Auto Club AAA on Wednesday added its voice in opposition to a House plan to shift $330 million from the State Transportation Trust Fund (STTF) to general revenue. The money, which mainly comes from fuel taxes, is normally reserved for road and bridge building and improvements, but could be used for anything once it goes into the general fund.
“The proposed sweep of this trust fund would be a detriment to Florida’s already wearied transportation infrastructure,” said Kevin Bakewell, senior vice president, AAA Auto Club South. “This raid on the STTF would halt the much needed construction and maintenance of our deteriorating roads and bridges which, in turn, reduces traffic safety.”
AAA noted that a poor economy, more fuel efficient cars and past sweeps from the trust fund in the last five years have already cost the fund $10 billion worth of project commitments. That translates to lost private sector jobs, AAA said.
House Transportation and Economic Development Subcommittee Chairman Mike Horner on Tuesday acknowledged the sweep would trigger some delays in the Department of Transportation’s five-year work plan.
The proposed shift is part of $518.4 million Horner’s committee would draw from trust funds, including affordable-housing, highway-safety and workforce accounts as part of the House’s effort to balance the budget.
The News Service of Florida
