THE Florida Senate will consider a bill this week that would unwind a half-century of smart transportation planning. The legislation would put the expressway authorities in Hillsborough and Orange counties under virtual state control, diminishing the ability of local communities to address their unique transportation needs. This is a power and money grab by Tallahassee that would hurt two of the most dynamic metro areas of the state.
The bill, SB 1998, would turn over toll collections from the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority and the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority to the state. It also would limit the discretion these agencies have to sell bonds to finance new road projects. The measure assigns the agencies under the authority of the state Department for Transportation for “administrative and fiscal accountability purposes.” While the authorities would keep their local governing boards and ostensibly remain independent, that authority would exist largely on paper. Local boards would lose expertise and autonomy, and decisionmaking would shift to Tallahassee.
This is exactly the wrong direction for two fast-growing regions that have made monumental strides in recent years in addressing long-term transportation priorities. And essentially centralizing operations under the state is contrary to the usual Republican clamor about smaller government and local control. The bill would give the state much more purview over how the local agencies spend money. It also allows the state to charge new administrative fees to process the toll collections. The net effect is that Tallahassee would have a much heavier hand in setting prices for local toll roads. And it would be easier for political leaders far from Tampa or Orlando to steer local money to pet projects in outlying areas.
State transportation officials say the move would not diminish the local authorities. But having local boards retain the power to set road priorities means little if the power of the purse shifts to Tallahassee. State officials have not made
Article source: http://feeds.stateline.org/~r/StatelineorgRss-Transportation/~3/Tvr07DZ_Pq0/1216426
