Recommendations Could Save Florida Taxpayers $3.2 Billion

A group of current and former government officials, business leaders and policy analysts recently made cost-savings recommendations to save Florida taxpayers up to $3.2 billion. That happens to be the amount House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, cited as the upper end of a projected revenue shortfall this year, between expected state tax and fee collections and the cost of covering needed state services. But the task force assembled by Florida Tax Watch, an independent policy analysis organization that assesses state programs, was not related to the start of legislative budgeting in the new 2010 session.

A 31-member task force worked nine months to produce the 88 recommendations, which included collecting sales tax on Internet purchases, reducing employer contributions to the Florida Retirement System and increasing the "vesting" period for employees from six years to 10, implementing four-day work schedules in most agencies, reducing the retirement credits for managers and special-risk law enforcement employees, increases in employee parking fees and a moratorium on office-supply purchases.

The bigger recommendations were a $200 million plan to increase use of state term contracts for economies of scale, saving $50 million to $125 million by requiring competitive bidding on more goods and services, and $300 million saved by privatizing some non-instructional services in schools.

It was estimated that $80 million could be saved by eliminating "fourth quarter dumping," a reputed practice by agencies spending surplus money in May and June so they won't lose it in the new fiscal year.
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20100304/CAPITOLNEWS/100304016/-1/NLETTER07?source=nletter-news