Budget conference: It’s great to be a Florida Gator (and a Seminole) in PECO list

The Gators might have finished 5-7 in the football season but they’re winning in the state budget. And the Seminoles, who were undefeated in the regular season, are also unconquered in the spreadsheets.

In the latest round of budget action, lawmakers included several large projects for the state’s top two universities, expanded budget authority for existing projects and doled out “operational enhancements” for the schools.

The latest House offer for Public Education Capital Outlay (PECO) funds, which pay for maintenance and new construction for facilities at K-12 public schools, charter schools, state colleges and universities, includes $1.9 billion in total PECO funds.

Part of that pot is $200.7 million for projects at the University of Florida (UF) and $72.9 million for Florida State University (FSU). That includes $55.4 million for the Dittmer Building remodeling at FSU and $75 million for UF’s Financial Technology Graduate Education Center in Jacksonville.