Floridians can now track how the state spends their tax dollars on a new Web site.
Gov. Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink announced Tuesday the launch of Sunshine Spending, a Web site that allows Floridians to see where the state spends tax dollars.
"Taxpayers are able to look at the amount paid to specific vendors within a particular fiscal year," said Debra Evans, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Financial Services' Bureau of Accounting. "Clicking on the agency provides the individual payments and a contact phone number for additional information about the payment."
The Web site aims to make state spending more transparent to taxpayers and make the state more accountable for its spending. Citizens can check payments to vendors dating back to the 2004-2005 fiscal year, including detailed information about each payment and the agency requesting the information. Sunshine Spending was planned six months ago and is updated daily by the Florida Department of Financial Services.
The site is maintained at no extra cost to the state by using existing resources and employees, Evans said.
The Sunshine Spending Web site was produced by the Department of Financial Services in cooperation with representatives from the Governor's office, Americans for Tax Reform and the James Madison Institute.
"The Web site is a positive step, though at present it still needs more development to be user friendly," said David Denslow, a UF professor and research economist. "It is a positive step partly because voters are more willing to support the services government provides if they are confident waste is under control."
Floridians can visit the site at www.FLGov.com/SunshineSpending.
