A new forecast from state economists increased the pressure on lawmakers to cut spending Friday, adding about $135 million to a previously estimated $3.62 billion shortfall for the next Florida budget.
That boosts the Legislature's spending reduction target to $3.75 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The budget gap widened although the economists made relatively small changes - less than 1 percent - in their estimates for recurring general revenue in the current and next budget years.
"Even though it's modest I think we all recognize it is going to be painful to the Legislature to deal with any greater losses over what they have," said Amy Baker, coordinator of the Legislature's Office of Economic and Demographic Research.
Leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature have taken tax and fee increases off the table, so the only way lawmakers will be able to close the 2011-12 budget gap is to cut spending and public services including education, health care, social services, prisons and courts.
Economists from the Legislature, Gov. Rick Scott's office and the Department of Revenue meet three times a year to update general revenue estimates.
They increased the current year forecast for recurring general revenue by $31.3 million, raising the total to $22.4 billion. Next year's estimate, however, dropped by $215.8 million to $23.8 billion. That's still a 6.4 percent increase over the current year.
General revenue represents about a third of the state budget which currently is $70.5 billion. The rest is federal money for such programs as Medicaid and transportation and state trust fund revenue. Those are taxes and fees earmarked by law for specific purposes such as utility taxes for school construction and fuel taxes for roads and bridges.
Lawmakers have little discretion over spending paid for with those two revenue sources so most of the cuts will come in programs funded by general revenue.
