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Fishkind Commentary: Politics Versus Florida's Budget, Part 1

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As Florida’s gubernatorial race heats up, both incumbent Republican Rick Scott and Democratic challenger Charlie Crist are promising to increase education spending upon election. But the state’s newly-released budget projections indicate that may be a tough promise to keep without cuts to other state programs or an increase in revenues, according to 90.7’s economic analyst Hank Fishkind.

The state budget projection report for fiscal year 2015 does seem to say Florida will have a surplus of nearly $340 million, but this week Fishkind tells us it depends on how you count and which figures you include. In fact, he says in our special two-part discussion, the report calls for a budget deficit of more than $530 million if you dig past the headline.

Nicole came to Central Florida to attend Rollins College and started working for Orlando’s ABC News Radio affiliate shortly after graduation. She joined WMFE in 2010. As a field reporter, news anchor and radio show host in the City Beautiful, she has covered everything from local arts to national elections, from extraordinary hurricanes to historic space flights, from the people and procedures of Florida’s justice system to the changing face of the state’s economy.