MIAMI -- The Miami Police Department will be receiving more federal stimulus money than any other department in Florida from "COPS" grant money, the "Community Oriented Policing Services" program.

More than $11 million will allow the department to hire about 100 new police officers over the next three years.

“We have beat officers, resource officers and a whole host of things,” said a jubilant Chief John Timoney. “We have focused in on when we get additional hires putting them out in uniform where they could be seen. In these hard economic times, this is a gift from heaven.”

The list of 66 Florida police departments includes a host of South Florida cities and municipalities receiving from less than $1 million to $11 million for hiring, training and equipping new police officers.

A United States Justice Department spokesman said the departments and allocations were chosen based on a formula that weighed crime statistics and fiscal health.

The City of Miami's fiscal health is currently in the balance, as city leaders look to cover a shortfall amounting to almost a quarter of its budget next year .

“We're looking at a couple of pages of strategies as to how to be able to bridge that gap,” said City Manager Pete Hernandez.

The $11 million COPS stimulus grant will go a long way in helping the Miami Police Department avoid almost certain layoffs.

Timoney expects to be able to make the first hires by the next training class in September.

In accepting the COPS funding, the city commits to fund the new hires for at least another year following the three year program. Timoney said he was optimistic the economy would recover enough by then for the city to afford that expense.

The money for Miami Police is just part of $1 billion in grants to fund the hiring and rehiring of law enforcement officers all across the country under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

That includes more than $87 million in grants to fund the hiring and rehiring of 428 law enforcement officers in Florida.

Cities of Hollywood, Miramar, North Bay Village, Miami Springs, Miami Shores, North Miami, Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, Opa-locka, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach will also be getting large grants.