Florida to receive $12 billion for transportation from FAST Act

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Obama signed the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act or the “FAST Act” ( H.R. 22) into law on Friday which will provide Florida with an extra billion dollars for transportation improvements. The legislation is the first long-term highway funding bill signed into law in a decade.

The $305 billion spending law is intended to repair many of the nation's crumbling roads, bridges and tunnels over the next five years.   

"In my state of Florida, this translates to $12 billion that can be used for improvements on Interstates 95, Interstate 75 and the projects such as SunRail, Tri-Rail and the streetcars in Fort Lauderdale," said U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), who serves as the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee and was one of the lead negotiators of the highway bill.

"Because of this bill, we’re going to provide states and communities with over $300 billion over five years to repair the roads and bridges of this country and greatly improve rail and port projects," Nelson said on the Senate floor following passage of the measure. "And, as a result, we are going to create jobs."

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) opposed the spending bill. "I do not support the FAST Act because it spends too much, preserves Washington’s power in picking winners and losers in transportation funding, and even revives the crony capitalist Export-Import Bank," Rubio said in a release.

“The Export-Import Bank’s revival in this bill is especially offensive to taxpayers who want to end corporate welfare handouts and let the free market finance overseas investments by American companies. The time and effort that both parties in Washington have put into reviving the Export-Import Bank is just another example of how out of touch our federal government has become. Our work to end the Export-Import Bank will continue, and we will succeed.”