Meek chastises Crist over stimulus spending delays

By MICHAEL C. BENDER
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, August 10, 2009

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist's potential Democratic rival for the U.S. Senate attacked him today for his handling of federal stimulus aid, saying the governor's missteps have delayed potential relief for thousands of unemployed Floridians.

"It was easy for the governor to stand on stage in Fort Myers with President Obama in February in support of the stimulus," U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek said in a statement. "Florida is late in rolling up its sleeves to take advantage of these limited funds."

Crist's communication director did not respond to a request for comment. Instead, his office released a letter from Crist's stimulus adviser, Don Winstead, and Florida Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos rejecting a report from Congress that ranked Florida last among all states in spending stimulus money aimed at highway projects.

"Florida is not only implementing projects quickly, but we are implementing projects that will truly create both an immediate and lasting economic value," the two wrote to U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Oberstar had written to Crist on Thursday asking him to speed up about $1.34 billion in highway projects. The House report said just 2 percent of Florida's highway stimulus money had gone to projects now under construction, less than one-tenth the national average.

Meek, D-Miami, said the House report was part of a "disturbing and now repeating trend." He said Crist's administration failed to quickly submit an application for education-stimulus money, and he blamed Crist for legislators' decision to decline a pot of stimulus money for unemployment benefits.

Today marked six months since Crist's joint appearance with Obama at the Fort Myers town-hall meeting, where the Republican governor broke with much of his party to endorse the president's $787 billion stimulus plan.

Crist's Republican rival in the Senate race, former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, issued a news release today noting that anniversary. Rubio also marked the occasion by planning rallies in Fort Myers and Naples "to highlight the stimulus' failure to stimulate Florida's economy."