Florida ranks among the states with the least amount of public debt, according to a new report being hailed by Republicans as a testament to Tallahassee's fiscal conservatism.
- Report by Pew Charitable Trusts shows Florida's state debt down by $8 billion
- Much of the reduction occurred under Gov. Rick Scott
- Some believe infrastructural needs may be being neglected
The report, released Tuesday by the Pew Charitable Trusts, finds Florida's debt load to be smaller than 41 other states -- owing largely to its comparatively minimal pension and health care obligations to public sector workers.
State government debt has fallen to $19 billion from a high of $27 billion. Much of the drop has occurred on Governor Rick Scott's watch.
Scott, a Republican, took office in 2011 pledging to scale back public spending, which had already been reduced considerably under his predecessors Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist.
"I was elected to make the tough choices, and not everybody's happy when you make tough choices," Scott told reporters early in his first term. "Difficult decisions, you know, it's never easy."
While the state's debt has declined, so, too, has per capita gross domestic product. Some economists speculate personal income might have been bolstered had state government spending been held steady or increased.
During Scott's tenure, many critical needs, including repairing deteriorating roads and weathered prison complexes, have gone unaddressed.
"I think we've got to spend money on infrastructure: roads, bridges, potable water, schools, things of that nature," said Dominic Calabro of Florida TaxWatch, a state government watchdog group. "Ports, airports, seaports and the like, and make sure they work together. We're doing a lot of that, but we should certainly do more, given our population."