Gov. Charlie Crist had a solitary message to millions of Floridians Wednesday -- fill out the census form.
The census is very important for our fellow Floridians, Crist said at a press conference. Filling it out is an important civic duty.
Florida can get up to $400 billion in federal funding with an accurate census count, according to the governor. He said the state can also gain an extra congressional seat.
Flanked by Sen. Rudy Garcia, R-Tampa, and state NAACP President Adora Nweeze, Crist said it was important for minorities to fill out the census form. Our diversity is our greatest strength in Florida.
Nweeze agreed, saying, We are begging you to take this opportunity to make 2010 a banner year for the state of Florida.
Garcia tried to put fears to rest by asserting both legal and illegal immigrants had nothing to fear from the census or the federal government. No ones ever had a problem with immigration based on the census.
Census forms begin arriving this week, and Floridians have until April 1 to complete them and drop them in the mail.
Time is short, Crist said, and the urgency is real.
Crist said his administration allocated $2 million to target hard-to-reach populations to ensure that every Floridian is counted.
Rep. Betty Reed expressed some concerns about the census procedures. The census is very important, she said. And, we need to make sure there is a complete count.
The Tampa Democrat also noted that officials need to reach out to undercounted populations, including the homeless and the elderly, before April 1. The census needs foot soldiers, people who can walk the neighborhoods to count.
Crist said he hoped his efforts would attract attention. I'm using the bully pulpit of the governors office to get the message of the importance of the census out to all Floridians.
Asked about a lawsuit claiming a black-owned communications company was passedover in favor of a white-ownedcompany for a census contract, Crist said the judicial process needs to take its course.
