It was bad, really bad. The unemployed in Florida will not don shiny, red capes. Despite reports to the opposite, Workforce Central Florida (WCF) has dumped plans to spend more than $70,000 in federal stimulus money to 'help' the unemployed by providing 6,000 jobless "superheroes" capes to wear in the battle and "fight" against "Dr. Evil Unemployment." If having no job isn't bad enough, try wearing a cape.
In April 2011, Workforce Central Florida was adamantly defending plans to literally hand out superhero capes to the state's unemployed, who now equal nearly 10%-percent of the working public. Critics have been saying the superhero program would only serve to further erode the already-fragile self-respect of the state's jobless.
Neither the spending or the idea proved so hot for the Florida WCF agency -- which has been forced to kill its plot to fight evil: "Workforce Central Florida has listened to the public, and will be withdrawing our admittedly out-of-the-box creative campaign, 'Cape-A-Bility Challenge' later today," Board Chairman Owen Wentworth issued via statement on the Workforce Central Florida agency's website.
"Admittedly out-of-the-box" is an awfully nice way of saying "stupid as hell".
"Even though it [the WCF superhero program] seemed to offend some, it was the farthest thing from our intention, which was to introduce our [Workforce Central Florida] programs and services to job seekers and employers who need them."
Workforce Central Florida can thank the Orlando Sentinel for outing the campaign that allegedly intended to use federal stimulus money -- to the tune of $73,000 -- in donning the state's unemployed with shiny, red capes. It seems WCF board members became worried its program had "missed the mark" in the view of the public.
Well, sometimes you do need an honest friend to tell you how stupid something really is.
Since the Orlando Sentinel made the Workforce Central Florida plan known to the state (and nation) in April 2011, it's been more than criticized: People have been laughing at -- not with -- the taxpayer-funded agency that decided superheroes were a brilliant idea.
Yeah, WCF really did plan on handing out capes to the unemployed -- red ones. It's all not far removed from that scarlet "A"
Apparently WCF thought it was going to be a great campaign that would unite people and its unemployed. Those seeking jobs in Florida could've chosen to become a fan of Workforce Central Florida on Facebook. That way, all their friends could know just how unemployed they really are -- and that their jobless situation's headed to such depths they're willing to consider donning a cape.
Or, 'Cape-A-Bility Challenge' participants could've opted to have their photos taken next to life-size foam cutouts of "Dr. Evil Unemployment" -- the cartoon villain created as the Workforce Central Florida's nemesis to its fighting, unemployed superheroes.
Combine the two, and the jobless could have a real gem: a photo with a foam cut-out, that they could then post on Facebook. Pure genius, really. If the program hadn't been scrapped.
$14,000 of the superhero program's budget -- of the more than $70,000 dollars of federal stimulus funds allotted -- was slated to be spent on capes for Florida's unemployed. Yes, the taxpayer-funded agency really did plan to spend nearly 20%-percent of the money on red capes. Or, actually, already did.
Workforce Central Florida had said it was all public money to be spent -- but it appears there was some scrambling after the embarrassing media exposure in April: Orlando Sentinel reports WCF Vice President Kimbery Sullivan made the suggestion that cape purchases, after they were found out, were made using money from a non-public account. Apparently there's not proof, yet provided, to back up that suggestion.
So, it seems, someone has purchased and now owns roughly fourteen grand in superhero capes.
Another $2,300 was slated to be spent by WCF on "Dr. Evil" figurines. That'd be over 3%-percent wasted taxpayer funds on plastic figures, destined for trash cans across Florida. Unless, of course, one of Florida's smartest unemployed had figured out a way to promote that figure on ebay -- like, say, a collectable that marks the potentially stupidest way to waste federal stimulus money -- until he or she was able to find a job.
While Workforce Central Florida officials was trying to pump its 'Cape-A-Bility Challenge' superhero campaign as a fun or unusual way to engage its Orlando-area public, the concept was on a collision course with the state's high unemployment rate. It seems Central Florida's unemployed -- who currently number well over 100,000 people -- happened to find the idea not just juvenile but, more specifically, simply downright insulting.
WCF's unemployment program happened to attract (unwanted) attention after media publicity in April -- from the Agency for Workforce Innovation, the state department responsible for administering unemployment in Florida. The "Cape-A-Bility Challenge" got a bit of a closer look from the government after AWI Executive Director Cynthia Lorenzo asked her inspector general for some input about whether Workforce Central Florida was spending federal funds appropriately.
Cynthia Lorenzo wrote Workforce Central Florida Executive Director Gary J. Earl: "I have serious concerns with the content and approach" of the WCF 'Cape-A-Bility Challenge' program. "With more than 1 million Floridians currently out of work, spending any amount of money on collateral materials such as the red capes included in your campaign appears to be insensitive and wasteful."
Workforce Central Florida may be a private, non-profit agency -- but it happens to receive roughly $24 million in federal funding. So basically the government's got some clout that not even a superhero can battle.
Earl tried to defend the WCF 'Cape-A-Bility Challenge' campaign, first with claims it was "consistent with a board-approved community outreach" effort. Later, he really did try to back the superhero idea by saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Now superheroes are also 'beautiful' -- not simply of fighting "Dr. Evil Unemployment" as the WCF had suggested.
When things got to the The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com and National Public Radio, the program was destined for a downward plunge. Forget about a press release: Workforce Central Florida announced its 'Cape-A-Bility Challenge' dump of its superhero program on April 20, via the agency's website -- but not before sad attempts to claim some small victory from the campaign that ran for about 10 days.
WFC has claimed the agency received "an increased usage" of its website that it's attributing to the superhero run. Perhaps the agency is not aware that bad news -- or people making fun of a company -- can spark even higher website traffic rates than positive news.
But while Florida's unemployed can rest assured the superhero progam has in fact been dropped, Workforce Central Florida may suffer longer: Perhaps WCF should've considered that press release statement about dropping the dumb idea -- since major news outlets across the nation are still incorrectly reporting the superhero program as slated for the near future.
A Workplace Central Florida statement claims the agency is "big enough to say, 'we may have made a mistake, but we're not going to stop working to find ways to serve those who need work and those need workers.'"
Attention, Florida's Unemployed: You've got a superhero on your side.
Simultaneously, it seems someone's got some extra capes on their hands -- 6,000, shiny red ones. Those capes are proudly imprinted with the "Workforce" logo. Sullivan says the agency would seek "some useful way to repurpose them." Now that's going to require some creativity.