Florida comes in dead last in terms of the actual spending of federal stimulus dollars, but Governor Crist says that there is a good reason for this. He says that Florida is being deliberate in the spending of the funds, hence the delay.
“We’re being thorough, we’re being thoughtful and we’re being prudent and I’m proud of that. And these will provide new jobs across the state of Florida once these funds go out,” Crist said. “And we will do it with a process that has integrity rather than speed.”
Crist says that Florida could spend the stimulus funds faster on ongoing transportation projects, but that would be counterproductive, as he wants to create jobs with the federal dollars. “What we’re utilizing stimulus money for are for new projects that provide new jobs in a meaningful way for the people of Florida,” Crist said.
There is a longer gestation period with new projects and a certain amount of delay is not unusual.
