Spurred by a thriving economy, Governor Jeb Bush on Tuesday signed into law a record-breaking $50.9 billion state budget.

The governor reiterated his policy of advocating a limited government in Florida and protecting the taxpayers by providing "a taxpayer friendly state budget that is policy-based, priority driven and accountable to Floridians."

Bush slashed nearly $313 million in special projects with his line-item veto that he believed did not meet the statewide need of taxpayers.

The budget addressed several critical statewide priorities, including record increases in school spending, funding for teachers and the environment, including $105 million to help restore the Everglades. Several of the statewide initiatives have direct impact within the City of South Miami.

The state budget includes more than $1.7 million in appropriations for decisive ecological and youth programs within the South Miami. The funded projects include a wastewater infrastructure, stormwater drainage, Murray Park Improvements and the Prevention through Academic and Recreational Excellence, PARE, program.

"This money will allow us to make a real difference in the city's infrastructure which will translate into a better future for all of our residents," said Mayor Julio Robaina.

The $1 million wastewater infrastructure program will provide for the proper treatment of wastewater before it re-enters the environment. The majority of South Miami was established prior to the county's construction of its sanitary sewer system and as a result, a large portion of the city's population relies on septic tanks, which have been problematic to the city and South Florida in general.

The city will install seven miles of sanitary sewer systems to offset the contamination from septic tanks. The new sewer lines will stop septic tank overflow into the environment andallow sewage to flow into the Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Authority's central processing plant, insuring the proper treatment of wastewater before it reenters our natural environment.

"Thanks to our lobbyists in Tallahassee and our pro-active municipal government, we can now move forward in eliminating wastewater from the ground and make the environment safer and cleaner for everyone," said Robaina.

In order to protect the environment even more from pollutants entering the water table, the city will allocate $400,000 to further upgrade to the storm water drainage system as well.

Recent requirements by the federal and state governments, including the Environmental Protection Agency's National Pollution Discharge Elimination System, have affected flood protection responsibilities of municipal governments across the country. A comprehensive engineering study, the basis for South Miami's Stormwater Capital Improvements Program, found that the city contains 32 municipally owned stormwater outfalls that discharge untreated stormwater into the waterways that flow into Biscayne Bay; and that localized flooding after storms can be at a significant expense to citizens. The city was able to secure significant funding to upgrade the system, but reports say that it meets less than 30 percent of the need. Additional funding is critically needed and such an extensive environmental project is well beyond the city's financial ability. Additional funding from the state will be sought as needed.

A good, clean environment lends itself to outdoor activity and a better quality of life. In accordance with that principle, the City of South Miami has made a significant commitment to enhancing its recreational assets. The city, with funding assistance from other sources is constructing a multipurpose center at the city's largest urban park, Murray Park. The legislative funding in the amount of $112,500 sought from the state will allow for the new multi-purpose facility to be equipped with tennis courts, a swimming pool, basketball courts and playground equipment. The city hopes that the multipurpose center will foster a sense of community pride and identity among its residents and be a unifying bond that ties the city together.

To foster a more cohesive community, the City of South Miami also will use a portion of the state funding to expand its commitment to juvenile crime prevention. In 1998, the city created the Prevention through Academic and Recreational Excellence, or PARE, program. The PARE initiative strives to reduce the number of children entering the juvenile justice system by increasing the number of children served by the After School House, a tutoring and mentoring program and by reaching children through more formal recreation program means. PARE currently serves approximately 225 South Miami children with a majority of them residing in the area of Lee Park.

Lee Park is an urban residential area, comprised of a predominately minority population that suffers from the same socio-economic problems associated with an inner city environment. Studies have shown that 90 percent of the enrolled children live in federally assisted and HUD housing and 85 percent have a learning disability, reading deficit or attention disorder. The $200,000 received from the Florida legislature will enable South Miami to serve an additional 200 students, modernize programming and provide a broader array of services to the community through the PARE program.

"With these new funds, we will be able to reach out and help so many kids that we could not reach before," said Robaina. "When we can make a real and significant difference in a child's life, it is worth all the effort we put into the process."

The city now will be able to bring in counselors, education specialists, physical education coaches, humanities leaders and education and recreation leaders to the PARE staff and increase the interaction between children and staff. The city hopes that the increase in staff and services will translate into fewer children entering the juvenile justice system and reduce the expense to the Florida taxpayer.

Through the state legislative requests of this year, the City of South Miami wants to affect positive change for its residents.