Governors’s Office lags on spending Web site

By DARA KAM

Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau

Monday, March 09, 2009

TALLAHASEE - Florida's neighbors Georgia and Alabama are among 26 states with Web sites keeping the public informed about where and how they plan to spend federal stimulus money.

But the Sunshine State appears to have a problem illuminating its own recovery road map.

Gov. Charlie Crist's office has yet to create a federally mandated Web site revealing how Florida's $12.4 billion will be spent.

One of Crist's first actions after taking office in 2007 was to create an "office of open government," promising his administration would be open and transparent.

When asked, Crist's office shed little light on when the site would become active or why it is not yet up.

"The Web site is coming soon," Crist spokesman Sterling Ivey promised in an e-mail.