Posted on Sun, May. 11, 2008

Faced with $5 billion in cuts to the state budget, Broward lawmakers spent most of their time in Tallahassee this year playing defense as they tried to block deep cuts to county schools, hospitals and courts.

When the clock ran out on the legislative session on May 2, legislators had agreed to tap state trust funds and raise fees to fill some gaps in social services and criminal justice funding.

But delegates from Broward -- and most other counties -- also left Tallahassee with big cuts to education, healthcare and child services spending. And legislators agree it was a session where almost no one walked away a winner.

TOUGH YEAR

''Broward fared as well as they could have in light of the budget,'' said Rep. Jack Seiler, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat and Broward delegation chairman. ``It was a very, very tough budget year. . . . Broward took a very good beating, and so did every other county in the state.''

With tax collections down, state lawmakers spent most of the 60-day session trying to cut billions from the state budget that goes into effect July 1.

Broward lawmakers went to Tallahassee with a clear game plan: speak out against the cuts and try to score more money by proposing other ways to fill state coffers.

But the mostly Democratic delegation saw most of their moves blocked by the Republican-led Legislature.

Republican lawmakers rejected a proposal by Sen. Ted Deutch, a Boca Raton Democrat who also represents parts of Broward, and Rep. Jim Waldman, a Coconut Creek Democrat, to raise more money for healthcare by raising the cigarette tax.

Bills to collect sales tax on items bought over the Internet, eliminate some of the state's sales-tax exemptions and close corporate tax loopholes also died.

And proposals to raise more money by expanding gambling or by lowering the tax rate for Broward parimutuels stalled in the House.

Broward's Democratic lawmakers said the decisions came down to election-year politics.

''I think that [leadership] wanted to show a more conservative side,'' said Democratic Rep. Joe Gibbons of Hallandale Beach. 'So regardless of our situation as a state, they said, `These are things we don't do.' ''

But Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, a Fort Lauderdale Republican and the House majority whip, said Republicans didn't want to raise taxes on people who are already struggling.

''People recognize that we did the best we could with what we had,'' Bogdanoff said. ``I think there's a sense of satisfaction that we did what we had to do.''

SOME HIGHLIGHTS

The final $66.2 billion budget did have some highlights.

At the urging of Gov. Charlie Crist, lawmakers agreed to tap money from the state's tobacco endowment to close the funding gap for social services and to raise fees to offset criminal justice cuts.

The budget also includes $4 million for Broward water improvements, $1.3 million for county beach projects and $2.3 million for local parks.

But Broward legislators couldn't block $59.9 million in cuts to Broward schools and a $1.8 million reduction for the county's child welfare provider, ChildNet.

The cuts prompted most of the county's Democratic lawmakers to vote against the state budget, which passed on a largely party-line vote.

''Given our population, our large population of seniors, our large population of children, these cuts are devastating to Broward County,'' said Democratic Sen. Nan Rich of Weston.

Broward lawmakers did succeed in getting several bills passed that could guard from some budget blows.

A bill by Rich and Democratic Rep. Ari Porth of Coral Springs makes it easier for restaurants to donate excess food to nonprofit groups.

Another bill by Porth and Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller of Cooper City requires insurers to provide $36,000 a year in coverage for autism therapy, which could help parents with the expensive treatment in a year when the state cut $180 million in programs for the developmentally disabled.

Other successful Broward-sponsored bills included:

• A measure by Democratic Rep. Martin Kiar of Davie and Democratic Sen. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres in Palm Beach County that makes it illegal to manipulate the name and number that appears on someone's caller ID, a practice known as ``spoofing.''

• A bill sponsored in the House by Bogdanoff and other Florida lawmakers that bans school bullying and requires school districts to adopt anti-bullying policies.

TERM LIMITS

But lawmakers say Broward also will note another loss next session without Geller and Seiler, two influential legislators who must leave office this year because of term limits.

''In the age of term limits, this is what happens,'' said Democratic Rep. Evan Jenne of Dania Beach. ``These huge vacancies are created, and it's up to everyone to step up and fill those vacancies.''