Florida Gov. Seeks Nearly $16B in Transportation Funds

December 15, 2023

In his fiscal year 2024-2025 state budget request, Governor Ron DeSantis (R) (above) revealed a proposal to provide $15.6 billion to the Florida Department of Transportation for a variety of projects statewide – especially to support traffic congestion relief, safety, and current and future infrastructure resiliency needs.

[Above photo by the Florida Governor’s Office]

“As Florida’s population continues to grow, it is crucial that we have a robust transportation network to support our state,” said Florida DOT Secretary Jared Perdue in a statement. “This budget proposal reaffirms the department’s commitment to addressing congestion relief, resiliency, improving safety on our roadways, and strengthening Florida’s supply chain.”

Photo by Florida DOT

The “Focus on Florida’s Future” budget proposes $14.5 billion for projects in the FY 2024-2025 Florida DOT Work Program, a collaborative plan of strategic transportation projects that includes:

  • $5.4 billion for highway maintenance and construction, expanding the system by 135 new lane miles; 
  • $1.9 billion in resurfacing to include 3,115 lane miles;
  • $381.7 million for scheduled repairs of 62 bridges and the replacement of 15 bridges;
  • $109.6 million in seaport investments;
  • $334.4 million in aviation investments;
  • $997.7 million in rail and transit investments;
  • $210.1 million for safety initiatives;
  • $215.3 million for community trail projects and $70.3 million for the SUN Trail Network;
  • $181.3 million for small county programs.

In addition to the aforementioned investments, Gov. DeSantis is also recommending an additional $630 million to further the “Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative” and $25 million to provide commercial truck parking relief along the State Highway System.

The $15.6 billion budget also includes $75 million in partnership with FloridaCommerce to provide grants to enhance Florida’s supply chain and innovative delivery models, including vertiports, airports, inland ports, seaports, freight railroads, intermodal logistic centers, and fuel pipelines.

The governor’s office noted that federal funding accounts for just 24 percent of this particular transportation budget request.

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