House Continues to Kick the Can Down the Road

The House’s proposal to rob $330 million from the State Transportation Trust Fund (STTF) presents a daunting potential threat to the future of Florida’s transportation infrastructure and citizens alike.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) assesses that the $330 million dollar sweep would have a $500-$900 million dollar impact on current and future FDOT projects. Such drastic measures would result in the elimination of up to 25,000 jobs.

It’s a frustrating contradiction. Members of the House continue to advocate for the need to create private sector jobs yet they propose stealing multimillions of dollars from the trust fund. The revenues collected by the transportation trust fund are used by the FDOT to build projects that ultimately create the same private sector jobs these lawmakers are calling for.

The Florida Senate and the Governor get it. They are not proposing any cuts to the STTF in their budget proposals and are willing to make the choices needed which the House appears unwilling to make. As a matter of fact the Senate is actually looking for ways to increase transportation construction dollars!Governor Scott is doing his best to create 700,000 jobs, but this proposed trust fund raid by the House would make such a figure nearly impossible to achieve.

The STTF is funded solely by direct user fees with the exception of a small amount of doc stamp revenue. We do not continually return to the Legislature asking for general revenue support to build the transportation infrastructure projects all Floridians depend on to move about the state. How can we talk about adding new and deserving programs such as port improvements, light rail or transit while at the same time suggest the state rob the trust fund which is set up to pay for these kind of projects?

Since this sweep was first proposed, I have had House members tell me they have “no choice” other than to raid the STTF. I simply do not believe that. Of course they have a choice – they have been elected by the general electorate of their district to vote. That is their choice. In 2010 there was also “no choice” except to take $160 million from the STTF. Yet, at the same time, Floridians saw final budget negotiations miraculously include new funding projects! In 2009 the legislature raised transportation user fees over $500 million dollars per year and kept the entire amount for general revenue. Even with the unwarranted diversion of $500 million from the trust fund each and every year members of the House still are coming back for more. Only in a dictatorship is “no choice” truly the norm.

Every dollar taken from the STTF is not only a project lost, it is an impact on a construction workers livelihood. It is a job at stake. It’s food off the table. It’s another person waiting in line for unemployment compensation. Talk about not having a choice – ask the laid off worker about not having choices.