Gov. Charlie Crist signed the 2009-2010 $66.5 billion state budget today but lawmakers could be forced to come back to cut it as they did earlier this year.

“I’m hoping it’s not going to happen but the possibility is real,” Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, said after Crist’s budget signing today.

Lawmakers could come back as early as September to ratify a compact Crist is expected to sign with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

But they may have to also address the budget because they didn’t back on spending enough or raise taxes and fees high enough, depending on how quickly the state’s economy picks up.

“Had we gone for further reductions to ensure that it never would happen we may have been cutting deeper than we necessarily had to,” Atwater said. “In walking the fine line that we’ve walked, if the recovery is prolonged in its beginning, it’s possible.”

Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson, who has served nearly three decades in the legislature, said he believes a special budget-cutting session will be necessary before lawmakers reconvene in March.

“There would have to be a drastic increase in revenue for us not to do that. The economy is still not responding like it should. I think everyone knows that. People don’t like to talk about it. But I think that’s where we’re going to be,” said Lawson, D-Tallahassee.

Atwater said that a special session may not be a bad thing.

“If we come back to make an adjustment just as we did in January in this year’s budget I don’t consider that to be a regrettable circumstance. It may be that we just walked the line a little closer that we should have and we have to make some adjustments,” he said. “But it’s real. I’m hoping it’s not going to happen but the possibility is real.”

Tags: Charlie Crist, Jeff Atwater, state budget

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