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Florida News December 14, 2024 5 mins read

Florida Budget Tidbits Go From Alligators to Zoos

Florida News ı By Jeff Watterson

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alligator-439890_1280

HOTEL ON THE MOVE:

Fort Walton Beach could get $300,000 to move --- about a half-mile down the road --- the historic Gulfview Hotel as part of plans for a welcome center and museum.

The 111-year-old hotel, on the National Register of Historic Places, was recently donated to Fort Walton Beach with a requirement the building be relocated to city-owned property adjacent to the Heritage Park & Cultural Center.

NO SNACKS FOR BEARS:

To keep bears from gobbling trash for lunch and dinner, $415,283 is slated to go to counties and local governments for programs that help residents purchase bear-resistant garbage containers.

The budget requires that at least 60 percent of the money, which comes from the sale of “Conserve Wildlife” license plates, go to local governments that have ordinances focused on resolving issues associated with bears foraging for food in garbage cans.

MENAGERIE MONEY:

Palm Beach Zoo, where an employee was killed by a tiger a year ago, would get $300,000 to help make changes in a safety, training and access system.

The Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens is up for $854,677 million as part of a partnership with Seminole County to build a teaching facility to serve middle and high schools and colleges.

The Lowry Park Zoo Manatee Hospital would receive $500,000 to complete life-support system upgrades. And the Brevard Zoo is up for $1.126 million for conservation research.

STUDYING UP:

Lawmakers want to spend $150,000 to determine site locations for an underwater “Marine Statue Garden” that could provide recreational opportunities for Floridians and draw tourism dollars.

The state would spend $150,000 for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to contract with the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research on a feasibility study related to moving the Florida Highway Patrol Academy from Gadsden County to Polk County. The new site would be on or near the SunTrax facility at the Florida Polytechnic University campus.

WE'VE GOT ALLIGATORS:

A budget staple targeted in the past by Scott, $150,000 would go to alligator marketing at the Department of Agriculture.

Scott vetoed the line item in 2011, having highlighted the expense as budget fat after telling The Wall Street Journal, "We're not doing alligator marketing, things like that."

Since then, the marketing money, voluntarily paid by alligator farmers, has survived Scott's veto pen.

Lawmakers also allocated $49,000 for public dove-field development and $400,000 for deer management.

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Jeff Watterson

Jeff Watterson is a journalist that focuses on politics, investigative journalism, and technology news. When Jeff is not writing, which is his hobby, he enjoys fishing and hunting.

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