Agencies help Scott push his 2014-15 budget

Various state agencies are praising their boss Gov. Rick Scott for his proposed 2014-15 budget:

Office of Emergency Management:

GOVERNOR SCOTT’S “IT’S YOUR MONEY TAX CUT BUDGET” COMMITS
$243 MILLION TO PROTECT FLORIDIANS FROM DISASTERS
~Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and Emergency Management Accreditation Program Top Priorities~

TALLAHASSEE – Governor Scott announced today that the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s (FDEM) budget priorities for Fiscal Year 2014-2015 will include the continuance of the Division’s recurring funding and a focus on both the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and Emergency Management Accreditation Program.
Governor Scott’s “It’s Your Tax Cut Budget” recommends $243 million for FDEM, of which $14.7 million is General Revenue. The budget funds the following:

$160.3M : Federally Declared Disasters, $13.7M is General Revenue: FDEM is currently administering open declarations. This figure represents payouts to applicants as well as the state operating budget to manage the federally declared disaster grants. $13.7M represents the total amount of required state matching funds applied to these projects.

$4.7M : Repetitive Flood Claims the Severe Repetitive Loss Program: FDEM administers this program to provide relief for those whose insured property has demonstrated severe repetitive flood loss, according to guidelines set by FEMA. This program allows owners to seek forms of relief such as elevation, relocation, or acquisition of their affected properties.

$7.8M : Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program (PDM): The PDM Program provides funds for hazard mitigation planning and the implementation of mitigation projects prior to a disaster event to reduce overall risks to the population and structures, while also reducing reliance on funding from actual disaster declarations.

$6.2M : Flood Mitigation Assistance Program: The Flood Mitigation Assistance Program is administered through FDEM. FDEM develops and maintains a State Standard Hazard Mitigation Plan, reviewing Flood Mitigation Assistance Program sub-applications, recommending technically feasible and cost effective sub-applications to FEMA and providing pass-thru funding for FEMA approved and awarded project grants to eligible sub-applicants.

$15M : Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG): The EMPG Program assists state, local, territorial, and tribal governments in preparing for all hazards, as authorized by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act.

$3M : Hurricane Shelter Relief: FDEM publishes an annual shelter retrofit report which provides a list of facilities to be retrofitted for use as public hurricane evacuation shelters. Such measures bring the safety of public shelters up to established safety criteria and increase the availability of public hurricane evacuation shelter spaces in the state. An additional 15,888 spaces are estimated to be available to the public by August 2014.

“Florida is recognized as a leader in the field of emergency management,” said FDEM Director Bryan Koon. “Governor Scott’s funding allows the Division to maintain its commitment to prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate against natural and man-made disasters.”

Increased merit funding for The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) is a budget priority for 2014. The HMGP is a partnership designed to assist states, local governments, private non-profit organizations and tribal governments in implementing long-term hazard mitigation measures following a major disaster declaration.

The HMPG is designed to: 1) prevent future losses of lives and damage to property due to disasters; 2) implement state or local hazard mitigation plans; 3) enable mitigation measures to be implemented during immediate recovery from a disaster; and 4) provide funding for previously identified mitigation measures that benefit the disaster area.

“Florida’s participation in the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is a real benefit for our citizens. In the last eight years, the state demonstrated that $18.9 million invested in mitigation programs provided a return of 116% based on the 2012 Loss Avoidance Report for Tropical Storm Debby,” said Koon. “Economic models found these projects either created or sustained over 13,000 jobs in the state. Governor Scott’s continued support of mitigation programs represents a commitment to Florida’s continued economic growth.”

A budget priority for the Fiscal Year 2013-2014 was an increase in merit funding for county emergency management agencies through the national Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) criteria. Florida currently has three counties accredited by EMAP –Miami-Dade, Duval, and Orange – more than any other state in the country. Manatee and Volusia Counties are expected to finalize their accreditation early this year. Governor Scott is recommending $310,250 for an additional twelve counties for 2014.

“The EMAP program has been very beneficial for us,” said Dave Freeman, Emergency Manager for Orange County. “Peer-to-peer evaluation is one of the best opportunities that we have to ensure that our standards are among best practices when compared to other successful programs in the country. The EMAP accreditation process challenges us, and it absolutely makes us more prepared to serve our community in the event of an emergency.”

EMAP is a national, nonprofit organization that published emergency management standards. In 2003, Florida became the first state in the country to achieve full accreditation through EMAP. Florida was reaccredited in 2007 and underwent the reaccreditation process again in November of 2013.

Funding above the standard annual amount based on EMAP criteria will incentivize counties to implement the highest standards of emergency management practices to protect their businesses, infrastructure, citizens, and visitors during natural and man-made disasters. Additional funding through the satisfaction of certain EMAP criteria will not impact a county’s base funding through current procedures.

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From Dept of Economic Opportunity:

Governor Rick Scott today announced his 2014-2015 “It’s Your Money Tax Cut Budget” recommendations for the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) that are focused on job creation, increased economic development, and workforce training initiatives.

This budget builds upon the work by the Scott administration to grow Florida’s economy and create jobs for Florida families. Under the Scott administration, Florida’s statewide unemployment rate has dropped 4.9 percentage points, from a rate of 11.1 percent in December 2010 to the December 2013 rate of 6.2 percent. The current rate of 6.2 percent represents the lowest statewide unemployment rate since July 2008. The statewide unemployment rate has remained below the national average since April 2013. The Scott administration has created an opportunity economy that has fostered the creation of more than 462,000 new private sector jobs since December 2010. Also, Florida made its final Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund payment to the federal government on May 23, 2013 – fully repaying $3.5 billion the state incurred during the recession. Other indicators that show marked improvement in Florida’s economy include record-breaking tourism, increased consumer confidence, and significant tax cuts that have helped Florida families and businesses over the last three years.

DEO Executive Director Jesse Panuccio said, “Governor Scott’s economic policies have resulted in decreased unemployment, tremendous job growth, increased tourism, and increased consumer confidence to create a remarkable economic turnaround. With the “It’s Your Money Tax Cut Budget,” Governor Scott is continuing to create an opportunity economy. This budget allows our state to strategically invest in programs and initiatives that will support our job creators, strengthen our communities and prepare them to compete for business growth, and promote our state.”

DEO was created to help streamline Florida’s economic development processes and to ensure the state can respond more efficiently and effectively to any job creation opportunities. DEO works collaboratively with the state’s workforce and economic development entities, Workforce Florida, Inc. and Enterprise Florida, Inc., as well as the local regional workforce boards, community action agencies, and regional planning councils around the state to ensure coordination among the different organizations and to help strengthen Florida’s competitive communities.

Economic development incentives creating opportunities for Floridians

Governor Scott continues his commitment to growing and diversifying Florida’s economy by proposing $95 million in non-recurring funds focused on various economic development programs, incentives, and activities to recruit new businesses to Florida. A strong, well-funded incentives program is a key tool to effectively compete for economic development projects. This will ensure Florida is able to address specific needs as they arise for projects considering new job creation and investment opportunities.

Of the primary incentives administered during Fiscal Year 2012-2013, more than 85 percent of the contracts executed fall within the category of pay after performance. Most incentives are pay-after-performance based, meaning no money is provided until performance measures are verified by DEO. As with all incentive agreements, clawbacks and sanctions are also included to ensure that taxpayer dollars and the state’s investment are protected.

For example, the Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund (QTI) is an incentive awarded to businesses looking to move to or expand in Florida. This incentive is used to attract new high-quality, high-wage jobs for Floridians in qualified industries and has created thousands of jobs for Floridians. This program has been so successful that a recent third-party reviewer noted that, “Each QTI project has a performance-based contract, which outlines specific milestones that must be achieved and verified by the state prior to payment of funds. Moreover, additional incentive dollars are not paid to businesses for jobs that a business creates above and beyond its contractual obligations. In essence, in the review period, the state in receiving a windfall of job creation for which it is not obligated to pay.”

The Governor’s “It’s Your Money Tax Cut Budget” will allow the state to attract the next generation of businesses and increase the number of jobs available to Florida families. The increased cooperation between Enterprise Florida and the Department of Economic Opportunity under the Scott administration has made Florida more competitive for jobs with a heightened focus on accountability.

“Thanks to our ability to compete not only nationally but worldwide, Florida is winning more competitive economic development projects than ever before and industry professionals and business leaders have taken notice,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope, who serves as president & CEO of Enterprise Florida Inc., the state’s lead economic development organization. “While Florida has many of the resources companies need when looking to locate or expand, we must also have the ability to offer funding support to truly remain competitive and bring more jobs to the state. We have successfully demonstrated that by targeting specific sectors and efficiently using the incentives toolkit provided to us, we can diversify and expand Florida’s economy through job creation while maintaining a significant return on our investment.”

Supporting business growth and expansion opportunities

Labor supply studies are customized reports to assist economic and workforce development entities with business recruitment. The Labor Supply System is used to determine available labor supply for new businesses that are considering a location site in Florida. This availability of workers by occupation can be critical for a business to make a location decision. Governor Scott recommends more than $453,000 for a Labor Supply System for Business Recruitment. The funds will support staffing, software, training, and data collection. No other state in the nation has such a comprehensive system giving Florida the competitive advantage for business recruitment. One major company, Boeing, said no other state provided such extensive data and mapping on available workers as Florida and it was an essential component to their decision to expand in Florida.

Strengthening Florida’s communities through community-based asset inventories

Assisting communities to empower themselves while also ensuring they can compete for jobs and new business is one of Governor Scott’s priorities. DEO’s Competitive Florida Partnership will help rural communities value and promote local assets and challenge them to set realistic goals for advancing their economic development vision. Governor Scott’s proposal of $1.5 million would go toward helping local governments who are in need of assistance. DEO recently announced the first four rural communities chosen to participate in the program: the City of Port St. Joe, the City of Newberry, the City of White Springs, and Desoto County. The four participating communities will design and develop innovative strategies that promote partnerships, community design, and a viable local economy.

Increasing access to data to make informed education decisions

Governor Scott is recommending $75,000 to fund the Economic Securities Report that will help students and families make important education and career path decisions. The report will compare employment rate and wage earnings of students with particular degrees and certificates, as well as compare degrees across educational institutions. The aim of the report is to provide timely data to help keep Florida college graduates in Florida.

Increasing high-skill and high-wage workforce training

The Governor recommends $30 million for the Workforce State Training Program, an initiative focused on providing more Floridians with the training required to not just obtain employment, but to establish a career. This program will be administered by Workforce Florida, Inc., soon to be called CareerSource Florida, Inc., and will provide flexible funding to businesses seeking to train employees. A focus will be on individuals seeking training in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and other high-skill, high-wage occupations. The program also includes providing Florida state colleges and post-secondary vocational center scholarships to students seeking training in such occupations.

Expanding Florida’s ability to train workers

Governor Scott recommends continuing the funding for the Quick Response Training Grant Program at $12 million. Quick Response Training (QRT) grants, administered by Workforce Florida, Inc., soon to be called CareerSource Florida, Inc., provide funding for customized training to new or expanding businesses. Through this customer-driven program, Florida is able to effectively retain and attract businesses creating new high-quality jobs. The grants are structured to be flexible and “respond quickly” to meet a business’s training objectives. On average, trainees’ wages increased by more than 47 percent within a year of completing QRT-supported training. QRT was recognized in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s 2011 report, “Enterprising States: Dream Big,” as a contributing factor to Florida’s No. 1 ranking for workforce and job training programs.

“With this strong investment, Governor Scott is moving Florida from vision to action to deliver the right skills at the right time to high-skill, high-wage industries that create high-value STEM career opportunities for Florida workers,” said Chris Hart IV, President/CEO of Workforce Florida Inc. “This new training fund will accelerate our state’s ongoing efforts to build our globally competitive workforce and support private-sector job creation and careers in sectors that further diversify our growing economy.”

Increasing tourism to Florida brings jobs

As the state’s number one industry, tourism is responsible for attracting tens of millions of visitors and billions of dollars to Florida each year. The Governor’s Budget proposes an additional $36.5 million for VISIT FLORIDA to expand its contribution to Florida’s economic growth, bringing its total funding to a historic $100 million. With this funding, VISIT FLORIDA will be able to market the Sunshine State year round to domestic visitors, increase marketing to international visitors, and assist communities in attracting direct international air service to Florida. Through the first three quarters of 2013, Florida welcomed 72.6 million visitors – an increase of 3.4 percent over the same period in 2012. For every 85 tourists that visit Florida, one permanent job is created.

“On behalf of the statewide tourism industry, I am grateful to Governor Scott for his recognition of VISIT FLORIDA’s ability to provide a significant return on the state’s investment in tourism marketing. The Governor’s visionary leadership puts us in a position to make 2014-15 another record year for visitation and fuels the momentum that has Florida on track to become the No. 1 travel destination in the world,” said Will Seccombe, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA.

Supporting the aerospace industry in Florida

The Governor’s “It’s Your Money Tax Cut Budget” recommends the continuation of funding at $10 million for Space Florida. Space Florida works to foster the growth and development of a sustainable and world-leading aerospace industry in Florida. This funding will support the implementation of “Vision 2020,” Space Florida’s Strategic Plan. “Vision 2020” promotes the use of Florida’s space launch and processing capabilities, existing skilled workforce, and infrastructure assets in targeted commercial markets throughout the state.

Increasing affordable housing opportunities for Floridians

Governor Scott’s budget recommendations include $89.3 million to support the State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) and State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) programs. SAIL provides low interest loans on a competitive basis to developers of affordable rental housing. The SHIP program provides funds to local governments, on a population based formula, as an incentive to produce and preserve affordable housing for very low, low, and moderate income families.

Tom Feeney, President and CEO of the Associated Industries of Florida said, “The state budget proposed by Governor Scott is a responsible, balanced approach to stabilizing Florida’s finances. We look forward to working with his administration in the coming months to protect these budget priorities so Florida can become the best place for business.”

Bill Herrle, Executive Director of the National Federation of Independent Business/Florida said, “NFIB applauds Governor Scott’s ‘It’s Your Money Tax Cut Budget’ because it expands opportunities for small business owners. Governor Scott’s historic budget understands the continuing need for pro-business policies.”

Doug Wheeler, President and CEO of the Florida Ports Council said, “Governor Scott’s budget recommendations show the country and the world that growing trade in Florida through our ports is a top priority. We applaud the commitment and dedication by Governor Scott to strategically invest in Florida’s ports and freight infrastructure to attract global business which will provide jobs and economic benefits to Florida families.”

Nancy Stephens, Executive Director of the Manufacturers Association of Florida said, “The Manufacturers Association of Florida is grateful for Governor Scott’s ‘It’s Your Money Tax Cut Budget’ because it makes manufacturing a top priority this legislative session. With some 6,000 manufacturing jobs open in Florida today Governor Scott knows that there is a skills gap between the skills available and what manufacturers need. His proposal is dead on for growing a manufacturing workforce with the right skills. For Florida families to succeed, we need to focus on creating manufacturing jobs for the hardworking men and women of our great state. Governor Scott’s innovative thinking has allowed Florida to compete on the global stage.”

Rick McAllister, President and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation said, “Governor Scott’s leadership has helped to grow our economy and create more jobs, and Florida’s retailers applaud his commitment to the people of our state. We are pleased to see Governor Scott’s continued commitment to job creation, and we look forward to working with him to ensure Florida is a great place for families to live and work.”

Amy Evancho, President and CEO of the Florida Economic Development Council said, “I congratulate Governor Scott for his leadership in building a budget proposal that balances long-term fiscal prudence with the need to invest in our state’s education and infrastructure.”

Lance Lozano, Chief Operating Officer of the Florida United Businesses Association said, “The Florida United Businesses Association thanks Governor Scott for making Florida the best state to do business. The ‘It’s Your Money Tax Cut Budget’ recognizes private sector business growth as the leading driver of Florida’s economic success.”

Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association said, “Governor Scott’s ‘It’s Your Money Tax Cut Budget’ exemplifies his commitment to Florida’s tourism and hospitality industry. His focus on tourism enabled our state to welcome nearly 100 million visitors this past year, which generated billions of dollars in revenue and provided jobs for hard working Floridians.”

Frank DiBello, President of Space Florida said, “We are pleased that the State continues to put importance on the growing space and aerospace sector here. It is critical to have State support as we continue our aggressive pursuit of successful and emerging companies that have growing interest in Florida.”

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From Children & Families:

Governor’s Budget Recommendations Protect and Strengthen Florida’s
Vulnerable Children and Families
Increase in funding supports child protection, prevention initiatives and
mental health services

TALLAHASSEE—Governor Rick Scott’s “It’s Your Money Tax Cut Budget” provides
historic support for the Department of Children and Families (DCF)
including nearly $40 million in additional funding for child protective
investigations. Advocates and leaders across the state praised Governor
Scott’s proposed budget for next year, which also includes increased
funding for human trafficking victims, prevention initiatives and mental
health services.

“Supported by input from national experts and data to back up our
proposals, we are prepared to ensure that these funds will be focused on
protecting children who are most at-risk,” Interim Secretary Esther Jacobo
said. “With Governor Scott’s steadfast support of DCF initiatives to
improve child safety, I am confident that these strategic investments will
be made to keep Florida’s children safe.”

Governor Scott’s recommended investments in child protection would go
specifically to:
o Hire more than 400 additional child protective investigators to
reduce current employee caseloads to allow every investigator more
time to focus on each child. The additional investigators will expand
the use of paired investigator response statewide, which is currently
piloted in the Southern and Central regions.
o Create 26 new positions to provide real-time quality assurance on
open cases. While this is being practiced in some parts of the state,
this investment would expand the initiative statewide enabling
investigators to intervene quicker in high-risk cases.
o Create the “Child Protective Master Practitioner” program to provide
the best workers more opportunity for upward mobility.

“Governor Scott has recognized the need for more funding to protect
children,” Christina Spudeas, Executive Director, Florida’s Children First,
said. “We are glad that he has considered the recommendations of national
experts, and is supporting with increased funding the initiatives DCF has
been testing in the field.”

DCF contracts with sheriff’s offices in six counties—Hillsborough,
Pinellas, Manatee, Seminole, Pasco and Broward—to perform child protective
investigations. Governor Scott is recommending an increase of $8 million to
ensure law enforcement has the resources they need to protect the children
in their counties.

“I thank Governor Scott for understanding the value law enforcement brings
to child protection services,” Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, Pinellas County
Sheriff’s Office, said. These investigations are always challenging, and I
am pleased that the Governor understands the importance of providing
sufficient funding for all organizations that work to protect Florida’s
children.”

As part of his continuing commitment to finding effective treatment for
victims of human trafficking, Governor Scott is recommending $2.5 million
go to providing comprehensive, individualized wrap-around services for
victims of commercial sexual exploitation, including family counseling,
appropriate shelter, mental health and substance abuse treatment, medical
care, specialized educational services and employment assistance. This
treatment approach will be continually studied and evaluated to measure
effectiveness in preventing re-victimization and facilitating recovery.

Governor Scott’s proposed budget reflects the importance of prevention
services for at-risk families. To that end, he is proposing a $7 million
increase in funding for Healthy Families. Healthy Families Florida (HFF) is
a voluntary home visitation program that is proven to prevent child abuse
and neglect by promoting positive parent-child relationships. The increased
funding will provide the resources needed for HFF to serve families
statewide.

“Governor Scott’s proposed investment is a reflection of his belief that
child abuse can and should be prevented before it ever begins,” Carol
McNally, Executive Director of Healthy Families Florida, said. “Healthy
Families Florida is proven to prevent child abuse in high-risk families,
and that means fewer children suffering the horrors of abuse, fewer
children entering foster care, and more children growing up safely in
loving, nurturing homes.”

In addition to new funding for child protection and prevention, Governor
Scott is restoring the base funding for community substance abuse services.
This program will continue to focus on providing priority treatment to
pregnant women. For mental health services, the Governor is also continuing
funding for Children’s Community Action Teams that deliver services to
families with severely emotionally disturbed children. The Governor also
recommends a $2.5 million increase for transitional placements for
individuals who are stable enough to reenter their communities. These
programs play an integral role in preventing child abuse and supporting
healthy families.

“For families struggling with mental illness, knowing that their loved one
is receiving care that will assist in their recovery as they transition
back into the community is so important,” Bob Sharpe, President of the
Florida Council for Community Mental Health, said. “Governor Scott’s
support for these families shows his commitment to helping Floridians
struggling with mental illness recover and thrive.”

To further his commitment to Florida’s foster children, Governor Scott is
recommending fully funding the Maintenance Adoption Subsidy which supports
parents who adopt children from Florida’s foster care system. Last year,
more than 3,300 Florida foster children were adopted and the financial
support that adoptive parents receive is an important element in making
those adoptions successful. In addition, the proposed budget supports level
funding for Community Based Care organizations that provide foster care and
adoption services across the state.

“Governor Scott has shown unprecedented support for Florida’s foster
children and adoptive parents,” Trudy Petkovich, President of the
Foster/Adoptive Parent Association, said. “The resources he is proposing
make a big difference for families who are going through the adoption
process and continue to make adopting a child from foster care a great
choice for parents looking for a loving addition to their families.”

To view the complete budget recommendations from Governor Scott, please go
to www.flitsyourmoney.com. For more information on the Florida Department
of Children and Families, visit www.myflfamilies.com.