About this report

This study is an independent analysis of stimulus spending on transportation infrastructure for Florida's largest metropolitan regions. It explores the rationale for these investments, with a special focus on how they address regional development goals and consider disadvantaged communities in their planning and spending.

Executive summary

Of the $1.7 billion received by Florida through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) transportation stimulus package, $1.1 billion accounted for spending in Florida's major metropolitan regions in South Florida, Tampa Bay, Central Florida and Jacksonville, with the remaining $600 million spent elsewhere. Projects were divided among the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT), local transit operators and the state's regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs). The Florida DOT oversaw $592 million in stimulus spending while local transit agencies oversaw $266 million and MPOs another $223 million. About $534 million went to the South Florida region, about $272 million to the Tampa Bay area, roughly $174 million to Jacksonville and nearly $102 million to Central Florida.

By examining these funding decisions and reviewing long-range transportation plans, we can make some key observations:

• Florida's practice of maintaining its infrastructure made it possible to use most of its stimulus funding for new projects, rather than repairs to existing infrastructure.
• By completing project development through planning, design and, in some cases, land acquisition while awaiting stimulus funds, the Florida DOT was able to begin construction quickly when the funding did arrive.
• Metropolitan Planning Organizations are often too limited in authority and geography to have a regional impact.
• Florida DOT District officials offer the best regional perspective in most instances.
• Integrating land-use decisions with transportation plans is critical because transportation affects growth patterns.
• Although numerous agencies have been charged with serving the transportation disadvantaged, these agencies are widely dispersed and are not serving their intended communities to the degree possible.

About the Author

Robert Dunphy is a consultant specializing in sustainable transportation solutions and the politics of growth. He is also an instructor in the graduate real estate program at Georgetown University. Mr. Dunphy established the transportation research program at the Urban Land Institute, where he served as a senior resident fellow. He is also an emeritus fellow of the Transportation Research Board. His research interests include smart growth and transportation strategies, transit oriented development, suburban centers, and parking. He serves on the University of California Transportation Center Advisory Committee and the University of Minnesota's Transportation and Land Use Journal Advisory Board.