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University construction put on hold

Money is tight, so universities will ask for no new buildings until 2010.

By SNANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published September 22, 2006

TAMPA - Florida universities expect to add tens of thousands of students in coming years, but you wouldn't know it from the construction budget they are sending to state lawmakers.

The pot of money that pays for construction is likely to be so sparse for the next few years that the state's 11 universities will seek no new buildings through the summer of 2010.

"It's hard to divide a little pot," said Carolyn Roberts, chairwoman of the Board of Governors, which oversees Florida's university system. The board met Thursday at the University of South Florida's Tampa campus.

Last year, universities got $420-million to pay for new facilities such as a $20-million science classroom and research building at USF. That was $56-million more than the schools received the previous year.

But even as universities gird for 50,000 more students by 2011, the state Department of Revenue is projecting a significant drop in future construction dollars.

Called PECO funds, they are derived from taxes and gross receipts on electricity, fuel, and communications like cable and telephones. The money is divided among K-12 schools, community colleges and universities. For years, the money has failed to keep up with the education needs of Florida's booming student population.

PECO dollars for universities will total about $287-million for the upcoming budget year and less than $150-million in the following two years, according to the latest estimates.

"Our universities have so many needs, and these numbers are frightening for us," Roberts said.

The result is a list of proposed capital improvements that consists primarily of utilities and roof repairs and the completion of previously approved projects on which construction has begun and must be finished.

USF's list includes a $9-million science building for the St. Petersburg campus, but that has long been on the books and was part of last year's state budget until the governor vetoed it.

The universities' requests include no newly planned buildings even though officials say they will need another 10-million square feet of space within five years.

A task force is trying to come up with alternative ways to pay for new classrooms and other facilities. But rising prices for building materials is making the task difficult.

The building that houses Florida State University's 5-year-old medical school cost about $176 per square foot. A similar building under construction now is costing more than $400 per square foot, said FSU provost Larry Abele.

Last year, PECO revenue ended up higher than state officials anticipated, thanks to a better-than-expected economy.

But there's no guarantee that will happen again, said Brian Jacobik of the state Department of Revenue. And it could end up being even less than current estimates.

Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler can be reached at 813 226-3403 or svansickler@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 22, 2006, 05:42:10]