The Legislature's reductions are sprinkled throughout the budget, but they hit social services harder than Crist had called for.

Of all the healthcare cuts, one of the biggest targets nursing homes, which are paid with money from Medicaid. House and Senate leaders have agreed to cut nursing-home Medicaid reimbursement rates by 10 percent.

Nursing home operators like Debbie Franklin said the cuts have a human toll.

''This is 7,000 in potential job losses. It's going to bankrupt facilities,'' said Franklin, CEO for Florida Living Options, which operates in Lakeland, Ocala and Brandon.

''What effect will this have on the state's economy?'' she asked. ``Unemployment will go up, in addition to the frail elderly getting the best they deserve.''

In virtually every legislative budget committee, the questions and concerns sound the same. Advocates and Democrats are calling for more taxes, fees and more taxable gambling.

Broward school board chairwoman Maureen Dinnen told the House PreK-12 Education Appropriations Committee on Tuesday that the Legislature needs to find new money. She said teachers are increasingly digging into their own pocket books to pay for school supplies that neither the district nor cash-strapped parents can afford.

TAX AVERSION

But Republican Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff of Fort Lauderdale responded by saying that tax increases will make matters worse.

''I'm not sure who we are going to be taxing,'' Bogdanoff said. ``Perhaps maybe you'd like to tax the teachers who have lost their jobs? Or perhaps those families that are struggling with foreclosures?''

Most of the political war will be waged over the schools budget. School spending accounts for half of the part of the budget with the $2.4 billion hole. Schools bear about half of the cuts.

Next year, the total budget deficit could be at least $4 billion. That means more cuts for schools. Miami-Dade has already trimmed $289 million from its budget and now has to cut about $49 million more. Because Miami-Dade is already in a state of financial emergency, teacher unions and Democrats fret that the House's bill requiring pay cuts in cash-strapped counties will harm the district more than others.

Broward Schools Superintendent Jim Notter said the district had expected a bigger cut. But he said that wasn't cause for celebration.

''You're absolutely famished in the wilderness of the desert and you have a half a glass of water. You think you're gonna die,'' he said. ``They take half of the half and think you should be happy.''

Herald/Times staff writer Mary Ellen Klas contributed to this report, along with Miami Herald staff writers Hannah Sampson and Kathleen McGrory. Marc Caputo can be reached at

mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com

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