Florida Democrats want more federal cash

Asked about his “wish list from Washington” during yesterday’s Twitter “town hall,” Gov. Rick Scott tweeted that he wants the federal government to “stop giving us mandates” and “reduce our federal taxes.”

Now Alex Sink, his former Democratic gubernatorial challenger, is calling on him to add another item to that list: increasing the state’s share of federal funding. A statement released Friday afternoon points to recommendations (.pdf) she made to capture more funds during her time as the state’s Chief Financial Officer.

A study (.pdf) released this week by Florida Tax Watch points out that Florida ranks 48th among U.S. states in federal grants received per capita, and that reaching the national average could net an additional $3.2 billion.

Sen. Bill Nelson also seized on those finding this week, calling on the rest of the state’s congressional delegation to work together “to help Florida lift itself out of this grants sinkhole.”