Just hours before Senate budget panels begin work Monday afternoon, House Speaker Dean Cannon did his own bit of budget calculus — unveiling the amount of taxpayer cash he’s allocated to each of the state’s big spending categories.

As usual, education is getting the biggest share of dollars, $8.2 billion for public schools, alone. Close behind is Heath and Human Services, drawing $7.1 billion in general revenue, even as both the House and Senate look to trim future costs with a sweeping overhaul of the Medicaid program.

In outlining the spending in a memo to fellow lawmakers, Cannon also made some commitments. (more…)

Senators got their first look Friday at a massive overhaul of the state’s economic development efforts — a move that consolidates a handful of agencies and industry recruiters under one person: the Commissioner of Jobs.

“There will be differences of opinion on many of these issues,” conceded Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, whose budget subcommittee held a short workshop on the bill.

The legislation ropes in some of what Gov. Rick Scott wants — a jobs czar that reports directly to him. But senators balked at some of the governor’s wishes, now contained in the bill, but seemingly doomed.

Scott wants the new Commish to have a public salary that could be enhanced by contributions from private sector companies.

Senators wheeled on that one, noting that sets up a scheme where taxpayers’  economic incentive dollars, controlled by the Commish, could be given to the companies that help pay what the bill calls, his “bonuses.”

“There’s a word that describes this, and I can only think of ‘payola,’ like they had in the record industry,” said Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood.