Scott Powers
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Thursday he is asking the Florida Legislature to take up his plan in this Legislative Session to merge that county’s toll roads system under a new local authority.
Gimenez called a press conference Friday morning after Florida Politics reported Wednesday night that he is proposing to merge the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority with the Homestead Extension of Florida’s Turnpike, essentially the portion of the turnpike in Miami-Dade County, under a new agency run by local elected officials.
His proposal is a response to intense criticism of the current expressway authority and proposals from two Republican Miami lawmakers, state Sen. Manny Diaz and state Rep. Bryan Avila, that would do the opposite: strip the toll roads from the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority and put them under control of Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise.
Gimenez said Friday he spent Thursday in Tallahassee pitching his idea to Legislative leaders. He has spoken to Diaz, who expressed interest and said the proposal needed to be carefully assessed before he could take a position. Diaz said the same thing Thursday night to Florida Politics. Avila, he said, has not been available due to a family matter.
Gimenez’ proposal is for Diaz and Avila to amend their current bills, SB 898 and HB 385, to reflect his proposal, not theirs.
“As far as my conversations with the Senate President [Bill Galvano] is concerned, he said, ‘yes, there was, you can amend the bill,'” Gimenez said responding to a question about whether there appeared to be support in Tallahassee. “It’s up to the sponsor, the sponsor in the Senate, to amend his bill. So I believe the sponsor in the Senate wants to talk to the sponsor in the House, and also the leadership on both sides, to determine if he wants to amend the bill or not. Or if he wants to sit down da little bit more and say, ‘OK, this is my proposal, what do you have?'”
The crux of criticism of the authorities, Gimenez contended, is that they have been raising tolls too much. Gimenez’s plan calls for immediate toll reductions of 20 percent, and pledges to not raise tolls for 33 years.
“This gives real toll relief,” Gimenez said. “This really, if you want toll relief, this gives you toll relief. If you want money for transportation, this gives you money for transportation. And it also assures that 100 percent of the tolls paid in this county stay in this county. That’s my goal. And anything, I hear that’s their [Avila’s and Diaz’s] goal too.”
However, that’s not been the entire concern. Former Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera tweeted Friday morning suggesting that trust and competence also have been concerns to lawmakers.
“They can’t seem run their existing infrastructure responsibly and efficiently so let’s give them more?” Lopez-Cantera tweeted. “This is the culture of arrogance that permeates most of @MiamiDadeCounty. If this happens that 20% reduction will quickly turn into an increase.”
And Gimenez’ plan might be good for Miami-Dade toll road drivers, but it would come at the expense of the rest of the Florida’s Turnpike system. Gimenez said he also spoke Thursday with Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault, who was not supportive. Gimenez said he understands why.
The key is that the Homestead Extension of Florida’s Turnpike is long-ago paid for and now a revenue machine for the entire turnpike system extending up through Central Florida to Wildwood. Gimenez wants it to be a revenue machine for Miami-Dade’s toll roads, at least for those currently operated and planned by the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority.
“We’re the cash cow,” Gimenez said of Miami-Dade’s portion of Florida’s Turnpike. “Make no mistake about it: We’re the cash cow.”
