So, Florida now has a “stimulus czar.” That’s the unofficial handle given to Don Winstead, who is actually on indefinite loan from the Department of Children and Families. He’ll be a special adviser to Gov. Charlie Crist. His charge will be to oversee that $13.4 billion in federal stimulus money the state expects over the next three years.
A key priority: making sure that Florida gets all the stimulus money it’s entitled to – and that it’s spent properly. A key variable: the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature.
While Crist’s response to the stimulus money was, in effect, “bring it on,” there is a certain sticking point. The Legislature might decline more than $1 billion in extended unemployment benefits because it wouldn’t want to be obligated to pick up additional costs, including a slightly expanded pool of beneficiaries. Florida, which would have some legal “sunset” options, could be looking at an additional $70 million in outlays.
This could be another opportunity for Gov. Crist to bring that heretofore unused, bully pulpit out of storage and help his “czar” — and tens of thousands of Florida’s unemployed — by leaning on the Legislature. Every dollar in unemployment benefits is worth double that when it ripples into the economy. And somebody needs to say that leaving as much as $1 billion on the table to potentially save $70 million is both economically dubious and unfair to those most in need of unemployment “stimulus.”