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Protesters rally against plan to add toll roads

They want the governor to veto the bill, which they say would be a disaster for Florida.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There are several demonstrations taking place Tuesday and Wednesday this week, including one in downtown St. Petersburg, where protesters are asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto a bill that would allow for the construction of hundreds of miles of new toll roads crisscrossing Florida.

Opponents say it would be disastrous for the state of Florida. But proponents say growth is coming and this is an opportunity to manage it responsibly.

“It’s a boondoggle. And it’s something that we don’t need,” said the Sierra Club’s Frank Jackalone.

The Sierra Club is just one of several organizations asking DeSantis to veto the bill, which is now on his desk. It would create three major toll road corridors in Florida and is one of the biggest road projects in decades.

“The Florida Chamber of Commerce calls this an infrastructure and growth bill,” said Jackalone. “So, we think of these roads will bring millions of people to the center of the state and destroy our Nature Coast area north of Tampa Bay.”

Opponents say the bill is a disaster waiting to happen. It would channel $1.5 billion of taxpayer money to toll roads that critics say would threaten wetlands and water supply, and native species like panthers and black bears.

“Who gets rich from it? Wealthy developers and landowners,” said Jackalone.

The bill was pushed through with big support from Florida Senate President Bill Galvano, who says the criticism is misguided.

The roads, he says, will open up new parts of Florida to investment, create evacuation corridors in case of hurricanes, and rights of way for sewer, utility and communications lines.

None of it, said Galvano, will happen without public input, government regulation and oversight from some of the very organizations voicing concerns.

“It calls for a task force to include FDOT, water management districts, and state agencies. Local governments, community organizations, conservation organizations. Environmental groups,” he said.

Protestors hope to convince DeSantis to veto the bill.

Some predict the governor might allow the bill to become law without signing in, and then try to reassure folks who are concerned about it that they will have ample opportunity to influence how it gets implemented.

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