With Florida receiving $19.9 billion from the federal government through the stimulus passed by Congress last year, Gov. Charlie Crist established the Governors Office of Economic Recovery to coordinate the efforts.
But while the stimulus remains a point of controversy, the office itself has been flying under the radar -- and there are reasons for that.
The office is responsible for tracking all federal stimulus dollars headed to Florida as well as communicating to the public and the Legislature about how the funds are used. The office keeps track of the various requirements the federal government had attached to the funds and ensures that the requirements are met.
Large tasks to be sure -- especially for a small team whose members have other positions in the government.
Weve had a total of five people in the office, said Don Winstead. Four of them had other duties.
While Winstead bears the cumbersome title of special advisor to the governor for the Implementation of the Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, his full-time job remains deputy secretary of the Department of Children of Families.
Winstead said his team borrowed equipment and even office space from other agencies, but most of the work was done electronically.
Our goal is to be a virtual office, said Winstead. We live on the kindness of others.
A good deal of the offices focus remains on ensuring the federal requirements are met.
It struck us there was a tremendous amount of deadlines, said Winstead. The first thing was to get on top of that.
Winstead said his office has been providing updates to the federal government on how the stimulus money is being used. The office created a centralized reporting system which, Winstead said, has been helpful in tracking the money.
There are extensive federal reporting requirements, he said. We have been at the forefront of the states in accuracy and reporting.
In terms of the state over all, there are a number of compliance and reporting issues, said Bernard Ungar, a program manager overseeing Florida with the federal Government Accountability Office in Washington. Theres a long list of things for the recipients of the grants to account for.
Winstead is no stranger to the federal government. He served as deputy assistant secretary for Human Services Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Tommy Thompson during President George W. Bushs first term.
Winsteads team was engaged in outreach during 2009, with members of the office traveling to give presentations to stakeholders such as local government agencies, small business and citizens across the state.
There was a real challenge in communicating with people, said Winstead.
While Winstead did not know when the office would be terminated, he said there remain challenges: namely, the states record high unemployment rate.
Job creation is the biggest challenge, he said.
Federal stimulus funds will continue flowing into health care and high-speed rail projects for another five years, but Winstead does not think the office will still be around.
The office will continue through the calendar year, said Winstead. By mid- to late 2011, most of the implementation will be completed.
As of April 30, according to the federal government, the state has received $2.18 billion.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or (850) 727-0859.
