6 Polk County projects in state budget are labeled 'turkeys' by Florida TaxWatch

Six Polk County projects in this year’s state budget appear on the annual “Turkey Watch” list released Wednesday by Florida TaxWatch.

The nonprofit and nonpartisan, business-backed group each year publishes a list of legislative appropriations that it says “bypass the normal appropriations process or circumvent or violate procedures established by the Legislature.”

The $117.5 billion budget passed by the Florida Legislature contains 450 appropriations totaling $854.6 million that qualified as budget "turkeys," Florida TaxWatch said. The projects are generally not statewide in scope or are not core functions of state government, TaxWatch said in the report.

The Polk County projects on the list are:

• Relocation of Lewis Matthews Park in Davenport, $4 million.
• Expansion of Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, $500,000.
• Heartland BizTown and Finance Park for Polk County Public Schools, $2.5 million.
• Southeastern University Trades Start Up Program, $750,000.
• RCMA Community Academy campus in Mulberry, $500,000.
• North Lake Shipp corridor improvements in Winter Haven, $560,000.

The report also cited $387.1 million in local transportation projects among groups of allocations that merit special consideration.

The budget includes such local items as $2.5 million for construction of the North Ridge Trail in the Four Corners area and $600,000 for an extension and improvements to Robinson Road in Haines City.

The Florida Legislature approved the budget at the close of its annual session in early March. Gov. Ron DeSantis has not yet signed the budget. The governor has the authority to veto individual budget items.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.