Roads to ruin or prosperity? Environmentalists want to block Florida toll-road projects

Tallahassee Democrat

A hodgepodge of environmental and civic groups on Thursday said they’ve banded together to block construction of 300 miles of new toll roads — despite the state having already made a $45 million down payment on the project.

Lawmakers last spring agreed to spend the money to draw up plans for a decade-long “corridor” project that will extend the Suncoast Parkway in Hillsborough County east to the Florida Turnpike and north to the Georgia state line.

A third corridor, the Southwest-Central Florida Connector, would blaze a trail from the citrus groves of Polk County to the coast of Collier County, south of Fort Myers.

The newly formed Roads to Ruin Coalition argues the project will contribute to urban sprawl, threaten clean water and harm wildlife.

The proposed northern extension of the Suncoast Parkway would carve a 150-mile four-lane parkway through mostly undeveloped forested land that is home to bears, panthers, and deer, and the recharge area of iconic first magnitude springs.

“It will be a problem. We will have more trees cleared and there will be more runoff with things getting into the springs and river,” said John Quarterman, the Suwannee Riverkeeper, of the road that would travel through Taylor County at the Big Bend and into Jefferson County.

The route would be parallel to I-75 and U.S. 19, roads that end along the shores of Lake Erie and Lake Huron. Groups like the Florida League of Women Voters, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Sierra Club envision a monster Great Lakes-to-Gulf of Mexico thoroughfare that will stimulate urban sprawl, overwhelm the infrastructure of rural counties and spoil natural Florida.

More:Proposed toll road from Polk to Collier draws concerns from some environmental groups

Critics point out that much of the land on the project’s route in Taylor County is owned by Thomas Peterffy, a prolific contributor to the Republican Party. Peterffy donated more than $300,000 to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign, for example. A handful of speakers at Thursday’s announcement painted the project as a political payoff.

“It does not address our current infrastructure needs,” said Lindsay Cross of Florida Conservation Voters. “Rather it creates a taxpayer-funded scheme to pave over what is best about our state: Our natural beauty, our freshwater resources and our cultural heritage.”

A map showing roughly where the new toll roads may run. The actual path has not yet been determined.
STATE OF FLORIDA

Back story:

Elements of the corridors project had been rejected by three previous Republican governors. But in January, Republican Senate President Bill Galvano of Bradenton made it a top priority. He said the roads would help rural communities, relieve traffic congestion and provide hurricane-evacuation routes.

“Florida is gaining over 850 people a day, a population the size of the city of Orlando every year,” Galvano argued in May when the Legislature debated the proposal.

“These new infrastructure corridors will help achieve Florida’s goal of strategically planning for future population growth while at the same time revitalizing rural communities and enhancing public safety,” he added.

Also included in the project are expanded bicycle and pedestrian trails and a blueprint for water, sewer and broadband lines. Former Senate President Tom Lee, a Thonotosassa Republican, sponsored the plan, selling it as economic development.

“There is no question that added transportation capacity improves mobility, makes it easier for people to get to and from work, and it creates a better opportunity for development to occur,” Lee said.

Dr. Howard Kessler voices his concerns about proposed toll roads in the state of Florida during a press conference in the Capitol Rotunda.

Lawmakers set a construction completion date of 2030 and estimated it would cost $10 billion. The plan was endorsed by the Florida Transportation Builders Association, the Florida Trucking Association, the Ports Council and the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber President Mark Wilson endorsed it once again Thursday in Hollywood, referring to it as an example of “smart growth” and “long-term planning” at the Chambers’ Transportation, Growth & Infrastructure Summit.

“As Florida prepares to add $4.5 million more residents and 3 million more drivers by 2030, Florida must approach the changes ahead with smart growth, innovation and long-term planning to ensure Florida’s economy continues to thrive,” Wilson said.

Lawmakers agreed to spend $45 million this fiscal year. The plan calls for another $90 million next year and then a recurring amount of $140 million through 2030.

Task forces formed by the state's Department of Transportation for each project are to deliver their recommendation for each of the roads by October 2020.

Writer James Call can be contacted at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on Twitter @CallTallahassee