Florida TaxWatch is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit taxpayer research institute whose self-appointed role is government “watchdog.” It’s supported by voluntary, tax-deductible memberships and private grants and does not accept government funding.
Now in its 35th year, Florida TaxWatch is one of those references that seems unassailable. Sort of like “accountability” or “rights” or “patriot.”
Most folks in public office say nice things about TaxWatch. Even those who occasionally don’t think nice thoughts. Why chance coming across as a self-serving, pork stalker or a naive dolt who doesn’t think government needs watching? Anyone want to sign on to that?
And yet.
Each year Florida TaxWatch releases its annual list of budget “turkeys”–or projects it deems to have been passed along by lawmakers without proper vetting. It has nothing to do with merit or value. But calling it the annual “Line Item Advisory” would be boring and bureaucratic.
Trotting out the “turkey” list is timed to the governor’s review of the ($77.1 billion) budget that was passed on May 3. Gov. Scott’s now on the clock to veto any of the 4,000 line items. Presumably, he’ll have a hard time signing off on $120 million worth of “turkeys.”
That’s because “turkey,” as we know, has unsavory connotations to the general public.
The word itself, which seduces media coverage, doesn’t imply “more follow-up” or “pause for further scrutiny” or “better vetting needed.” To most people, “turkey,” not unlike “pork,” is pretty much synonymous with waste and skewed parochial priorities. As in “bridges-to-nowhere.” As in you’d have to be clueless or in collusion to miss a special-interest agenda.
The “turkey” list impacts the Tampa Bay area. Nearly a third of the target projects are here. And the list includes, for prime example, the $12 million earmarked for Port Tampa Bay’s gantry crane project. In fact, it’s the budget’s biggest “turkey.”
Anyone who knows anything about the port knows its catalytic economic role for the region–and the state–and the need for gantry cranes to stay competitive and offload cargo from newer, ever-bigger ships. And yet, this economic-engine, port project is on the same “turkey” list as a fancy dog park in an affluent Jacksonville neighborhood, a cool-looking fountain in wealthy Palm Beach and a gaudy, 1,000-foot observation tower for tourist-targeting Miami.
Ironically, the TaxWatch report itself was very complimentary of the Port Tampa Bay project. In fact, it noted: “This economic development project, matched by private funds, should provide a positive return on investment, increase jobs and increase Florida’s global competitiveness, but was added very late.”
Oh.
Maybe it deserves an asterisk and follow-up, but a gubernatorial veto–in the context of a dog park, a fountain and an observation tower? That’s a “turkey” of a list.