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Faster Spending Requires Caution

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 24, 2008

Gov. Charlie Crist, who won office as a tax-cutter, now wants Florida to shovel dollars out the door faster to help the sagging economy.

Crist's department heads should push back against the eager governor to make sure the state doesn't build things that don't need building, rush things that shouldn't be rushed or pay more for projects than is absolutely necessary.

Crist's "Accelerate Florida" initiative calls for spending $28.6 billion as soon as possible instead of waiting for the projects to slog their way through the normal bureaucracy, which might take several years.

Florida's unemployment rate is at its highest in 13 years, so Crist's plan could help by creating jobs in the suffering construction industry. The money has already been allocated, so Crist says, "It's dough that's waiting to go."

That's a simplification. Perhaps there are environmental concerns, bidding problems, neighborhood opposition or any number of reasons why rushing a project would be imprudent or impossible.

And if multiyear work programs are all pushed into the current year, there will be less money to spend later.

The real problem in Florida is a shortage of revenue, not a lack of bureaucratic velocity. Economists recently warned Crist that tax revenue is again dropping below expectations. He will have to dip into reserves, leaving less for future emergencies.

Crist would serve the state better by making sure the right projects are built for the right price. Florida, like most of the country, has a big backlog.

Janet Kavinoky of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce outlines the national challenge: "We've let things lapse for 20 years. The pipes, wires, asphalt, bridges and radar systems are old, and everything seems to be falling apart at once."

The social infrastructure is also stressed. About a quarter of the state's residents not on Medicare do not have health insurance.

Many homes are in foreclosure and many businesses are struggling to survive. Florida taxpayers expect Crist to break records in dollar-stretching, not dollar-dispensing.

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