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Crist Hopes For Billions From Federal Stimulus Package

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By MIKE VASALINDA

Capitol News Service

Published: January 21, 2009

Florida is waiting on Congress to pass an economic stimulus package to fund schools, heath care and road construction.

President Barack Obama has been pushing the $825 billion package to create jobs since he was elected in November. In December, Gov. Charlie Crist met with Obama and asked for $7 billion for Florida. Crist's plan is to spend $6 billion on road projects and the rest on health care and schools.

Crist was in Washington for Obama's inauguration Tuesday. He discussed the stimulus package with members of the new administration and Congress. He's optimistic about the plan.

"You know inevitably when you do something that big and bold there are challenges and there are some critics and cynics but that's not something that won't be overcome," Crist said.

The state has $7 billion in road projects ready to go, but it's still unclear just how much money Florida will get. Doug Callaway, the president of Floridians for Better Transportation, said the state will likely get far less than Crist is asking for.

"If you look at what traditionally Florida gets, we get about four to five percent of the national total for highway funding. You apply that four or five percent to the $30 billion in the House bill, that would mean we would probably get in the order of a billion or a billion and a half," Callaway said.

Callaway said the money would still help boost the state's economy. Studies show that spending $1 billion on road construction creates 28,000 jobs and generates more than $5 billion in economic growth. Congress is still working out the details of the plan, but it could be ready for a vote by early February.

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