on this critical issue.

SEND A MESSAGE TO YOUR LEGISLATORS: We must invest in our communities – not shortchange them. Our future depends on it.