TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - House Education Committee Chairman Bill Proctor says it's inevitable the quality of Florida's universities will erode due to budget cuts and a tuition veto.

The St. Augustine Republican on Wednesday told the Higher Education Coordinating Council in Tallahassee that it may already be happening. The Legislature this year cut state university funding by $300 million, the latest in a series of reductions.

Gov. Rick Scott then vetoed a bill that would have let the state's top two research schools - the University of Florida and Florida State University - raise tuition more than the 15 percent per year allowed under existing law.

Proctor urged the universities to forget about the veto and begin prioritizing their funding needs.

State University System Chancellor Frank Brogan said that procession already has begun.