State Spending by Minutes and Seconds
May 29th, 2014 by Mike VasilindaGovernor Rick Scott has until June fourth to sign the record 77 billion dollar state budget. An estimated twenty and a half million people now live in Florida, and that means your individual share of the spending plan is just over 38 hundred dollars.
The state of Florida will spend eight million seven hundred ninety-nine thousand dollars each and every hour of every day for the next year just to keep the lights on and do everything state government does.
Tyrone Hamilton shines shoes a block from the capitol. It takes him about nine minutes per shine so I asked him “do you know that in the time it took to shine my shoes, the state spent over a million dollars. His response: “I should hope that million dollars is spent on something that’s going to be good for the consumer, good for children” says Hamilton.
Schools get just under a third of the total…spending almost 43 thousand dollars a minute….in the 31 seconds it took these students to exit their classroom, the state spent just over 22 thousand dollars.
The Department of Children and Families will spend three million a day protecting children. In th 24 seconds it takes this light to turn green and back to red, the State DOT will spend 77 hundred dollars.
Retired lawyer Judson Ball was flabbergasted when we told him his share was just under 4 thousand dollars.
“Hard to believe” he replied
But Jerry McDaniel, who developed budgets for three governors says Florida is more thrifty than most states. I asked if Floridians were getting a good deal.“I think they do. The state of Florida has the lowest number of state employees, per capita.”
And in the 90 seconds it took to share these statistics, the state treasury has spent just under 220 thousand dollars.
And when it comes to public safety, FDLE, the state law enforcement agency spends just under 30 thousand dollars an hour, while the courts cost 57 thousand an hour. Housing the prisoners both produce costs taxpayers 262 thousand dollars an hour each and every hour of every day.
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