ST. PETE BEACH, Florida - There are no easy cuts in the state budget and Governor Rick Scott is learning it the hard way.
Appearing along the beaches on Florida's East Coast, the governor heard pleas from beach supporters worried about the slashing of renourishment money.
The governor's proposed budget included no new money for beach nourishment, down from $15 million in 2010. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has received requests for $101 million in money for beach upkeep.
The state House proposed $8.3 million for beaches this year while the state Senate proposed $8 million. Since the federal government matches the funds by a 4:1 margin, beaches stand to lose between $35 and $75 million compared to last year.
"The state's going to lose a great revenue source and a lot of jobs," said Bruno Falkenstein, a lifelong beach-goer and owner of Hurricane Seafood Restaurant on Pass-a-Grille.
"The majority of people who retired here came here for one reason," he added. "They came here because they like Florida's beaches."
Falkenstein suspects a drop in quality in Florida beaches will hurt the state's sales tax revenue.
A 2003 study by Florida Atlantic University indicated every dollar pumped into public beach upkeep prevented an $8 loss in state tax revenue.
"Well, it's part of the reason well all live here," Scott told reporters on Wednesday. "So it's very important."
But Scott also said the DEP has $75 million in unspent renourishment funds. However, those dollars have already been allocated to pending projects, like one at Sand Key.
He did, however, leave the door open for someone to convince him otherwise.
"I'm sort of a checklist person," Scott said. "Give me the list. Let's come up with a plan and start working our plan."
Even without state funds, Pinellas County beaches will receive some renourishment money in 2011. Approximately 8 percent of the county's bed tax goes toward renourishment. In 2010, it added up to $2.2 million.
Noah Pransky