TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers approved a 45 percent increasing amount of construction and maintenance money for universities, state colleges and public schools inside new state budget.
The annual Public Education Capital Outlay program for the 2018-19 academic year will total $487 million, including $33 million in funding contingent on reimbursements from your government connected with emergency spending during Hurricane Irma.
The university system may have $112 million in individual projects and $47 million in maintenance money, which is to be offered by formula towards the 12 state universities.
The state college system has $43 million in projects and $35 million in maintenance funding, which is to be given to the 28 schools.
Public schools get $50 million in maintenance and renovation funding, while charter schools get $150 million, including $5 million determined by federal reimbursements.
Lawmakers said the charter money for college was increased because within a new law (HB 7055), the university districts do not need to talk about local property taxes used for construction and maintenance while using charter schools.
The largest project over the university PECO list is $50 million for the data-science and information-technology building with the University of Florida.
According to the presentation given to the Board of Governors during the fall, the data-science project will expand UF’s degree production in areas like electrical engineering, computer science and biomedical informatics. The ability would double UF’s research funding in computer engineering to $33 million with a decade and increase health-care research in data science areas by 33 percent to $36 million, UF officials said.
The price tag within the project is $125 million, with UF expecting to request an additional $50 million covering the next couple of years. Another $25 million to your project can come from private donations.
“This was the only most impactful university project on the PECO list because doing so refers to an emerging section of study,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island.
He said increasing UF’s capacity in a area like data science can help the varsity move nearer to its new goal of transforming into a top-five public university.
“This may be the next great technological boundary to cross,” Bradley said.
Florida State University has three projects on the new PECO list, including $12.9 million to carry out an earth, ocean and atmospheric science building. Undergraduates majoring in degrees related to the field have risen 52 percent since 2010, depending on FSU officials. The ability is required to aid the university in excess of quantity $12 million to use current research funding.
The $70 million project has gotten $57 million in prior state funding.
The PECO list also may include $9.5 million with an interdisciplinary research and commercialization facility, which are built near to the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory additionally, the engineering school run jointly by FSU and Florida A&M University. The work is required to cost a total of $88 million, with $44 million provided by donations together with other sources.
FSU also received $8.5 million for a new College of Business building which will eventually cost $88 million, with half the income originating from donations as well as other sources.
Florida Gulf Coast University received $10 million for that School water Resources and Integrated Sciences facility, which can help the university increase its manufacturing of science and technology degrees. It previously received $16.5 million in the state to your facility, projected to cost $52.5 million.
Among the greatest projects inside state college method is $5 million to the Florida Keys Vocational school to construct a “collegiate academy” for middle- and high-school students and a storm shelter.
St. Johns River State College will receive $5.24 million for construction and remodeling of facilities at Orange Park.
Jackson, Taylor and Liberty counties gets $31 million for local school construction during the “special facilities” PECO program which offers state funding to smaller counties with limited tax bases. Gilchrist County get $2 million for your new school, determined by federal reimbursements.
