Governor Gollum Rick Scott of Florida is indicating that he will reject any money made available to his state if the president's jobs plan is passed.
Florida has a 10.7 percent unemployment rate that is higher than the national average. But Scott and GOP legislative leaders said the plan outlined by President Barack Obama was too similar to the nearly $800 billion stimulus package that was approved by Congress back in 2009.
“It sounds like President Obama still doesn’t get it,” House Speaker Dean Cannon said Friday. “The answer to the current economic problems is not spending more money.”[...]
A state-by-state breakdown of the president’s plan shows that Florida could stand to receive more than $7.5 billion for schools, roads and other projects. The White House estimates that the funds under the plan would support more than 60,000 jobs in Florida, including those held by teachers, cops and firefighters.
I would hardly consider this a shock, coming from the man who went to court with his own party to reject $2.4 billion in federal funds set aside for high-speed rail projects in Florida.
But I digress. If the president's plan is so similar to the 2009 stimulus, why reject it? Florida benefited greatly from the stimulus package.
Much like Rick Perry's Texas, federal stimulus money was included in Florida's state budget as of this year. A budget signed into law by Governor Rick Scott.
$11 billion was afforded to the state of Florida under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but $4.6 billion remains unspent. $700 million of the still unspent funds are for President Obama's "Race to the Top" education initiative.