Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad unveiled the Florida Transportation Vision for the 21 st Century in Marco Island on Friday (5th August).
Speaking to the Florida Transportation Builders’ Association Annual Convention, Prasad outlined Governor Scott’s goals to spur private sector job creation and to get the economy growing by having the ‘best transportation and infrastructure system in the nation’.
“The transportation industry will be leading the charge in making sure we have the state-of-the art infrastructure that is interconnected and efficient,” said Governor Scott.
“This will make Florida tough to beat for the place where we all want to live, work and play.”
The Transportation Vision plan uses ‘creative financing alternatives, offers transportation choices, places strong emphasis on port development, reduces bureaucracy and streamlines decision making, plans and develops future corridors, and provides faster project delivery to keep Florida moving and get citizens back to work’.
“The Transportation Vision plan is the state’s bold, innovative roadmap for the future which will provide the most advanced and effective transportation system in the country,” said Secretary Prasad.
“Florida is on the cutting edge to produce more transportation projects, to provide Florida’s taxpayers with a greater return on our investment, and to create the conditions for the private sector to invest, grow and provide good paying jobs.”
Governor Scott has committed to making the needed investments in transportation infrastructure which is a tried and true model to create both direct and indirect private sector jobs and investment.
At a time when too many people are looking for work and input prices such as commodity costs and labor are low, these ‘investments must be made now’.
Additionally, while there is significant capacity in the private sector to deliver more while doing so at historically low prices, the Department will be using innovative financing tools to advance nearly a billion dollars of construction projects into the current fiscal year.
The Tri-Rail network is a PPP opportunity, Ananth Prasa said;
“Florida has historically lagged other similarly situated states when it comes to transit opportunities and alternatives.
“And while Mass Transit Systems inherently have challenges, there appear to be great opportunities on the horizon.
“Florida will again set the stage to provide transit choices using a Public Private Partnership. The Department will embark on a PPP along the Tri-Rail corridor where we can expand service, lower the cost to the taxpayer, all while providing quality services to the customer.”
Concerning freight, the Secretary said the Panama Canal expansion ‘provides Florida and Florida ports with a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a game changer when it comes to trade regionally, nationally, and globally’.
“Funding of the Port of Miami dredging is the first step in changing this dynamic and it is getting noticed,” Ananth Prasa said.
“But for the State of Florida to begin to plan strategically and become the shining example for business development and for greater efficiencies in the movement of cargo and freight to the end-user, the Department has created an Office of Freight Planning and Logistics.”
