By Brad Drake, Tallahassee Democrat; May 8, 2019
States across the nation are grappling with how to keep up with lagging transportation infrastructure – and Florida is no exception. On the release of his $9.92-billion infrastructure plan earlier this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis tweeted, “Our transportation infrastructure is not keeping up with demand.”
In March, the Florida House Transportation & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee, of which I am vice-chair, gave the green light to study a proposal to create three new transportation corridors in western Florida. The project would connect rural areas, reduce traffic and help with hurricane evacuation by expanding three existing toll roads – for example, extending the Suncoast Parkway from the Hernando-Citrus county line all the way to Georgia.