Governor Scott’s “Fighting for Florida’s Future” Budget supports the Florida Lottery’s core mission of providing funding for education by investing $181.5 million in the Florida Lottery. During fiscal year 2015-16, the Florida Lottery generated $1.67 billion in contributions to education, its sixth consecutive record-breaking sales year, while keeping operational expenses below two percent.
Governor Scott said, “The Florida Lottery is working each day to support Florida students so they can become tomorrow’s leaders. By continuing to support the Lottery’s commitment to contributing record-breaking funding to our education system, we can ensure generations of students will have the tools they need to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”
The “Fighting for Florida’s Future” Budget includes:
- $12.6 million in additional funding as a result of projected increases in Scratch-Off and Terminal sales for Fiscal Year 2017-18. These additional funds and the new contract are projected to result in a $1.58 billion transfer to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.
- $837,000 for an electronic document management system to improve accuracy and efficiency by electronically storing and managing claims information. Functionality will be built to interface with the Lottery’s gaming system.
- $761,760 to replace data servers at Lottery Headquarters; the Orlando Data Center; and the State Data Center. These servers support critical business applications and are currently operating at or beyond capacity. New storage area network shelves will also be included to accommodate the Lottery’s additional data growth needs.
- $53,265 for new management software program that will automate the audit and investigation processes, allowing the Lottery’s Office of Inspector General to more efficiently and effectively fulfill responsibilities in accordance with Chapter 24 and Section 20.055, Florida Statutes.
- $67,918 to replace the existing Adaptive Security Appliance Lottery firewalls located in the district offices, the Orlando Data Center, and at Headquarters, all of which will reach their End of Life and End of Technical Support in 2018.
Florida Lottery Secretary Tom Delacenserie said, “The ‘Fighting for Florida’s Future” Budget reflects Governor Scott’s continued commitment toward ensuring that Florida’s students have the resources and opportunities they need to get a great education and succeed in their future careers. The Lottery will continue to do all we can to maximize education contributions to help Florida’s students become tomorrow’s leaders.”
Ned Bowman, Executive Director of Florida Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association said, “I applaud Governor Scott for putting Florida businesses first and the Florida Lottery for helping retailers grow their businesses while supporting our state’s education system. We are proud of our long partnership with the Florida Lottery, and we look forward to continuing to support their efforts of generating revenue for Florida’s students and schools.”
Randy Miller, President and CEO, Florida Retail Federation said, “I appreciate the Governor’s support of Florida’s business community and his commitment to having a strong educational system. The Florida Retail Federation is proud to help contribute to the success of the Florida Lottery because we recognize the organization’s benefit to Florida’s schools.”
John Peyton, President of Gate Petroleum Company, “We appreciate having a businessman like Governor Scott leading our state, creating jobs, helping businesses succeed and growing Florida’s economy. We also value our relationship with the Florida Lottery and are proud to partner with them to help generate additional funding for education.”
University of Florida student, Eric Jones, “The Bright Futures Scholarship was the motivating factor behind turning my dreams into reality. It allowed me to set my goals high, and settle for nothing less. I appreciate all that Governor Scott and the Florida Lottery are doing to ensure future funding for this and other educational programs.”
