Special message from Florida Governor Charlie Crist

 

February 11, 2009

  

Dear Friend,

  

Over the last two years Florida has taken prudent steps to cut taxes for our people and balance our budget in these increasingly difficult times. I believe strongly that any federal stimulus money must prioritize job creation and targeted tax relief for small business owners, and Florida must get its fair share.

 

These are historic, challenging times, for our nation and our state. Here in Florida, we have been making tough decisions in response to our rising unemployment rate, high home foreclosures and the credit crunch. During the town hall I heard firsthand from residents of Lee County, which is among the hardest hit areas of Florida. Unemployment is at 10 percent, higher than the state average of 8 percent and up from 3 percent just a few years ago. Lee County has seen a 93 percent increase in home foreclosures between 2007 and 2008, compared to a 62 percent increase statewide.

 

Tuesday, I joined President Barack Obama for a town hall meeting in Fort Myers to discuss with Floridians the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act federal stimulus package. During the town hall, I reiterated my support for the federal stimulus package, and pledged to the people of Florida that here in Florida we stand ready to use our share of the money quickly and responsibly to create new jobs and serve our most vulnerable citizens.

 

We are doing all we can in Florida to tighten government spending while continuing to serve our most vulnerable citizens. We closed a $2.5 billion hole during the recent special Legislative session, and we have reduced government spending by nearly $6 billion during my two years as Governor. Even so, we continue to invest wisely to keep criminals behind bars and our neighborhoods safe, and to provide our students with a world-class education. Education Weekly ranked Florida 10^th in the nation, and the CATO Institute gave Florida an A for its fiscal responsibility.

 

Still, tougher times are ahead. Estimates show we will face a $5 billion budget deficit for 2009-10. So even as we tighten our belts, we need these federal stimulus dollars to help you, the people of Florida. I see this federal stimulus package as a bridge of help for Florida. It will create jobs and cut taxes for individuals and businesses so that hardworking families in Lee County and across Florida can provide for themselves. It will give us the additional resources we need for education, for Medicaid and for infrastructure projects. These are the kinds of things that produce jobs. And what we need right now are jobs, jobs, jobs!

 

Our Economic Stimulus Working Group met for the second time today. This group, which I lead, will spend the coming weeks making sure we quickly and responsibly implement these federal dollars to jumpstart our economy and meet the Sunshine State’s education, transportation and health care funding needs.

 

This group will make sure we quickly and responsibly implement our share of the federal stimulus package to meet the Sunshine State’s education, transportation and health care funding needs. I am confident that these federal dollars will create jobs in Florida, improve our education system, protect the most vulnerable among us, incentivize potential homebuyers, and provide tax relief to hardworking Floridians.