‘Toll roads to nowhere’ contested
Environmentalists say massive highway plan will hurt rural areas
Environmentalists are hoping that Florida’s “roads to nowhere” hit a dead end with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Sierra Club and other groups want DeSantis to veto a bill (SB 7086) that would create three new toll roads through vast swaths of mostly rural Florida, marking the biggest expansion of the state’s highway system in decades.
The bill landed on DeSantis’ desk on Monday, and he has until May 28 to act.
About two dozen Broward environmentalists holding signs demanding a veto protested Tuesday at the Sheridan Street Tri-Rail Station in Hollywood. Another protest was planned for St. Petersburg.
Supporters say the new roads will spur economic development, provide new hurricane evacuation routes and ease congestion on Interstate 4 and Interstate 75, main thoroughfares tourists use to get to Walt Disney World.
Senate President Bill Galvano, RBradenton, made the highways the centerpiece of his agenda.
Opponents, though, call the proposed highways “toll roads to nowhere” that they say will benefit developers at the expense of the few remaining rural areas of the state untouched by sprawl.
DeSantis’ veto pen is perhaps their last chance to halt the road-building plan. The new Republican governor has styled himself as a Teddy Roosevelt-style conservationist. In a move that surprised some, DeSantis vetoed a bill that would have prohibited cities from banning plastic straws.
Sue Caruso, a member of the Sierra Club, said how the governor acts on the tolls roads will be “a real test” on his commitment to the environment.
“We are hoping he is a Teddy Roosevelt and he’ll carry the big stick,” she said.
The first road would run from Collier County in southwest Florida to Lakeland. Another would extend the Suncoast Parkway from Citrus County north of Tampa to the Georgia state line. The third would connect the Suncoast Parkway to Florida’s Turnpike.
Construction would start in 2022, and the thoroughfares should be open to traffic no later than the end of 2030, according to the bill.
The new roads would require $45 million in the 2020 budget year, rising to $90 million the next year and then to $135 million annually through 2030. The money would be drawn from motor vehicle license taxes.
Business groups are urging the governor to sign the bill, saying the highway expansion is needed with 3 million new drivers projected to hit roadways by 2030.
“We need to plan smart and work fast to keep up with Florida’s growth or risk becoming like California,” Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, said in a prepared statement.
The legislation requires task forces to evaluate how to minimize environmental harm, including implementing wildlife design features to protect panther and wildlife crossings.
Stanley Pannaman, a member of the Sierra Club, said he thinks the state should put money toward updating mass transit and clogged highways in South Florida instead of building new roads in remote areas of the state.
“Where is the investment for Broward and Miami-Dade counties?” he asked. “Why are we taking money to build roads that go nowhere?”
Galvano said most of the state’s transportation dollars have been devoted to urban areas and rural areas need help.
Environmentalists also rallied against HB 7103, which would make people challenging a city’s development plan liable for the other side’s attorney’s fees if they lose.