Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ transportation secretary had a message for Joe Biden: Floridians reject the “politicization” of roads, Jared Perdue wrote in a letter to “formally notify” the administration that Florida would “not participate” in a federal green infrastructure program.
The November letter was widely understood to mean that Florida was rejecting $320 million in funding the federal government had earmarked for the state. “FDOT’s time, money, and resources will be focused on building roads and bridges – not reducing carbon emissions,” Perdue wrote.
But what Perdue’s letter failed to mention is that Florida’s state government, under DeSantis’ leadership, has already committed at least $60 million from that carbon reduction program, funded by the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, according to information the Federal Highway Administration provided to NOTUS. The state has also approved a plan utilizing all $320 million of the federal funds over the next five years, which was still posted on the department’s website as of this week. According to FHWA, “the Florida Department of Transportation has identified over 300 projects throughout the state to receive funding from the Carbon Reduction Program.”