At present, the state government is moving forward on the construction of three massive toll roads that will bring sprawl to the remaining rural parts of the peninsula. FWF opposes this exceedingly expensive and dated method of transportation planning, which will also isolate existing conservation lands and increase the mortality of the Florida panther.
No Toll Roads
Let’s Protect Rural Florida
At the very end of a recent Florida Legislative Session, our elected representatives approved a multi-billion dollar plan to build three new massive toll roads across what remains of rural parts of the peninsula. This outdated transportation model will not only cost Florida taxpayers a tremendous amount of money, it will take money from existing roads that need improvement, and from more modern modes of transport such as high speed rail or mass transit. The toll roads will likely never pay for themselves and will destroy over 50,000 acres of land, isolate existing conservation lands, increase pollution, degrade our waters and, by road strikes, kill our wildlife, such as the endangered Florida panther and black bear. As to need, the northern route runs through the Big Bend area exactly paralleling a lightly used existing four-lane highway.
FWF strongly opposes this plan as financially wasteful, unneeded and exceedingly harmful to rural lifestyles and our natural and agricultural landscapes.
