Press release from the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis
AUBURNDALE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis, along with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), announced fully funded and ahead of schedule transportation projects to increase capacity and ease congestion in Florida as record growth and tourism continues. While Florida’s good fiscal stewardship has allowed the state to largely self-fund its transportation solutions, the Biden Administration is forcing other states that rely on federal funding to embrace an ideological and political agenda in order to receive funding. And Florida is fighting back.
“Unlike the federal government, the Florida Department of Transportation under my leadership is focused solely on transportation,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis. “That’s why major transportation upgrades are fully funded and decades ahead of schedule. We listen to Floridians and respond to their needs. Roads aren’t for politics.”
Since Governor DeSantis took office in 2019, the State of Florida has invested more than $67.8 billion to improve Florida’s transportation infrastructure, reduce congestion and smooth the supply chain. Over the past two years, the State has advanced 20 significant congestion reduction projects through the Moving Florida Forward Initiative.
Just next year, Governor DeSantis $14.5 billion It covers 946 current and upcoming construction projects across the state, including:
- $5.2 billion Maintenance and construction of new highways; 140 New lane miles. Since 2019, a cumulative investment of $24.28 billion has been made to build 964.6 miles of new roadway.
- $1.8 billion Resurfacing roads and filling potholes: Since 2019, we’ve invested more than $12.33 billion to resurface more than 12,300 miles of roads.
- $382 million Since 2019, 72 bridges have been repaired and an additional 15 bridges have been replaced, for a total of 593 bridges repaired or replaced.
- $1.4 billion To support intermodal improvements, we have invested more than $334.2 million in our airports, $109.6 million in our ports, and $960.6 million to support transit and freight rail. Since 2019, we have invested more than $2 billion in our airports, $1.1 billion in our ports, and an additional $3.7 billion in transit and freight rail.
In April, the Governor announced full funding for the I-4 project in Polk and Osceola Counties, including widening approximately 15 miles of freeway at ChampionsGate and World Drive starting this year. Florida is once again addressing urgent transportation needs by delivering the project ahead of schedule. Today, the Governor announced the addition of new lanes on I-4, which will be available next year and provide immediate congestion relief during and after the I-4 widening project is complete.
“Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ leadership and forward-thinking approach, we have been able to explore even more ways to expedite critical infrastructure improvements along the I-4 corridor. Moving Florida Forward is already poised to benefit Floridians, and with the resequencing of construction and additional auxiliary lanes, motorists will begin to see relief in one of the state’s most congested areas by the end of 2025 instead of 2030 as previously planned,” said FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue, PE. “Florida’s infrastructure vision stands in stark contrast to the Biden Administration’s insistence that it prioritizes ideological and political agendas over infrastructure building. I am happy to live in a free state where all Floridians and visitors can drive what they want, when they want, where they want.”
Finally, to demonstrate how Florida is fighting back, Governor DeSantis announced that the Florida Department of Transportation will launch a dedicated portal highlighting Biden’s politicization of the Transportation Department. Florida will denounce the federal government’s underhanded tactics and the imposition of a progressive agenda at every turn, and Florida’s robust fiscal position allows the state to reject the heavy-handed tactics of radical federal mandates.
To access the portal, click here.
