TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Rick Scott has the legal authority to veto money to pay residents whose healthy citrus trees were cut down by the state in an effort to eradicate citrus canker, but some state Supreme Court justices admonished him for doing so.
The court on Thursday threw out a petition filed by Broward and Lee County residents attempting to overturn Scott’s veto of a budget item the Legislature approved to compensate them for their lost trees.
One justice said it “is a sad day for Florida citizens” and another called the Republican misinformed and stated “It’s time for the State to pay up.”
Scott’s office said it’s “unfortunate” residents lost their trees, but he vetoed the money because of ongoing lawsuits related to the issue in other areas of the state.