--- advertisement ---

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

One-On-One

Every Friday, News13’s Amy Hoyt talks with newsmakers about the most current topics around the panhandle, state and country. Elected leaders are held accountable and have the opportunity to answer the questions you want asked. Amy is one of this area’s most credible journalists and puts her experience to work for you. Here are her One on One interviews, past and present.

ahoyt@wmbb.com

Thursday, May 08, 2008

One on One: Jimmy Patronis

It was a tough year for the Florida Legislature. A slowing economy and fewer people moving into the state meant less money in the coffers, and that boiled down to needed cuts.

Unfortunatley, education suffered.  Bay County alone will see a 12 million dollar shortfall. Individual districts can make up some of that money by raising the millage rate. Lawmakers did dip into the state reserves to keep Health Care cuts from hurting residents.

District 6 Rep. Jimmy Patronis says it was a tough year, and he wished there was more that could have been done to avoid the cuts, but the money just wasn’t available. Patronis says raising the sales tax to make up for the shortfall wasn’t the answer either. Residents, he said, suffered with higher insurance payments because of severe hurricane seasons and just didn’t need to be paying more in taxes.
Florida lawmakers will take a 5% pay cut, the Governor and cabinet will not. Only state troopers among state employees will see a pay hike, 5 percent, in 2008-09.

To hear more about the cuts and the legislative session, click below.

One-On-One • (0) Comments • Permalink

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Page 1 of 57 pages  1 2 3 >  Last »