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But around the same time, some school superintendents --- including Duval County's Nikolai Vitti --- were calling for a veto.

"Why will Governor Scott veto..because he understands that politically beating up K-12 education does not work for FL," Vitti tweeted.

In some ways, the bill could prove to be an inviting target for Scott. It was pushed by House Speaker Richard Corcoran, a Land O' Lakes Republican who sparred with the governor throughout the session over economic-development incentives and tourism marketing.

But there are also politically popular parts of the bill that could make it difficult for Scott to veto, particularly as he weighs a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2018.

The most notable parts of the legislation were a proposal known as "schools of hope," which would encourage charter schools to locate near academically struggling public schools, and an expansion of the "Best and Brightest" teacher bonus program.

It also moves to limit standardized testing of students in an attempt to answer widespread complaints about the practice and would allow districts to ignore a convoluted and controversial state formula based on those tests when doing teacher evaluations.

Even some lawmakers who reluctantly pushed for the education bill to be approved as a way to appease Corcoran and end the legislative session suggested, not necessarily unfavorably, that a veto from Scott was a real possibility.

"In this case, in my opinion, and my personal choice, is going to be to let him do that --- that we'll do what we agreed to do and pass a conference package of all the bills that we have in conference, and then we'll pass it down and let him do his job," said Senate Appropriations Chairman Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater.

Corcoran, perhaps unsurprisingly, said Scott should accept all of the budget-related bills that passed the Legislature.

"If I were governor, I wouldn't veto any of them, no," said Corcoran, considering a run for Scott's office in 2018. "They're not good policy, they're great policy."

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5/9/2017

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