Editor's note: The following press release was written by the staff of Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, and posted on her Web site this week:
(Washington, DC) – In response to today’s report that Florida unemployment reached 8.6% in January with 800,000 out of work, Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24) issued the following statement:
“Today’s jobless rate report underscores the dire economic challenges we are facing as a community. Our families, friends and neighbors are losing their jobs at an alarming rate. That is why I am working hard to ensure that investments from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are flowing quickly to our state. This funding is critical for protecting and creating jobs in Central Florida as well as for assisting those who are feeling the pain of unemployment.
“This week, it was announced that the Department of Transportation has released to Florida over $1.3 billion from the tax relief and recovery package for highway construction and improvements. Yesterday, Florida received more than $316 million in Federal Transit Administration funds included in the tax relief and recovery package, with more than $33 million going to cities within Florida’s 24th Congressional District.
“And the tax relief and recovery package has already extended unemployment, job training, and health care benefits to provide support for those who have lost their jobs.
“In the coming weeks, more investments and tax cuts will reach our communities to create and protect thousands of jobs in the short-term while laying the groundwork for a long-term economic recovery. Yes we are facing great challenges, but I will continue fighting for common-sense, bipartisan solutions that keep us on the road to economic recovery and lead the way to a brighter, more prosperous future.”
Additional Details on Highway and Public Transit Funding from the Tax Relief and Recovery Package:
Highway Construction and Improvements:
The Department of Transportation announced that over $1.3 billion in tax relief and recovery package funding has been released to Florida for highway construction and improvements, including an estimated $29.26 million for Orlando and $6.46 for Daytona Beach/Port Orange.
Parts of the allocation are set aside to make sure that urban, suburban, and rural areas alike all get a share. The highway infrastructure funding for Florida can be broken down as follows:
* Florida Total Distribution: $1.34 billion
* Mandatory Transportation Enhancements[1]: $40 million
* Urban Area Distribution (Population over 200K): $292 million
* Suburban Area Distribution (Population under 200K): $94 million
* Rural Area Distribution (Population under 5K): $16 million
* Funds Available for Use in Any Area: $902 million
Public Transit:
Florida has received $316,196,713 in Federal Transit Administration funds included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law one month ago. More than $33 million in public transit investments will flow directly to cities within Florida’s 24th Congressional District.
Of the total, Florida will receive the following funding based on formulas established in current law:
* $290 million in grants for public transportation capital investments in urban areas;
* $20 million for transit capital assistance to rural and small urban public transportation systems;
* $5.4 million for capital projects to modernize or improve existing fixed guideway, or rail, systems.
According to an estimate provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), cities in Florida’s 24th District will receive the following estimated amounts:
Orlando - $26.36 million
Daytona/Port Orange - $5.95 million
Deltona - $2.46 million
Titusville - $888,356
More information on FTA’s announcement and funding available to Florida can be found on the Department of Transportation’s recovery website, http://www.dot.gov/recovery, or in FTA’s announcement, http://www.dot.gov/recovery/docs/E9-4745.pdf .