The Sierra Club organizer Cris Costello has sent out the following news item. We need to keep after municipalities to declare against any turnpike extension.
The DOT recently said they have dropped plans for an extension, but we know from experience that the DOT planners are deceitful, play dirty and are untrustworthy.
What are some examples of the this?
1 Well, from day one in Tampa on the M-CORES task forces, they never gave a NO BUILD option. It was always choose between “my way” or “my way.”
2 After thousands of comments opposing 9 to 1, they never once alluded to the overwhelming numbers of opposition, only the number of comments received.
3 They intentionally put public comments at the end of day-long meetings (some over 8 hours) and if you tried to come into the meeting just for the end they would not let you enter.
4. There was never a plan to justify the roads, only the heavy bullying of Galvano and his position of power pushed it past timid little politicians who were afraid for their careers if they opposed him. This was good ole’ boy politics at its worst.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
OUR PRESS CONFERENCE IN OCALA IS STILL ON FOR TUESDAY, AUGUST 16
Before we shift into a lower gear for a moment, let’s show them we are in it to win it!
We will gather at the same place and time as previously planned:
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McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium outside the County Commission Building at 601 SE 25th Ave. Ocala, Florida 34471
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Find us on the lawn by the side of the building
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Arrive at 9 (with your signs, t-shirts, and banners) for a 9:30 AM sharp start.
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Check out the Facebook event
Community activists from each of the four counties will share what the “pause” means for them and their neighbors, their remaining questions for FDOT, and their pledge to continue the fight if and when faced with the NTE threat again. Check out our media advisory.
After the press conference, instead of filling the Marion County Commission chamber, we will head to a nearby cafe (exact location to be determined) for some celebratory coffee/cool drinks to commemorate both how far we have come and our commitment to return to the fray at a moment’s notice.
GET YOUR COMMENTS INTO FDOT BY SEPTEMBER 3
FDOT is closing its comment portal in the first days of September, so make sure to send one last “no new toll roads” message sooner than later! Go here to submit a comment (scroll down) and see the rest of the changes to the NTE project webpage.
GIVE US A BREAK!
Without specific routes to oppose, some cities and counties may not be ready to go down the “No Build” resolution road right now. It is also entirely possible that FDOT could refuse to acknowledge a resolution that is passed during the “pause.” Understanding that, each community will need to decide how to proceed. Some may want to take their own well-deserved break. Others, perhaps those threatened by the specter of a toll road proposal along the US-27 corridor, may want to pass a resolution sooner rather than later in order to send a “not here, not there, not anywhere, not ever” message. No matter which “route” your community decides to take on the resolution journey, our coalition is ready to provide support and push back when a toll road threat arises.
WHAT FDOT SAYS
Go here to read the very short NTE Alternative Corridor Evaluation (ACE) Report and Project Development STATUS REPORT. Go here to read the longer Alternative Corridor Evaluation Report. The conclusions are identical in both and read as follows:
“Improvements to I-75 are a critical component to the success of any extension of Florida’s Turnpike Mainline. Therefore, this study’s evaluation is complete without making a specific recommendation of a corridor for continuation of the Project Development and Environment, or PD&E, phase. As the prioritized improvements to I-75 progress, this study’s recommendation is for FDOT to initiate a regional study of need and include an emphasis on complementing I-75 and other regional transportation improvements within the study area. Future activities should include an enhanced public engagement program to coordinate with communities in advance of any project development, and to avoid communities and other resources that have substantial cultural, historic, or other significance.”
QUESTIONS FOR FDOT
The Steering Committee is in the process of requesting information from FDOT to provide greater clarity on the true nature of the “pause.” If you have questions you want answered, send them our way. When we get details from FDOT, we will share them.
NRTR news clips
Opponents keep fighting, despite state ‘pause’ of possible Florida’s Turnpike extension
By Austin L. Miller
Ocala Star-Banner
With state officials applying the brakes on a possible northern extension of Florida’s Turnpike, some people are openly wondering what’s next.
If Florida Gov. DeSantis wants to oust officials, here’s a list
By Craig Pittman
Florida Phoenix
Excerpt: I called Sen. Harrell to see if she felt any shame for pushing such an unpopular road that now appeared to be dead. Would she send everybody she angered individual apology notes? She told me that she’s talked to the DOT secretary and the Northern Turnpike Extension is not, in fact, dead. It’s not even sick. The planning for it is, to borrow a term from the TV show “Friends,” merely on a break. “They’re taking a step back,” she said of the DOT. “They will find out another way of doing this. They are not giving up on this.”
DOT pauses planning on Florida Turnpike extension amid opposition
By Bruce Ritchie
Politico
The Florida Department of Transportation on Thursday said it has “paused” planning on the last of three toll road projects created by 2019 legislation pushed by then-Senate President Bill Galvano.
FDOT pauses extension project after community outrage
By Katie Streit
Spectrum News
FDOT is pausing their Northern Turnpike Extension Project.
Sumter Commissioners applaud state’s decision to nix turnpike extension
By Keith Pearlman
Villages Daily Sun
A proposed northern extension of Florida’s Turnpike that would have impacted Sumter County is no longer moving forward.
Royal residents take on new adversary after holding off Turnpike threat
By Marv Balousek
Villages-News
With a potential extension of the Florida Turnpike now on hold, Royal residents set their sights Tuesday on a proposed residential development of 527 homes as the latest threat to their historic black community.
Paused, not stopped: Northern Turnpike Extension toll road
Staff Report
WWALS Watershed Coalition
Two more versions of what’s happening to the toll road project: “paused” until they come up with options to “address concerns” or “include” concerns.
Letters to the Editor
Politicians will say anything in election year
By Megan Siegfried, Dunnellon
Citrus County Chronicle
The Florida Department of Transportation claims to have abandoned the four corridors that it had planned for the northern turnpike extension project. This may seem like a time to rejoice for all of us who have been fighting the turnpike in all its many names and forms over the past five years…Many people have promised that we had heard the last of the proposed roads, and all of them lied. It is no different this time. The lie is incredibly transparent: it is an election year, so those up for re-election say the road will be stopped. If we believe them and allow the same people who have been pushing this road for the last several years to stay in power, the road will be back as soon as the election is over.
Trust nothing a politician says
By Roger B. Krieger, Beverly Hills
Citrus County Chronicle
The headline in the Chronicle on Saturday, Aug. 6, was “FDOT officially halts turnpike routes. I am sure it makes many happy believing political pressure worked…Once the elections are over and if those in power keep their jobs this will resurface and move forward. Politicians depend on voter for having short memories and easily redirected to other issues…Stay vigilant and trust nothing a politician says without facts and guarantees.
MAKING HISTORY
2019-2021: During the M-CORES Task Force processes our mantra was “no new toll roads in rural Florida.”
2021-2022: During the fight to stop the 4 proposed NTE routes our mantra was “no new toll roads in rural Florida.”
2022 and onward: During the “pause” and into the future our mantra will continue to be “no new toll roads in rural Florida.”
Our strength, then, now, and always is our collective commitment to “not in anyone’s backyard!
On behalf of the entire No Roads to Ruin Steering Committee,
Cris Costello
Senior Organizing Manager
Sierra Club
2127 S. Tamiami Trail
Osprey, FL 34229
941-914-0421
Mark Ferrulo
Executive Director
Progress Florida
727-289-2612 office
Patrick Rose
Executive Director
Save the Manatee Club
500 N. Maitland Ave.
Maitland, FL 32751
Office: 407-539-0990
Ryan Smart
Florida Springs Council
P.O. Box 268
High Springs, FL 32655
smart@floridaspringscouncil.org
Julianne Thomas
Conservancy of Southwest Florida
1495 Smith Preserve Way
Naples, FL 34102
Jonathan Webber
Deputy Director
Florida Conservation Voters (FCV)
(850) 629-4656
What does pause mean. A temporary fix . We want Country Commissionors who will stand by us the people who put you in office to let the state know that our option is no toll roads. The election is coming up and we plan to be a force in picking out leaders.