Florida ranks last in some per-person stimulus spending

Despite suffering more than most states from economic woes, Florida is getting the smallest amount per person from some of the biggest chunks of federal spending to stimulate the economy. Florida last year got the lowest amount per person from stimulus money doled out by government agencies — such as education and transportation funds — according to a compliation disclosed last week on Recovery.gov , the official website that tracks economic recovery dollars. In this category, Florida got less than half the per person share of the top 10 states. The recently released data reflects awarded funds reported by recipients through the end of last year. By all accounts, these numbers are incomplete and imprecise. They do not include direct aid to individuals, such as unemployment benefits. And much of the stimulus spending approved by Congress has yet to be delivered. One pattern, nevertheless, remains consistent: Florida gets relatively less per person in some big categories of spending. ProPublica, an independent public-interest journalism group that tracks stimulus dollars, reported similar findings in a broader compilation of spending through the first three quarters of last year. Florida got the least money per capita in that compilation

as well. Don Winstead, adviser to Governor Charlie Crist on stimulus money, points to three major reasons: Florida, with its large senior-citizen population, has a small proportion of school-age children. Lots of Floridians, but relatively few of them are kids. So education funds, a big part of the stimulus, will seem small in relation to the state’s total population. “That’s the single biggest reason that we are the lowest,” Winstead said. “When you do this on a per capita basis, Florida looks bad, but it’s not because we’re not getting our fair share.” Florida also gets relatively less “weatherization” money compared to cold states. “We’re warm,” Winstead noted. “It’s hard for me to argue that we have the same weatherization needs as Michigan.” State officials have long complained that federal formulas for transportation spending deprive Florida while rewarding less populous places. “I am confident that state agencies in Florida are doing everything possible to draw down our share,” Winstead said. To see a searchable data base of where the money is going in Florida, please visit: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/flastimulus .

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Florida ranks last in some per-person stimulus spending

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