Brian Kramer, the state attorney and treasurer of the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association, told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Justice Administration that state attorneys statewide need a package of funding adjustments to address what he called long-running disparities and program shortfalls.

Kramer said the association estimates a $35,500,000 cost to “true up” circuits whose current general revenue shares fall below what the statutory funding formula would yield. "The funding formula ... is comprised of the following factors: population, arrests, DUI citations, and prison admissions for robbery," he said. Kramer said the formula has not been used consistently in recent years as population patterns have shifted.

He also said the association identified costs tied to 14 newly authorized criminal judgeships: roughly 76 additional staff and a total staffing cost of $8,700,000, based on a survey of state attorneys’ offices. "It's approximately three assistant state attorneys per judge and approximately two attorney support staff per judge," Kramer told the committee.

On victims' services, Kramer described declines in federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding and urged a move from federal VOCA grants to state general revenue for victim services. "We would be asking for $8,000,000," he said, to transition critical victim services to general revenue.

Kramer also flagged a projected due-process shortfall that flows through the Justice Administrative Commission (JAC): an estimated $2,500,000 deficit for costs such as expert witnesses, depositions and case-related travel. "If we were to have a deficit ... we wouldn't be able to do things like take depositions, hire expert witnesses for criminal cases," Kramer said, adding that in some instances prosecutors would have to decline to bring cases without such funding.

The presentation prompted questions from senators about the number of underfunded circuits and requests for follow-up data. Kramer responded that the association can provide a circuit-by-circuit breakdown to members after the hearing.

No formal votes on appropriations requests were taken at the hearing.

The subcommittee recessed after multiple agency presentations and scheduled remaining agencies for a later meeting.