Toll relief and additional funding for transportation services recently became the bright spots for Miami-Dade when the County Commission burst into cheers during a meeting.
Miami-Dade County Commission chairman Esteban Bovo Jr. thanked Florida’s Governor Rick Scott for signing House Bill 1049 that will result in MDX toll relief and more funding for transit in Miami-Dade County, which is needed to make upgrades.
“I would like to thank Governor Scott for signing HB 1049 that will provide much needed toll relief and additional resources to support Miami’s SMART Plan.” said Bovo, who represents District 13, which includes Miami Lakes and Palm Springs North.
“In addition, I would also like to thank Representative Bryan Avila, Speaker Pro Temp Jeanette Nunez, President Pro Temp Anitere Flores and Senator Rene Garcia who were also instrumental in the passage of this bill that supports transit solutions for the residents of Miami-Dade County.”
House Bill 1049, sponsored by Avila, calls for the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) to reduce tolls for SunPass users by at least five percent on all five MDX roadways and imposes new restrictions on potential future toll rate hikes while providing further accountability and transparency.
The bill, which was approved on May 5 and signed on June 26 also requires MDX to dedicate at least 20 percent of surplus revenues to transportation and transit-related projects around MDX roadways, and for the Miami-Dade County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) to annually list projects within the county to be funded by MDX dedicated surplus revenues.
MDX operates the Dolphin Expressway, Airport Expressway, Don Shula Expressway, Snapper Creek Expressway and Gratigny Parkway.
The Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit Plan (SMART Plan) was developed by Miami-Dade County and the Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) and adopted by the TPO Governing Board last year. The SMART Plan is a comprehensive transportation plan which advances rapid transit corridors throughout Miami-Dade County.