Under Governor "SICK RICK" SCOTT, Florida cut public health spending by 35% between 2009-2015. (Florida Trend Magazine, August 2018)

Florida has a pattern of cutting spending on public health

Jason Garcia | 7/27/2018

By one measure, Florida cut its total spending on public health by 35% between 2009 and 2015.

In the fall of 2016, as public health officials raced to contain the spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in South Florida, Gov. Rick Scott announced that he had authorized $25 million in emergency funding for vaccine development and advanced testing methods.

The virus, which can cause birth defects in unborn children, had become a major news story around the state. And Scott, who was already quietly planning a 2018 run for U.S. Senate, was eager to contrast the action of his administration against the inaction of Congress.

The Scott administration ultimately awarded 34 grants in all, divided among universities and private research entities around the state. But this spring, just one year after issuing the grants, Scott and the Legislature eliminated them.