A Rally in Tally

On Tuesday, April 20, 2010, the Florida Transportation Builders’ Association (FTBA) held what was our first protest of legislative action in 20 years. Not since the Florida Department of Transportation essentially went bankrupt in 1989-1990 did our organization have to stand up and make noise for lawmakers to see the impact of their decisions.

More than 450 of FTBA’s members and their employees descended on Florida’s Capitol – the lobby of the building was orange with the reflective vests of hundreds of construction workers whose jobs are on the line. After a little rain and a hearty lunch, our rally began – we were fortunate to have the support of Senate President Jeff Atwater and Rep. Greg Evers. They encouraged the crowd to continue their efforts and work to tell lawmakers and Governor Crist about the hardships the raid on the transportation trust fund will cause their companies. We were also honored to have the support of Florida’s business community – representatives from heavy-hitting organizations such as Dominic Calabro of Florida TaxWatch, Barney Bishop of Associated Industries of Florida, Doug Callaway of Floridians for Better Transportation and Gabe Sheheane of the Florida Chamber of Commerce also spoke to rally attendees. Following the rally, protestors entered the main Capitol building and visited with lawmakers to ensure they were introduced to the face of our industry and the people behind the jobs that are now at risk.

We’ve worked diligently throughout the legislative session to make sure the House of Representatives was not successful in their attempts to steal more than $450 million from the State Transportation Trust Fund. Our efforts have not proven to be in vain and with a heavy heart the Senate agreed this week to officially pull $160 million from the trust fund to cover state budget deficits. All told, that equates to 11,200 jobs that will now be put in the crosshairs. This week’s rally showed us the power and strength of our membership. Our next stop: the VETO pen.

Visit my blog later this week to see why the Governor needs to VETO this legislation – in my opinion; it would be a legacy move that would not be forgotten.