Florida Budget Includes Record $4.1 Billion in Transportation Funding
Florida’s roads and bridges are in line to receive more than $4 billion in fiscal 2018 as part of the budget announced by Gov. Rick Scott on Jan. 31. Scott’s total proposed transportation budget of $10.8 billion makes it four straight years topping $10 million and reaching a new high.
“As the third-largest state in the nation with the fourth-fastest growing population, we must make sure our state is prepared to safely welcome new families, visitors and job creators,” Scott said in announcing his budget, which is $100 million more than the Legislature allocated to Florida’s Department of Transportation last year. “We have made significant investments in transportation for four years in a row because we know the incredible impact it has on job creation and helping Florida become a leading hub for global trade.”
The $4.1 billion that Republican Scott envisions devoting to Florida’s roads and bridges in fiscal 2018 must be approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature, which fully did so the past three years. Much of that money would go to projects underway that would receive additional funding.
Ken Armstrong, president of the Florida Trucking Association, said of the new projects on Scott’s list, the I-95/I-595 interchange in Fort Lauderdale will be the most beneficial to the industry .
“Our trucks won’t so much use the new lanes, but those additional lanes will definitely decrease the congestion on the existing lanes,” Armstrong said.
Speaking generally, Armstrong said there’s a lot to like about Scott’s budget.
“Even in a tight budget year, Florida realizes the value of investing in infrastructure,” Armstrong said. “This proposed budget’s $10.8 billion for FDOT puts us right in line with the $30 billion that have been appropriated over the last three years. FTA recognizes the happy fact that both tourists and trucks need the best-quality highways. Gov. Scott’s proposal aims to keep Florida’s roads and bridges the best in the country.”
In its most recent report on America’s infrastructure, The American Society of Civil Engineers gave Florida’s bridges a B and its roads a C, but those grades are higher than those of most states.
Sally Patrenos, former executive director of the Florida Transportation Commission, which oversees the state’s transportation agencies, said she doubts that many states maintain their infrastructure as well as Florida does.
“As primarily a businessman [before becoming governor], Gov. Scott understands that efficient mobility of people and goods keeps the economy moving and growing,” Patrenos, president of Floridians for Better Transportation, told Transport Topics. “And he realizes that the transportation industry accounts for huge swaths of employment in our state.”
Patrenos, whose experience in Florida’s transportation sector dates to the 1990s, said that Scott’s budget rightfully devotes its biggest chunk to roads and bridges, which she and Armstrong deemed a 9.5 on a 1-10 scale.
“Expansion and new construction is critically important when our state is adding 1,000 people a day,” Patrenos said.
Florida Transportation Builders’ Association President Bob Burleson said, “Gov. Scott’s record budget continues important strategic investments in transportation infrastructure. The budget maintains a solid foundation for a growing economy and more jobs for Florida’s families.”
