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Most of Fla. $5M fund for needy troops unused

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A $5-million fund for Florida National Guard and Reserve troops has mostly been taken back by lawmakers after it was left generally unused.

State legislators set aside the money in 2005 for families of deployed troops who were facing financial difficulties. As of this year, about $600,000 had been doled out to 172 citizen soldiers and their families. Around $400,000 will remain in the fund.

Republican Sen. Mike Fasano of New Port Richey co-sponsored legislation that created the Florida Family Readiness Program. He says lawmakers may have overestimated the amount of money that troops and their families would need.

But former House member Joe Negron says soldiers may have shied away from asking for help.