Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Anne LindbergSeptember 26, 2016

State Sen. Jack Latvala on Monday wrote to the Florida Department of Transportation objecting to any plan to start charging tolls on current lanes of the Howard Frankland bridge. Latvala was reacting to recent news that state officials plan to take one of the four existing lanes in each direction on the bridge and charge […]

Staff ReportsSeptember 26, 2016

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Who knows: Florida Polytechnic University could be where one of the self-driving cars of the future is tested. The school and the Florida Department of Transportation on Monday agreed to partner on the creation of a new “transportation technology testing facility” to be called SunTrax. SunTrax will include a 2.25 mile oval track on a 400-acre site […]

Michael MolineSeptember 7, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott hit the streets of Tallahassee Wednesday, picking up piles of fallen tree limbs and other debris and tossing them into the beds of Florida Department of Transportation trucks for disposal. Wearing jeans, work gloves, and a Navy bill cap, his shirt sleeves rolled up, Scott got to work on the city’s southside, […]

Michael MolineSeptember 6, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday he personally would help clear debris in Tallahassee. On Wednesday, “I, along with agency heads, along with volunteers from the National Guard, along with veterans’ groups, we’re going to be out in Tallahassee in different places, and we’re going to be picking up debris,” Scott said in a news conference. […]

Staff ReportsSeptember 5, 2016

Florida Department of Transportation teams have been working to clear debris, install generators and assess the roads and bridges in Leon County. Gov. Rick Scott detailed FDOT’s recovery efforts Monday, saying crews have been working non-stop since Friday in Leon County. In a news release from the Governor’s Office, Scott said FDOT crews have cleared […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJuly 5, 2016

Tomas Martinelli is leaving his post at the Florida Department of Transportation and joining the team at Airbnb. Martinelli announced his move in an email Sunday. “As you may know, the people-powered platform and the culture that steers Airbnb makes this opportunity/project an exciting one,” he said. “Although, it wasn’t easy leaving the best agency in […]

Joe HendersonJune 23, 2016

An essential part of the libertarian ideal is a belief that for public services, consumers should pay as they go. The preference is user fees instead of taxes. As we well know, Gov. Rick Scott has strong libertarian leanings. Keep that in mind while considering the 12-4 vote by the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization to […]

Scott PowersJune 22, 2016

Orlando’s commuter rail service, SunRail, has its first executive director, Nicola Liquori, currently a Florida Turnpike Enterprise executive. Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jim Boxold appointed Liquori to be executive director of SunRail, putting her in charge of keeping the trains running on time even as the operation expands its line to the south and […]

Staff ReportsJune 22, 2016

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Florida Transportation Secretary Jim Boxold continues to beef up his staff, now adding Frank Collins, who has been deputy chief of staff to Gov. Rick Scott. Collins will take the new job of “senior policy advisor” to Boxold, whom Scott named secretary in December 2014. Most recently as deputy CoS, Collins had overseen agencies like Space Florida, Visit Florida, […]

Joe HendersonJune 7, 2016

One of Rick Scott’s first acts as Florida’s governor was to reject Washington’s “gift” of $2.4 billion for a high-speed train running between Tampa and Orlando. Scott was panned by many for turning down the feds, but he stood firm because he said the plan could end up costing taxpayers here at least $1 billion […]

Tag: Florida Department of Transportation

Jack Latvala to FDOT: Don’t turn lanes on Howard Frankland into toll roads

Florida Poly and FDOT team up on SunTrax testing facility

Rick Scott goes blue collar to clean up Tallahassee

Rick Scott rolling up sleeves for Tallahassee cleanup — literally [update]

Rick Scott offers update on hurricane recovery efforts

Personnel note: Tomas Martinelli headed to Airbnb

Joe Henderson: Rick Scott, libertarians love TBX; everyone else can suck exhaust

Nicola Liquori named executive director of SunRail

Personnel note: Frank Collins moves from EOG to FDOT

Joe Henderson: Rick Scott may have been right rejecting high-speed rail