Gov. Rick Scott, a sharp critic of the federal stimulus, has taken down a state-controlled website intended to inform taxpayers where the money was going and whether it was creating jobs.
Former Gov. Charlie Crist — whose support of the federal stimulus helped doom his campaign for U.S. Senate — launched the website in March 2009, a few weeks after he hugged President Barack Obama on the president's visit to Florida touting the stimulus.
But now users are redirected to a single page on Scott's website. The page contains copies of letters to federal authorities from state and local officials certifying that the state is spending the money on projects such as roads, upgrades to water systems and renovations to a jail.
The old website included detailed spreadsheets that showed how much each state agency received and spent. It also included lists of how many jobs the state is reporting to federal authorities that were saved or created due to stimulus spending.
Scott spokesman Brian Burgess said it should be no surprise that the governor took down the website.
"We decided we wouldn't do anything to promote the stimulus program," Burgess said. "The governor clearly doesn't believe in it."
Keep reading the rest of the story at the Herald-Tribune here.
Comments