Andrade: Cutting the Fat

Florida State Representative Alex Andrade joins host Rick Outzen to break down the heated budget negotiations happening in Tallahassee. In this episode, Rep. Andrade discusses the framework agreement between House and Senate leadership, his aggressive plan to eliminate over 1,600 vacant state positions that haven't been filled in six months, and the ongoing fight over a $160 million Medicaid fine that an agency spent on cash flow instead of paying the federal government.Andrade also reveals his controversial proposal to withhold agency secretaries' salaries until they provide required legislative reports, explains how vacant positions become "play money" for state agencies, and shares why he believes Florida's budget growth since 2018 is unsustainable. With budget negotiations down to less than half a billion dollars in differences and a June 16th deadline looming, get an insider's view of how Florida's $100+ billion budget really gets hammered out behind closed doors.