Topic: Tolls

The omnibus transportation package bounced between chambers in the final week of session last year, never making it into law, and with three weeks to go this year the House and Senate versions aren't evenly aligned.

The Senate version of a bill to create a regional transportation authority in central Florida would rope in Osceola County by the end of 2016, but the House version delays the merger until 2030.

The legislation would reduce the board members of the expressway authority from 13 to nine and is the subject of a simmering dispute over a vote to raise toll fees last year.

The future is hazy for the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, as its executive director position remains open and bills move in the Legislature to reorganize it into a regional authority with surrounding counties.

The business lobby is keen to pass provisions to increase state funding for strategic airport projects, but legislative hurdles remain.

The governor requests that lawmakers approve record transportation spending, which he contends will help spur trade and jobs in the state.

The Orlando Republican was named the executive director of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority after a contentious vote by its board of directors. ... Related Research: Jan. 7, 2014 Statement from Rep. Precourt.

The Department of Transportation will seek to pull the Panhandle bridge authority under the jurisdiction of the Florida Transportation Commission after similar proposals have failed in recent years. ... Related Research: Nov. 6, 2013 House Transportation & Highway Safety Subcommittee meeting materials, and meeting video from WFSU-TV/The FLORIDA Channel.

As vehicles become more fuel efficient, state revenues for transportation projects will decline over time, leading lawmakers to search for answers. ... Related Research: Jan. 17, 2013 Senate Committee on Transportation meeting packet, and meeting video.

DOT developed a corridor action plan in 2006. But the department focused instead on improving existing highways until Gov. Rick Scott took office in 2011 and the corridor planning process was resumed. "A lot of us are concerned about opening areas that are currently rural areas or in agriculture or undeveloped to development which will harm wildlife," Sierra Club member Drew Martin said.

The new federal transportation bill sends $1.8 billion a year to Florida.

The Florida Department of Transportation and the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority have signed a pact concerning the Wekiva Parkway to complete a loop around Orlando. ... Related Research: FDOT release on Wekiva Parkway project.

Here's what passed, what failed and what you need to know about Transportation issues that were considered during the 2012 session. At Gov. Rick Scott's request, the Legislature funded seaports at $135 million to help fulfill his idea to turn Florida into a trade center for Latin America, the Caribbean and the Southeast.

The House legislation contains a variety of provisions for seaports, airports and highways, and has been amended about 30 times. Senate President Mike Haridopolos observed that every new provision or amendment dims the bill's prospects.