Florida got more federal funds than any other state as part of a program to put new owners into foreclosed houses. But the state ranks below the national average for dedicating and spending that money.

As of Feb. 22, communities in Florida had earmarked 28 percent of more than $541 million they received last spring from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. And they spent even less – 13 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Even as communities struggle to use the first round of housing funds, Florida is set to get more than $270 million in additional Neighborhood Stabilization dollars next month.

With so much federal money sloshing around, some housing advocates say there's a risk that a program intended to alleviate housing woes could turn into a taxpayer-funded boondoggle.

"We haven't really heard of any abuses yet," said Meliah Schultzman of the California-based National Housing Law Project. "But I understand the concern. It's an enormous amount of money."

Others say a bigger concern is that local governments won't spend their current stabilization money before the September deadline, said Claire Duncan of the Washington, D.C.-based National Housing Coalition.

Any unspent money goes back to Washington.

"It is moving slowly," Duncan said of the stabilization program.

HUD appears to have similar concerns. Last month, the agency dipped into $50 million to help short-handed communities use their stabilization money.

The first aid went to Las Vegas, one of the cities hit the hardest by the housing collapse. Las Vegas has spent about 6 percent of its $14.7 million in housing help so far.

HUD expected some lag between communities receiving stabilization funds and putting them to use, Sullivan said.

"Keep in mind that a lot of these programs had to first be designed," Sullivan said. "Some of the communities are not used to seeing this kind of money."

Sullivan said HUD will soon release the complete list of communities targeted for help.

Tampa ranks near the bottom both in the state and in the nation for using its stabilization funds. The city has spent a little more than 5 percent of its $13 million grant. City housing officials expect that to change soon as they gear up to funnel their money through for-profit and nonprofit contractors.

"We do expect to have all our dollars committed [by September]," said Cynthia Miller, the city's housing director.

The nonprofit Tampa Housing Authority will get $38 million from the next wave of stabilization funding. Much of that will go into the Encore project, a mixed-use development on the site of the old Central Park Village public housing project. The rest will be spent on housing rehabilitation in conjunction with the city, Miller said.

Pasco and Pinellas counties will share $50 million from the same round. The next round of stabilization money must be spent in three years, Sullivan said.

Schultzman said she and other housing advocates have their fingers crossed that agencies won't waste their money.

"My gut tells me that's not going to be a problem," said Ed Gramlich of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, also based in Washington, D.C. "Although, given the amount of money, it's band to happen someplace."

Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 731-8168.