Repairing and maintaining UF campus facilities may be tough next year as state funding looks to be down again.
A revenue-estimating conference released numbers Monday that show limited funds will likely be available for repair and maintenance projects, and no new projects may get funded.
State money for these expenses comes from the state's Public Education Capital Outlay. PECO funds are collected from a utilities tax and are used to fund new research and teaching facilities.
Earlier this year, the Board of Governors, the governing body of the State University System, approved a $22 million dollar funding request for repairs and renovations - a request that may not be fully met, according to estimates.
In an email, Vice President for Business Affairs Ed Poppell wrote that all universities are currently discussing what alternatives might exist for funding projects.
With final funding decisions coming from legislators and Gov. Rick Scott, expectations are marked with fear of the veto pen.
Earlier this year, Scott vetoed several funding requests from UF, including money for repair and maintenance of existing facilities and $6 million for UF's Research and Academic Center at Lake Nona, which is located in Orlando.
Kelly Layman, spokeswoman for the Board of Governors, wrote in an email that the estimates confirm the board's concerns with the state of PECO funding.
"We look forward to working with the Legislature on options and solutions this session," she wrote. "We are committed to working to protect the state's extensive investment in existing facilities while we address the demands of new projects simultaneously."
