TALLAHASSEE -- Greased by $4 billion in unexpected revenue, Florida lawmakers ended their annual session Friday night with a record-setting budget and a few tax cuts, but without asking voters to enshrine vouchers in the state's constitution. By late evening, they settled the centerpiece of closed-door negotiations all day: a fix for Florida's tattered property insurance market that is seeing skyrocketing assessment increases and fewer insurers.

The Senate spent more than two hours on the insurance bill Friday morning, but adjourned "I think the plan fell apart,"said Sen. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton. "It's unfortunate that we have to wait until the last minute to take on what is probably the most important consumer, homeowner's bill."

But by early evening, Senate leaders and Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings, who played a key role in the negotiations, said they thought they had a revised bill that could pass. In the proposal, the Senate backed off a plan to send a $140 check to every homeowner in the state.

Instead, lawmakers will use $715 million to pay down a $1.7 billion deficit in Citizens Property Insurance, the state-run insurer of last resort that has seen its debt dramatically rise because of claims caused by eight hurricanes hitting the state in the past two years.

Shortly after 10 p.m., House Speaker Allan Bense, R-Panama City, announced to his members that the Senate and House had reached an agreement on the insurance bill. Less than an hour later, the Senate approved the bill in a 22-16 vote. And the House endorsed the compromise at 11:45 p.m.

Despite the deadlines and the concurrent, frenzied efforts by lobbyists to secure support for bills, lawmakers frittered away much of the day as secret negotiations by top legislators on the insurance issue stalled work. The Florida House allotted more than an hour to honor legislative staff and two outgoing Democratic lawmakers. As word spread that lawmakers might have to go to overtime to find a solution to the property insurance issue, outgoing Rep. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, puttered around the House chamber in a mini Cadillac Escalade he'd received as a going-away gift.

The only bill that lawmakers must pass each year -- a budget -- slid through unanimously in the House and Senate on Friday with little discussion.

The $71.3 billion plan for the 2006-2007 fiscal year was plumped up by more than $4 billion in unexpected revenue, making for smooth negotiations and spending hikes for most parts of government, including a nearly 10 percent budget increase for public schools.

The largesse was so great that Democrats could only nitpick the budget, saying the spending increase would still leave Florida below most other states in per-pupil spending. The budget was approved unanimously in both the House and Senate early Friday evening.

Bush claimed a record-setting year of tax cuts, nearly $1.3 billion. But most of that was slated for either a rebate for the state's homeowners or a reduction in the debt of the state-owned Citizens Property Insurance.

Traditional tax cuts, including the repeal of an investments tax largely paid by millionaires and sales tax "holidays" for hurricane and school supplies, totaled more than $300 million.

On Friday, lawmakers passed a slew of last-minute bills including an energy plan that makes it easier for nuclear plants to be constructed. Legislators also completely flip-flopped on a measure they overwhelmingly approved last year, choosing to remove a ballot measure this November that would've asked voters to extend term limits to 12 years from the current eight years for state lawmakers.

Lawmakers failed to act on a few contentious issues, including numerous proposals to raise the homestead exemption and to allow homeowners to transfer accrued tax breaks to new homes. Instead, they'll be studied for almost two years.

Bush cited only two defeats during the session: Efforts to ask voters to soften the mandate to reduce class sizes, and the push to enshrine vouchers in the state constitution.

A power struggle in the Senate ended the hopes of both pushes. But Bush, rattling off a list of his priorities on Thursday, said it was an "awesome" session nonetheless.

TALLAHASSEE -- Greased by $4 billion in unexpected revenue, Florida lawmakers ended their annual session Friday night with a record-setting budget and a few tax cuts, but without asking voters to enshrine vouchers in the state's constitution. By late evening, they settled the centerpiece of closed-door negotiations all day: a fix for Florida's tattered property insurance market that is seeing skyrocketing assessment increases and fewer insurers.

The Senate spent more than two hours on the insurance bill Friday morning, but adjourned "I think the plan fell apart,"said Sen. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton. "It's unfortunate that we have to wait until the last minute to take on what is probably the most important consumer, homeowner's bill."

But by early evening, Senate leaders and Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings, who played a key role in the negotiations, said they thought they had a revised bill that could pass. In the proposal, the Senate backed off a plan to send a $140 check to every homeowner in the state.

Instead, lawmakers will use $715 million to pay down a $1.7 billion deficit in Citizens Property Insurance, the state-run insurer of last resort that has seen its debt dramatically rise because of claims caused by eight hurricanes hitting the state in the past two years.

Shortly after 10 p.m., House Speaker Allan Bense, R-Panama City, announced to his members that the Senate and House had reached an agreement on the insurance bill. Less than an hour later, the Senate approved the bill in a 22-16 vote. And the House endorsed the compromise at 11:45 p.m.

Despite the deadlines and the concurrent, frenzied efforts by lobbyists to secure support for bills, lawmakers frittered away much of the day as secret negotiations by top legislators on the insurance issue stalled work. The Florida House allotted more than an hour to honor legislative staff and two outgoing Democratic lawmakers. As word spread that lawmakers might have to go to overtime to find a solution to the property insurance issue, outgoing Rep. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, puttered around the House chamber in a mini Cadillac Escalade he'd received as a going-away gift.

The only bill that lawmakers must pass each year -- a budget -- slid through unanimously in the House and Senate on Friday with little discussion.

The $71.3 billion plan for the 2006-2007 fiscal year was plumped up by more than $4 billion in unexpected revenue, making for smooth negotiations and spending hikes for most parts of government, including a nearly 10 percent budget increase for public schools.

The largesse was so great that Democrats could only nitpick the budget, saying the spending increase would still leave Florida below most other states in per-pupil spending. The budget was approved unanimously in both the House and Senate early Friday evening.

Bush claimed a record-setting year of tax cuts, nearly $1.3 billion. But most of that was slated for either a rebate for the state's homeowners or a reduction in the debt of the state-owned Citizens Property Insurance.

Traditional tax cuts, including the repeal of an investments tax largely paid by millionaires and sales tax "holidays" for hurricane and school supplies, totaled more than $300 million.

On Friday, lawmakers passed a slew of last-minute bills including an energy plan that makes it easier for nuclear plants to be constructed. Legislators also completely flip-flopped on a measure they overwhelmingly approved last year, choosing to remove a ballot measure this November that would've asked voters to extend term limits to 12 years from the current eight years for state lawmakers.

Lawmakers failed to act on a few contentious issues, including numerous proposals to raise the homestead exemption and to allow homeowners to transfer accrued tax breaks to new homes. Instead, they'll be studied for almost two years.

Bush cited only two defeats during the session: Efforts to ask voters to soften the mandate to reduce class sizes, and the push to enshrine vouchers in the state constitution.

A power struggle in the Senate ended the hopes of both pushes. But Bush, rattling off a list of his priorities on Thursday, said it was an "awesome" session nonetheless.

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