Facing a $5 billion deficit and unemployment at a 16-year high, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) March 3 called on lawmakers to put partisanship aside and quickly use the billions of dollars from the federal stimulus plan as “a bridge to better economic times.”
While Crist has been a vocal supporter of the federal stimulus package, others in the GOP-controlled Legislature have been reluctant to rely so much on federal dollars, unsure of the impact when the money runs out.
“Some argue the politics of the federal stimulus plan,” Crist said in an address that lasted less than 20 minutes. “My friends, while our people worry, we cannot put politics over their needs – the needs of our students and teachers, the sick and the infirm, or those out of work.”
The federal package would provide tax relief, help the state avoid cuts in education, transportation, and other programs, and save or create as many as 206,000 jobs, he said. He named Don Winstead, deputy secretary of the Department of Children and Families, to oversee the state’s implementation of the stimulus act.
Crist also urged lawmakers to approve a gambling agreement he negotiated with the Seminole Tribe that he said would bring the state $2.5 billion over 25 years to help educate children.
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