By Gina Jordan
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-901117.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Florida has already spent more than $16-billion in federal stimulus money. The man appointed by Governor Charlie Crist to monitor funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act expects the state will take in about $19.9-billion in all.
Economic Stimulus Special Advisor Don Winstead says approximately $4.5-billion in stimulus funding is represented in the proposed budget that is awaiting the governor's review.
"There's two-and-a-half-billion in the 2010/2011 budget and about two billion additional that is prior authorization that will represent expenditures during the upcoming fiscal year."
That includes money that was previously assigned for multi-year projects, like transportation. The Florida Office of Economic Recovery estimates that 153-thousand jobs have been created or saved overall because of stimulus dollars, and without the money, the state's 12.3-percent jobless rate could be as high as 14-percent.