Guess what part of the budget isn't getting cut under Gov. Rick Scott?

July 17, 2012

Guess what part of the budget isn't getting cut under Gov. Rick Scott?

For the last seven years the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has compiled an annual report that measures how much money the state spends on protective services for the governor - as well as how much the state spent on security guarding other important visitors.

And it turns out that during the first full year where Rick Scott was governor the cost increased to nearly $2.5 million. That was an increase of nearly $264,000 from the previous fiscal year which covered six months when Charlie Crist was still governor.

It was also the highest total in the seven years FDLE has been keeping track of the expenses in this format.

Here's the AP story on the annual report which includes a statement from FDLE regarding the increased expenses under Scott.

Here's a copy of this year's annual FDLE report: Download Transportation and Protective Services Report 2011-2012 FINAL

One of the interesting highlights of the report is the transportation/expenditures costs for guarding Scott climbed nearly $100,000 from the previous year.

Scott, as you may recall, got rid of the state airplane and now uses his own private jet for many of his travels across the state.

A spokeswoman for FDLE pointed out that Scott does not charge the state when an agent accompanies him on the plane but did not provide details on why the transportation costs went up so much. It is also worth noting that during the 2011-12 fiscal year Scott did take three trips abroad to Brazil, Israel and Spain where he was accompanied by FDLE agents.

The report also shows that the overall cost for security increased this past year even though the cost of guarding governors and other visitors declined by $63,000.

Still the state spent nearly $295,000 providing security for 79 security details including ones for Gov. Bobby Jindal, Gov. Nikki Haley, Gov. Jack Martell, First Lady Michelle Obama and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

That cost also includes more than $55,000 FDLE spent on costs associated with the Republican Governors Association conference held last winter in Orlando.

Bondi got a security detail when she attended the oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court back in March. The cost to Florida taxpayers was $15,539.

Florida taxpayers also spent nearly $18,000 for five visits by Jindal to Florida - and more than $2,200 for a visit by members of his family.

The cost for two visits by the First Lady were just under $1,000.

Visits by Markell and his family cost more than $5,800, while the expenses of providing security for three visits by Haley and her family cost $13,460.

The report does not provide a copious amount of details about the expenses - other than breaking them up into salary costs, transportation and expenses and listing the trip as either "official" or "personal."

Posted at 09:04 AM in Charlie Crist, health care, Rick Scott, State Budget | Permalink