After a two-year funding fight, Gov. Rick Scott included $5.6  million to help restore the St. Johns River as part of a roughly $70 billion  state budget he signed Tuesday at Cunningham Creek Elementary School in St.  Johns County.

Scott vetoed $10 million for the river last year, money  secured with the help of state Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine. This year,  Thrasher said, the money made it because Scott now knows more about the river's  regional importance. He also gave credit to Environmental Protection Secretary  Herschel Vinyard for being a "big advocate of the river."

"I think the difference is we had a year to educate the governor about the  value of the river," Thrasher said.

Scott vetoed $142.7 million, down from the record $615 million he axed last  year. The vetoes include $98 million in general revenue, and $44 million in  proposed trust fund sweeps.