By: Jeff Harrington
St. Petersburg Times
Florida is on the verge of forfeiting more than $1 billion in federal stimulus funds that could help 250,000 Floridians whose unemployment benefits are running out.
The problem: The federal offer for aid comes at a price that many in the state Legislature are unwilling to pay. To receive the money, the state would have to pass a new law widening the pool of people receiving extended unemployment benefits.
So far, no legislation has been introduced. The federal government would pick up most of the estimated $776 million cost of providing the extended benefits through December 2009.
But since state agencies and local governments account for about 6 percent of benefit costs, they would be on the hook to pay about $71 million between now and June 30, 2010. Moreover, the federal stimulus only runs through the end of the year. After that, the burden would shift to Florida to pay for the program. That tab could be about $200 million for the second half of the 2009-2010 fiscal year, according to an estimate from the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, which oversees unemployment benefits.
