The Fine Print

DOT and the six-figure consultant contract

The Florida Department of Transportation is spending as much as $4.5 million as part of its effort to develop and implement what is known as the 2060 Transportation Plan.

Part of the money being spent by DOT includes hiring consultants to interview major landowners across the state and find about their development plans. The consultants are also supposed to come up with ways that the state could strike deals with these landowners to set aside land for what would most likely be toll roads.

The consultants include two former top executives from The St. Joe Company, the once-formidable real estate development firm that was forced to scale back its own efforts amid the collapse of the housing market.

Environmentalists aren't happy with this since it is part of the controversial decision to revive the "future corridors action plan" that they view as an effort to help open undeveloped portions of the state. DOT has countered by saying it is a good idea as part of its planning process to discuss with property owners possible options about reserving right-of-way for future transportation improvements.

The AP story on this effort is here.

The contract to interview landowners is worth up to $106,000, according to information from DOT.

The work includes:

• Conduct up to 20 personal interviews with major landowners to obtain their input regarding proposed statewide visioning and corridor planning activities. The purpose of the interviews will be to document existing development plans for each landowner’s property, including the status of sector plans, DRIs, and similar initiatives; to understand potential future development plans and the factors that may influence these plans; to obtain input on issues the Department should consider as part of its statewide visioning and corridor planning activities; and to identify legislative, policy, and regulatory changes that might facilitate public/private agreements between the Department and private landowners in support of statewide visioning and corridor planning activities.

As well as this:

• Prepare a draft strategic memorandum identifying potential linkages between sector plans, rural land stewardship areas, and other statutory land use planning activities and the proposed statewide visioning and corridor planning activities, including recommendations for changes to statutes, regulations, and policies.  Submit a draft strategic memorandum for review by the Department Task Manager and senior staff.   Prepare a final strategic memorandum upon receipt of comments from the Department.
• Prepare a draft technical memorandum identifying potential approaches to developing right of way dedication or reservation agreements between the Department and landowners to facilitate future transportation corridor development.  This memorandum should recommend a framework for model agreements. Submit a draft strategic memorandum for review by the Department Task Manager and senior staff.   Prepare a final strategic memorandum upon receipt of comments from the Department. Revise as directed by the Department Task Manager.  Develop a conceptual policy framework and business points to facilitate the development of sample agreements between the Department and landowners based on the approaches recommended in the technical memorandum.  Revise as directed by the Department Task Manager.

 

 

Who's responsible for the hike in Florida tolls?

Over the last few weeks there have been reminders that the tolls are going up on some 585 miles worth of roads.

Back when it appeared that Adam Hasner and George LeMieux were in the U.S. Senate race with Connie Mack I wrote a piece pointing out how Mack called tolls a tax and has been sharply critical of them.

Of course Hasner is now running for U.S. Congress and LeMieux this past week dropped out of the race.

But just a reminder about the origins of the latest rate hike:

This toll hike was authorized by HB 985, a major transportation bill that was approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature during the 2007 session. It mandates that the tolls be raised at least once every five years to keep pace with inflation. The money coming from this latest set of toll hikes will be used to push up the construction date of various road projects.

The bill since then has also become known as the legislation that authorized the millions used to construct the controversial First District Court of Appeal or the "Tallahassee Taj Mahal."

The vote was contentious in the Florida House where the final margin was 68-49 in favor of the bill and the roster of no votes included some Republicans.

Among the yes votes at the time: Hasner, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, U.S. Rep. David Rivera, State Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, Aaron Bean, and Rep. Will Weatherford.

The no votes in the House at the time: State Sen. Andy Gardiner, Sen. Maria Sachs (who is running against Bogdanoff), Keith Fitzgerald, Sen. Rene Garcia, and current U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross.

The vote was much more overwhelming in the Florida Senate where the legislation passed by a 37-2 margin.

The two no votes were two South Florida Republicans. The yes votes include then-Sen. Al Lawson (a candidate for Congress), Sen. Steve Oelrich (now a candidate for Congress), Sen. Ronda Storms (now running for Hillsborough County Property Appraiser), U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, as well as Sen. Mike Bennett, then-Sen. Dave Aronberg and Sen. Mike Fasano.

And as former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson has shown: Toll hikes can sometimes show up in campaign ads.

 

Could this become an issue in Mack vs. Hasner vs. LeMieux race?

Put this in "Will this become an issue in the U.S. Senate race?" file.

Sometime next year motorists across Florida will begin paying higher tolls to use nearly 600 miles of highway according to information recently released by the Florida Department of Transportation.

The average toll increase will be about $.25 and it will affect major roads such as the Florida Turnpike, Alligator Alley, Sunshine Skyway bridge, the Veterans Expressway and the Beachline Expressway in Central Florida.

This toll hike was authorized by HB 985, a major transportation bill that was approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature during the 2007 session. It mandates that the tolls be raised at least once every five years to keep pace with inflation.

The bill since then has become known as the legislation that authorized the millions used to construct the controversial First District Court of Appeal or the "Tallahassee Taj Mahal."

But while that provision was slipped into the legislation in the waning days of the session the toll provisions were hotly debated on the floor of the Florida House.

The House ultimately approved the bill by a 68-49 margin with Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Boca Raton and current U.S. Senate candidate voting for it. Other Republicans who voted yes include House Speaker Marco Rubio and Sen. Mike Haridopolos.

But the legislation did not draw in universal support from GOP lawmakers. Legislators such as Rep. Dennis Ross (who is now in Congress) and current Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner were among those who voted no on the bill.

So why could this bill become an issue?

Because U.S. Rep. Connie Mack - and who is expected to jump to join the list of GOP contenders in the U.S. Senate - is among those who has spoken out loudly about raising tolls on Florida roads. Mack, for example, staunchly opposed a proposal to add tolls to Interstate 75 in southwest Florida to help finance a widening of the road.

"Tolls never go away," Mack told Lee County Commissioners back in 2008 according to the Naples Daily News. "They're an added tax. The easy thing to do is say 'Let's toll.'"

Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux had nothing directly to do with the tolling bill. But LeMieux was chief of staff when then-Gov. Charlie Crist signed the legislation into law.

The toll increases are expected to generate $1.8 billion and while some of the money will be used to expand existing toll roads it will also be used to build the Wekiva Parkway in Central Florida.

It may be the toll increases will not become a campaign issue but the hikes will likely take effect shortly before the August Republican primary - meaning it could be fresh upon voters minds when it comes time to vote. And that means some campaign consultant could find it an issue to jump onto.