Port Everglades leads U.S. in federal security dollars.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Florida fared better than any other state in securing federal money for seaport security, Gov. Jeb Bush announced Tuesday, and Port Everglades led the way with a $6.9 million grant.

The state is getting a total of $19.7 million from the Department of Transportation to shore up security at six economically critical ports. The governor said Florida did well because the state was putting port security measures into place even before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks turned the spotlight on safety.

"We began the process of dealing with security issues at our ports, an area that had been important but always secondary to the very important …