Educations cuts possible as state deals with $2.3 billion deficit

TALLAHASSEE-- It's only day one and lawmakers attending a special session at the state capitol are already realizing they will have to make deeper spending cuts than first anticipated.

The news comes on the first day of the session designed to close at least a $ 2.3 billion dollar budget deficit.

Senate President Jeff Atwater says December tax collections fell $100 million dollars below forecast meaning the Legislature will have a bigger hole to fill in the budget.

During the special session the Republican-controlled Legislature is looking at a combination of options including spending cuts, reserves, and higher court fees and fines to offset the loss of revenue dollars.

Lawmakers say they have a difficult task ahead of them. "It's gonna be difficult. I think we're gonna have a lot of cuts in education which our people are finding objectionable. I think we have to certainly look at sales tax exemptions, Seminole gaming compact and other areas where we can raise some revenues without hurting the public," said Senator Ron Saunders,  a Democrat from Key West.

Some good news: tax increases are off the table for the special session. In fact, the House killed any consideration of Democratic proposals to raise Florida's cigarette tax, now one of the lowest in the nation.