Florida Department of Transportation

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida.[1] The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the State Road Department (SRD). The current Secretary of Transportation is Kevin J. Thibault.

Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
Official Seal
Agency overview
Formed1969
Preceding agency
  • State Road Department (SRD)
JurisdictionState of Florida
HeadquartersTallahassee, Florida
Agency executives
  • Kevin J. Thibault, Secretary of Transportation
  • Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida
Websitehttp://www.fdot.gov

History

The State Road Department, the predecessor of today's Department of Transportation, was authorized in 1915 by the Florida legislature. For the first two years of its existence, the department acted as an advisory body to the 52 counties in the state, helping to assemble maps and other information on roads.

The 1916 Bankhead Act passed by Congress expanded the department's responsibilities and gave it the authority to: establish a state and state-aid system of roads; engage in road construction and maintenance; acquire and own land; exercise the right of eminent domain; and accept federal or local funds for use in improving roads.

The Office of Motor Carrier Compliance transitioned from the Florida Department of Transportation to the Florida Highway Patrol division of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles on July 1, 2011.[2] The consolidation is a result of Senate Bill 2160, passed by lawmakers during the 2011 Legislative Session, and placed the commercial vehicle licensing, registrations, fuel permits, and enforcement all under the purview of DHSMV.[3]

Structure

The Florida Transportation Commission, made up of nine commissioners chosen by Florida's Governor and Legislature, provides oversight for FDOT.[4]

Each of FDOT's eight semi-autonomous districts is managed by a District Secretary. Following the 2002 legislation, the Turnpike District (now known as Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, or FTE) secretary became known as an executive director.

There are seven geographic districts plus the FTE.[5] The FTE owns and maintains 483 miles (777 km) of toll roads. The Department also owns and maintains other toll roads and bridges: the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Alligator Alley, the Beachline East Expressway, the Pinellas Bayway System, and the Seminole and Lake County portions of otherwise Central Florida Expressway Authority owned roads. Tolls on all Department-owned facilities are collected by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise.

In addition, the FDOT operates and manages several park-and-ride lots and Commuter Assistance Programs throughout the state. The seven districts each have a Districtwide Commuter Assistance Program.

Districts
Map of FDOT Districts

Florida has seven transportation districts:[5]

Number District Name Headquarters Counties
1 Southwest Florida Bartow Charlotte, Collier, De Soto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Lee, Manatee, Okeechobee, Polk, and Sarasota
2 Northeast Florida Lake City Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, and Union
3 Northwest Florida Chipley Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington
4 Southeast Florida Fort Lauderdale Broward, Indian River, Martin, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie
5 Central Florida DeLand Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Sumter, Volusia
6 South Florida Miami Miami-Dade and Monroe
7 West Central Florida Tampa Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas

Notable projects

In 1954, the State Road Department completed the original Sunshine Skyway Bridge, the first fixed span to connect Saint Petersburg directly to Bradenton. This greatly shortened the travel time between the two cities, as before cars would have to either use a ferry or drive about 100 miles (160 km) around Tampa Bay. A parallel span was completed in 1971 to make the bridge Interstate standard, and it became part of I-275. After the newer, southbound span was destroyed in 1980 when the SS Summit Venture collided into it, a replacement bridge was finished in 1987.

In 1974, FDOT completed Florida's Turnpike, a 312-mile (502 km) limited access toll highway that connected the panhandle area through Orlando to Miami. The turnpike is part of an initiative to finance transportation with user fees.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Florida Statutes 334.044, Department; Powers and Duties, Public Transportation, Transportation Administration". Retrieved November 2, 2005.
  2. "Motor Carrier Compliance officers become "troopers" July 1, 2011" (PDF) (Press release). Florida Highway Patrol. June 29, 2011. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2011.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. "SB 2160: Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles". The Florida Senate. 2011.
  4. "About the Commission, Florida Transportation Commission". Archived from the original on November 9, 2005. Retrieved November 2, 2005.
  5. Florida Department of Transportation (2020). "Districts". Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  6. "Florida's Turnpike: The Less Stressway". Retrieved November 2, 2005.

Further reading
  • Kendrick, Baynard (1964). Florida Trails to Turnpikes: 1914-1964. Gainesville: University of Florida Press.
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