Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs’ push to secure dedicated funding for the LYNX bus system is moving forward with the legislature’s creation of a new Central Florida Expressway Authority reforming Orlando’s scandal-plagued roadway authority. Jacobs was focused this year on Senate bill 230 to help her achieve dedicated LYNX funding as soon as possible to enhance public transportation.
“This year’s focus is on creating a mechanism that allows for regional transportation planning,” Orange County Communications Manager Ann Marie Varga said. “Efforts to solidify dedicated transportation funding may best be pursued through a regional mechanism.”
Jacobs first pushed for dedicated Lynx funding last year through her position on the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) Board. At the time, Jacobs wanted to use the rental car surcharge tax for mass transportation, including funding the Lynx bus system and possibly preparing to fund SunRail in the future. Her efforts at GOAA were sidelined partially because Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, a close ally of Jacobs’ opponent Val Demings, skipped the meeting to avoid the vote.
Jacobs then shifted her focus to the regional mechanism as the best chance for dedicated Lynx funding. The Mayor sent letters to the governor and Senator Simmons last month and the legislature sent Gov. Rick Scott a plan Thursday to create the new authority.
“On behalf of Orange County’s 1.2 million residents and our 59 million annual visitors, I am gratified that the transportation agency will be more accountable to the citizens and embrace a regional approach to transportation planning and management,” said Mayor Teresa Jacobs.
Even one of Mayor Jacobs’ notable critics agreed that dedicated funding for Lynx would best be achieved through the new transportation authority. Marco Pena agreed with Mayor Jacobs’ position even though he has publicly fought with Jacobs on the current Expressway Authority Board. Those altercations have led to a grand jury investigation, including the recent indictment of Expressway Authority Board member Scott Batterson.
“Dedicated funding for Lynx is more likely to happen if a new authority is created because it will handle all transportation issues in the region and is more likely to make it happen,” Pena said as the featured speaker for County Watch’s April meeting. “In addition to dedicated Lynx funding, it could bring SunRail into the umbrella as well.”
Meanwhile, Jacobs’ Democratic opponent Val Demings has continued to take a lackluster position on the mass transportation issue so far during the campaign. The Demings campaign refused to provide any details of support or how Demings intended to secure dedicated funding for the Lynx bus system when questioned. In fact, it appears the only public comment from Demings on the matter comes from a biased survey from Organize Now, an organization that consistently attacks Mayor Jacobs and openly supports Demings.
“I support expanding LYNX service, but at this time I cannot support raising transportation costs on Orange County families with a new tax on gas,” Demings replied to the online survey. There has been no additional response from the Demings campaign on the issue in the last month, until today. “Val Demings does support dedicated funding for LYNX,” said Demings spokesperson Lisa Carter. “Transportation funding is necessary in connecting our communities. Val Demings will look into sources for dedicated funding, including revisiting the rental surcharge tax, but will not support any new gas tax.”
Mayor Jacobs is also against any new gas tax on local residents based on her 2013 statements to the GOAA board. But Jacobs’ persistence to reform and enhance Central Florida’s mass transportation with dedicated funding looks to be moving forward again.
