Gov. Rick Scott is hungry for more souls to eat four more years, so he's announced that he wants to cut $401 million in driver license and registration fees.
In an appearance in Tampa, Scott whipped out a proposal that will apparently cut auto registration fees that would save motorists at least $25 in fees. result in a decrease of more than $25 for most motorists.
The plan would kick off in September of next year, two whole months before election day. What a coincidence!
See also: Rick Scott Wants to Keep Cutting Taxes, but State Agencies Are Suffering for It
Also a total and complete coincidence, is the fact that Scott's own party hiked up the auto fees back in 2009 when a certain then-Republican governor who is suddenly now Scott's greatest threat -- signed the fee hike into law. (Hint: his name rhymes with Marlie Trist)
Back in September, Scott announced that he wants to cut taxes by $500 million for the next fiscal year. He also wants to trim state agency budgets by $100 million.
State economists, meanwhile, have projected an $846 million surplus for 2014.
Economists have also said that the state's main tax collections would grow by $2.7 billion in the next years, giving Florida a budget surplus in excess of $1 billion.
Meanwhile, Crist released a statement, saying that the fees were never meant to be a permanent thing, and that he's glad Scott has come around on this.
"It's about time!" Crist wrote. "When these fees were passed by Rick Scott's colleagues and signed into law they were never meant to be permanent. I'm surprised it's taken this long for Governor Scott to realize that it's time to roll these fees back - better late than never."
Being reelected, especially when you're unpopular, is all about timing.
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