Miami-Dade County is eligible for more money than any other county in the state budget -- $1.8 billion. That makes the county more susceptible to budget vetoes before the budget goes into effect in July.
The Florida Legislature handed Gov. Rick Scott a record election-year budget of $77.1 billion. Scott has the final say over the budget and can cut funding for programs at will. Miami-Dade has more line items in the budget than any other county, but all of them could be slashed with the veto pen.
The funding covers transportation, water projects and schools. There’s also money for cultural amenities and community services.
The projects include $10 million for the planned SkyRise Miami tower, $137 million for extra lanes on the Turnpike in Homestead, and $20,000 for the non-profit arts group Cannonball Miami.
Broward County has the second-highest number of line items in the budget (145), but it’s not among the top five counties for funding. Broward is eligible for $786 million from the state.
Scott has until June 4 to decide on any vetoes and sign the budget.
News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
