Senator Mike Fasano’s statement that a prison privatization effort was approved in the last legislative session “by inserting last minute proviso language into the budget, thus circumventing the committee process” drew a sharp rebuke Thursday from Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island.
In an availability with reporters Thursday, Haridopolos knocked Fasano, R-New Port Richey, for the comments in the wake of a judge’s decision that tucking the measure into the fine print of the budget was unconstitutional.
Haridopolos said privatization has historically been handled through proviso, and he said Fasano’s suggestion that the move was a last-minute budget manuever was false, pointing to a timeline of privatization discussions that Haridopolos distributed to reporters.
“This was addressed early and often, and people all saw it coming, both in the House and the Senate,” Haridpolos said. He also said Senate leaders waited to add the privatization language into the budget in the Senate Budget Committee because Fasano, who chairs the committee overseeing prison spending, is a clear opponent of privatization.
In response, Fasano reiterated that he thinks the privatization iniatiative shouldn’t have been handled through proviso.
“I also believe that if we’re going to have a major policy change … it should be done through a substantive bill and the substantive committees,” Fasano said.
Haridopolos said the state has not yet decided whether to appeal the judge’s decision.
