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Gov. Charlie Crist certainly put himself on the political line by appearing with President Obama in Fort Myers during the latter’s tour in support of his stimulus package. Meanwhile, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, met numerous times with administration officials to discuss the package.
A lot of good that did us. A new analysis by the Palm Beach Post shows Florida comes in dead last in per capita stimulus funds. That’s behind all other states, the District of Columbia, and territories.
We received more total money than all but three other states, but received only $505 per person.
Our 10.2 percent unemployment rate remains higher than most states, and by most analyses, Florida is one of the hardest hit by the recession and has one of the longest roads ahead toward recovery.
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Meanwhile, according to the Wall Street Journal, Wyoming, with only 3.2 percent unemployment, received $1,074 per person in stimulus funds.
However, part of the inequality might be due to the Republican-controlled House’s refusal to accept $444 million in stimulus funds meant for unemployment aid. In order to do so, Florida would have had to expand eligibility for unemployment. Governor Crist supported accepting the money, but the bill died in the House.
