Last week, many other people scoffed at the fact that the Florida Department of Transportation had gotten rid of the old “Welcome to Florida” (or “WTF” for short) symptoms. The DOT then installed new symptoms that read, “Welcome to Florida. “Florida Free State. “
Free: to do what, exactly? Do you drive fast because you are behind on work?Go 3 miles with the left turn signal on and then turn right?Run over the guy who cut you off in traffic and hold your breath waiting to see if he’s armed?
When a reporter asked Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez about the signs, she gossiped about abortion; It’s not the first thing you think of when you see a road sign.
“We are providing freedom, liberty and the right to life, of course, to those babies,” he said. It is said that the freedom of selection of women is not thought of here, which leads me to ask the question: if the pro-constitutional amendment on abortion is approved this fall. Will the Florida Department of Transportation eliminate new symptoms and restore old ones?
In case you were wondering, the panels themselves were definitely not free. They charge taxpayers $60,000, according to WJXT-TV. In other words, they’re like Gov. Ron “I’m talking to the RNC because I kissed Trump’s ring Uhhhh” DeSantis migrant flights. This is just another state sponsored ploy to “own the libraries” with the bill paid through other people who weren’t even asking for short term rentals of the libraries.
I recently heard about the Florida Department of Transportation’s political stunt that is even crazier than those silly posters.
Under the misnamed bipartisan infrastructure bill that Congress passed in 2021, Florida will get $198 million over years from the national electric vehicle infrastructure formula program.
“The program is designed to expand the nation’s fast-charging network by adding more chargers within a one-mile radius of freeways, helping EV drivers travel greater distances without the ‘range anxiety’ of being stranded with a dead battery,” Tampa Bay reported. Times reported the last few months. ” The companies that get the investment get enough budget to cover about 80% of the installation costs of the chargers and have to cover the remaining 20%. “
Florida submitted a spending plan and the federal government approved it. But now, Florida is one of 15 states that don’t allow any business to solicit money. Of those, Florida is the largest state that is lagging behind.
It turns out that this heist is not a typical case of bureaucrats moving slower than a three-toed sloth on a greased pole in the pouring rain. They do it on purpose.
Instead of doling out the federal millions, the Florida DOT created a nonsense called “Roads Are Not for Politics. “Contrary to its name, the site features a long list of complaints related to the culture war, such as the “tyranny of COVID,” as well as denunciation of electric vehicles.
DOT Secretary Jared Perdue appears in many speeches and makes boastful statements such as: “Florida will continue to protect our freedoms and ensure that federal Green New Deal projects have no effect on citizens. ” Floridians. » I think the “ha-rumph” is implied.
I heard about this scenario last week in a post called “Inside EVs” which, unlike the Times, managed to provoke a comment from Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson Michael Williams.
“Free enterprise, not federal mandates, is the driving force when an industry registers growth,” Williams said. He doesn’t know who built the interstates, which boosted the trucking industry, or who built the local program, which spurred others to make instant drinks for breakfast.
“Nothing prevents the personal sector from incorporating our country’s charging network,” he huffed. “Given that the total number of electric cars on the road represents approximately 1% of all registered cars nationwide, ‘low customer demand’ is an accurate statement. “
There’s a big challenge with that last statement: Other people in Florida love electric vehicles, and I mean A LOT. In fact, Florida now has more than 168,000 registered electric vehicles, the second-highest number in the country. 58,000 in 2021.
Do you know what we don’t have here?
Enough places to plug them in.
Believe it or not, electric cars were the wave of the future at the end of the 19th century. Ferdinand Porsche built one in 1898. Thomas Edison, a part-time Florida resident, believed that electric cars were the great generation of the time. and he worked to make a bigger battery.
But then, in 1908, Henry Ford – Edison’s neighbor in Fort Myers – began mass production of the Model T, which sold for much less than other automobiles. They devastated the country, destroying demand for electric cars. Fossil fuel cars have become kings of the road, releasing destructive emissions and fueling the polluting oil and fuel industry.
To quote country singer Jerry Reed: “Sir, Mr. Ford, I only wish you could see what your undeniable horseless carriage has. “
Ninety years later, electric cars are making a comeback. Toyota brought the world’s first hybrid electric vehicle, the Prius. Other brands followed. Little by little, the tight grip of gasoline-powered vehicle brands on the auto industry has been loosening.
The more the value of a gallon of gasoline increases, the more attractive electric cars become. In 2020, Consumer Reports ranked electric cars as higher cost than traditional cars. Reliable and fairly valuable cars are especially vital for staff in Florida, where public transportation is terrible (unless you count the Disney World ferries).
The incumbent president is clearly a big fan of her, as he pushed this law in favor of electric vehicles, as well as another billion to convert disused car factories to make more electric vehicles.
Their political rival, the stinking Palm Beach club owner and a convicted felon, hates them as much as he hates New York prosecutors. He has promised to kick them all out.
“They may not be able to sell those cars,” he said at one of his rallies. I’m sure his hostility has nothing to do with his call for the heads of the oil corporations to give big cash to his campaign.
He is so opposed to electric cars that he seems to be an anti-Edison. He even complains about other bureaucracies in the transport of electric vehicles: “They need electric tanks from the army. They need electric planes. What happens if the sun doesn’t shine?while you’re in the air?
Hell, if the Jetsons invented the flying car that folds into a briefcase, they’d probably complain about the weight of the briefcase.
All this heated political rhetoric left me a little dizzy, so I took a walk around my community to clear my head.
It is a quiet middle-class enclave. My neighbors come with artists, teachers, and officials. One of them drives a Hummer, although I also saw some electric vehicles.
I spoke to one of the electric vehicle owners. He bought the Tesla from him five years ago (before we all discovered that Elon Musk is a billionaire dork).
“I bought it because I wanted to make my component to reduce emissions, but also because I think it’s fun to drive them,” he told me. When I asked him to explain, he replied, “It’s a great success. “There are no gears, so just step on the pedal and fly. “
The only downside, he said, is “range anxiety” — being afraid of running out of power when traveling to parts of Florida where chargers are scarce. This is a valid concern. However, the Florida DOT refuses to distribute federal money to solve this challenge: cash that Florida taxpayers have paid to the IRS.
“If Florida doesn’t use the money to build charging infrastructure, then DeSantis is necessarily misleading the citizens of his own state into getting something in return for their taxes,” Loren McDonald, CEO of analytics firm EVAdoption, told Inside EVs. Instead, we pay for shippers in other states.
Additionally, this federal investment would have benefits for Florida’s economy.
“Federal investment creates an opportunity for Florida taxpayers, staff and drivers by meeting demand for electric vehicles,” Sydney Timm of the advocacy organization Drive Electric Florida told me. Array “Florida gained nearly $200 million…, the third largest of all states, and the 20% cost-sharing requirement would likely spur greater personal investment. »
However, those millions of dollars that are there are not used. There is a page on the Florida DOT website that describes the federal grant program, but it only says, “Stay tuned for updates. “At the moment there are none.
Do you know who is in favor of expanding the number of chargers to meet the growing demand for cars here?
None more so than our own pudding-loving CEO.
In 2020, DeSantis touted an $8. 6 million public investment to “provide available infrastructure for electric vehicles while also protecting air quality and expanding the state’s charging stations by 50% along the busiest corridors. “This money also came from the federal government, as part of a settlement with VW for violations of the Clean Air Act.
Added to this is the same politician who, in the press release featuring the anti-EV website, said: “Unlike the federal government, under my leadership, the Florida Department of Transportation is solely focused on transportation. We care for Floridians and respond to their needs.
(Anyone who suffered through the era of wasteful toll roads built to help developers under DeSantis knows this better. )
Inside EVs noted that Florida’s DOT even put together “an infrastructure master plan for electric vehicles in 2021 that called for competitive expansion and a network of chargers to serve it. “
Meanwhile, the Florida DOT has touted the installation of more charging stations. An undated press release is titled “Florida Turnpike Heightens Tensions. “
“Several companies, in addition to Tesla, Florida Power
Why would the Florida Department of Transportation be so pleased with this?”Increasing the number of charging stations promotes reduced emissions and improved air quality, while achieving better mobility and protection for the growing number of Floridians who drive electric cars,” he said.
Do you find that when it comes to electric vehicles, DeSantis and his way other people talk with both sides of their mouths?Perhaps, as Billy Martin said in the beer commercial, they feel strongly in BOTH ways.
Or maybe what worries them most is where the money comes from, but who spends it.
What clarified things for me was a verbal exchange with Ryan McKinnon of the Charge Ahead Partnership.
The association remains low-key, but you’ve probably heard of some of its members: Wawa, Buc-ee’s and Busy Bee. His coalition, he said, “is made up of fuel stations, retail stores and business owners who need to get started with electric vehicle charging. ”
They are the ones who would benefit from Florida’s distribution of federal money for electric vehicle chargers. His main issue, he told me, is “opposing app ownership of electric vehicle charging stations. “
The problem, he said, is that “they can’t compete when regulating utility rates for all of their consumers to fund branded or utility-owned charging stations. “
He called it “a primary in Florida” because of the strength of the utilities. In fact, the nation’s largest utility-owned EV charging network belongs to Florida Power
“The FDOT website makes it clear that Florida values the free market,” he told me. “Unfortunately, while there are benefits to the [federal] budget that would help small businesses charge electric vehicles, the state also has strict legal electric services like Florida Power
In other words, it’s not like Florida’s state government is fighting Biden’s evil green agenda. That’s because DeSantis’ leadership is genuflecting toward Juno Beach, home of the omnipotent FPL. If they hand over those millions from the federal government, Wawa could simply become a utility company competitor.
Hmmm, maybe the Florida Department of Transportation will remove those new signs. After all, we don’t seem to be so “free. “
by Craig Pittman, Florida Phoenix July 18, 2024
Last week, many other people scoffed at the fact that the Florida Department of Transportation had gotten rid of the old “Welcome to Florida” (or “WTF” for short) symptoms. The DOT then installed new symptoms that read, “Welcome to Florida. “Florida Free State. “
Free: to do what, exactly? Driving fast because you’re behind on work?Drive 3 miles with the left turn signal on and then turn right?Knock down the guy who cut him off in traffic and hold his breath waiting to see if he’s armed?
When a reporter asked Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez about the signs, she chattered about abortion; It’s not the first thing you think of when you see a road sign.
“We are providing freedom and the right to life, of course to those babies,” he said. It is said that there is no thought here about the freedom of selection of women, which leads me to ask: if the pro-abortion constitutional amendment is approved this fall, will the Florida Department of Transportation eliminate the new symptoms and restore the old ones? ?
In case you’re wondering, the symptoms themselves weren’t free. They charge taxpayers $60,000, according to WJXT-TV. In other words, they’re like Gov. Ron’s migrant flights: “I’m speaking at the RNC because, through it all, I kissed Trump’s Uhhhh ring” DeSantis. This is just another state-sponsored stunt to “own the libraries” with the bill paid by other people who weren’t even asking for short-term rent from the libraries.
I recently heard about a political stunt through the Florida Department of Transportation that is even crazier than those silly posters.
Starting with the misnamed biisan infrastructure law that Congress passed in 2021, Florida will get $198 million over five years from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program.
“The program is designed to expand the nation’s fast charging network by adding more chargers within a one-mile radius of highways, helping electric vehicle drivers go greater distances without the ‘range anxiety’ of running out. ” stranded with a dead battery,” Tampa Bay reported. Times reported in recent months. “Companies that get the investment get enough budget to cover about 80% of the charger installation costs and have to cover the remaining 20%. “
Florida submitted a spending plan and the federal government approved it. But now Florida is one of 15 states that don’t allow any business to solicit money. Of them, Florida is the state that takes the longest.
It turns out that this heist is not a typical case of bureaucrats moving slower than a three-toed sloth on a greased pole in the pouring rain. They do it on purpose.
Instead of doling out the federal millions, the Florida DOT created a nonsense called “Roads Are Not for Politics. “Contrary to its name, the site features a long list of complaints related to the culture war, such as the “tyranny of COVID,” as well as denunciation of electric vehicles.
DOT Secretary Jared Perdue appears in many speeches and makes boastful statements such as: “Florida will continue to protect our freedoms and ensure that federal Green New Deal projects have no effect on citizens. ” Floridians. » I think the “ha-rumph” is implied.
I learned about this scenario last week in a publication called “Inside EVs” which, unlike the Times, managed to extract a comment from Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson Michael Williams.
“Free enterprise, not federal mandates, is the driving force when an industry is growing,” Williams said. He doesn’t know who built the interstates, which boosted the trucking industry, or who built the area program, which spurred other people to make instant drinks for breakfast.
“Nothing prevents the personal sector from joining our country’s charging network,” he huffed. “Given that the total number of electric cars on the road represents approximately 1% of all registered cars nationwide, ‘low customer demand’ is an accurate statement. “
There’s a big challenge with that last statement: Other people in Florida love electric vehicles, and I mean A LOT. In fact, Florida now has more than 168,000 registered EVs, the second-highest number in the country. This is a jump abundante. de 58,000 in 2021.
Do you know what we don’t have here?
Enough places to plug them in.
Believe it or not, electric cars will be the wave of the future in the late 19th century. Thomas Edison, a part-time resident of Florida, thought electric cars were the most powerful generation of the time and worked to make a larger battery.
But then, in 1908, Henry Ford, Edison’s neighbor in Fort Myers, began mass-producing the Model T, which sold for far less than other cars. They swept the country, wiping out demand for electric cars. Fossil-fuel-powered cars have become the kings of the roads, spewing destructive emissions and boosting the polluting oil and fuel industry.
To quote country singer Jerry Reed: “Sir, Mr. Ford, I just wish you could see what your undeniable horseless carriage has. “
Ninety years later, electric cars are making a comeback. Toyota brought the world’s first hybrid electric vehicle, the Prius. Other brands followed. Little by little, the tight control of gas vehicle brands over the automobile industry has been loosening.
The more the value of a gallon of gas increases, the more attractive electric cars become. In 2020, Consumer Reports ranked electric cars as higher-cost than traditional cars. Reliable and fairly valuable cars are especially vital for staff in Florida, where public transportation is abysmal (unless you count Disney World ferries).
The sitting president is evidently a big fan of this, as he pushed this bill in favor of electric vehicles, along with billions to convert idle car factories to make more electric vehicles.
Their political rival, the stinking Palm Beach club owner and a convicted felon, hates them as much as he hates New York prosecutors. He has promised to kick them all out.
“They won’t sell those cars,” he said at one of his rallies. I’m sure his hostility has nothing to do with his call for oil corporation executives to donate large amounts of cash to his campaign.
He’s so opposed to electric cars that it’s like he’s the anti-Edison. He even complained about other bureaucracy in transporting electric vehicles: “They need electric military tanks. They need electric planes. What happens if the sun doesn’t shine while you’re in the air? »
Hell, if the Jetsons invented the flying car that folds into a briefcase, they’d probably complain about the weight of the briefcase.
All this heated political rhetoric left me a little dizzy, so I took a walk around my community to clear my head.
It is a quiet middle class enclave. My neighbors come with artists, teachers and civil servants. One of them drives a Hummer, but I also saw some electric vehicles.
I spoke to one of the electric vehicle owners. He bought the Tesla from him years ago (before we all discovered that Elon Musk is a billionaire idiot).
“I bought it because I wanted to make my component to reduce emissions, but also because I think it’s fun to drive them,” he told me. When I asked him to explain, he replied, “It’s a great success. “There are no gears, so just step on the pedal and fly. “
The only downside, he said, is “range anxiety” — the fear of running out of power when traveling to certain areas of Florida where chargers are scarce. This is a valid concern. However, the Florida DOT refuses to hand over federal money to deal with this factor: money that Florida taxpayers have paid to the IRS.
“If Florida rarely has enough money to build charging infrastructure, then DeSantis is necessarily misleading the citizens of his own state by asking them to get something in return for their taxes,” Loren McDonald, CEO of the charging company, told Inside EVs. EVAdoption analysis. Instead, we pay for shippers in other states.
In addition, this federal investment would gain advantages for Florida’s economy.
“Federal investment creates an opportunity for Florida taxpayers, workers and drivers by advancing electric vehicle infrastructure to meet the demand for electric vehicles,” Sydney Timm of the advocacy organization Drive Electric Florida told me. “Florida earned about $200 million . . . the third-largest of any state, and the 20% cost-sharing requirement may spur more personal investment. “
However, those millions of dollars that are there are not used. There is a page on the Florida DOT website that describes the federal grant program, but it only says, “Stay tuned for updates. “At the moment there are none.
Do you know who is in favor of expanding the number of chargers to meet the growing demand for cars here?
None more so than our own pudding-loving CEO.
In 2020, DeSantis touted an $8. 6 million public investment to “provide available infrastructure for electric vehicles while also protecting air quality and expanding the state’s charging stations by 50% along the busiest corridors. “This money also came from the federal government, as part of a settlement with VW for violations of the Clean Air Act.
It’s hard to believe that this is the same politician who, in the press release that featured the anti-EV website, said, “Unlike the federal government, under my leadership, the Florida Department of Transportation is only focused on transportation. We pay attention to Floridians and respond to their needs. Roads are not made for politics.
(Anyone who suffered through the era of dead toll roads built to aid the DeSantis developer mandate knows this best. )
Inside EVs noted that Florida’s DOT even put together “an EV infrastructure master plan in 2021 that hoped for competitive expansion and a network of chargers to serve it. “
Meanwhile, the Florida DOT touted the installation of more charging stations. An undated press release is titled “Florida Turnpike Increases Tension. “
“Several companies, in addition to Tesla, Florida Power
Why would the Florida DOT be so pleased with this?”Increasing the number of charging stations promotes reduced emissions and higher air quality, while also providing mobility and protection for the growing number of Floridians who drive electric cars,” the statement explains.
Does it seem to you that when it comes to electric vehicles, DeSantis and his peers on the road talk with both sides of their mouths?Perhaps, as Billy Martin said in the beer commercial, they strongly feel BOTH.
Or maybe what worries them most is where the money comes from, but who spends it.
What clarified things for me was a verbal exchange with Ryan McKinnon of the Charge Ahead Partnership.
The association remains low-key, but you’ve probably heard of some of its members: Wawa, Buc-ee’s, and Busy Bee. His coalition, he said, “is made up of fuel stations, convenience retail stores, and business owners who need to get in EV charging. “
They are the ones who would benefit from the distribution of federal cash in Florida for electric vehicle chargers. His main issue, he told me, is “opposing app ownership of electric vehicle charging stations. “
The problem, he said, is that “they can’t compete when utility rates are regulated for all of their consumers to fund utility-owned or branded charging stations. “
He called it “a primary in Florida” because of the strength of the utilities. In fact, the nation’s largest utility-owned EV charging network belongs to Florida Power
“FDOT’s online page obviously states that Florida values the flexible market,” he told me. “Unfortunately, while there are benefits to the [federal] budget that would help small businesses charge electric vehicles, the state also allowed electric utilities like Florida Power & Light to use taxpayer budgets to build, own and operate your own electric vehicle charging. red, extra daunting loose festival on the market.
In other words, it’s not like the Florida state government is fighting Biden’s evil green agenda. That’s because DeSantis’ leadership is genuflecting toward Juno Beach, home of the omnipotent FPL. If they hand over those millions from the federal government, Wawa could simply become a competitor to the utilities.
Hmmm, maybe the Florida DOT will remove those new signs. After all, it doesn’t seem like we’re so “free. ”
Florida Phoenix is part of the States Newsroom, a grant-funded nonprofit news network and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains its editorial independence. If you have any questions, please contact Editor-in-Chief Michael Moline: info@floridaphoenix. com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and X.
Craig Pittman is a Florida native. In 30 years at the Tampa Bay Times, he has won national and national awards for his environmental reporting. He is the author of six books. In 2020, the Florida Heritage Book Festival named him a Florida Literary Legend. Craig is the co-host of the “Welcome to Florida” podcast. He lives in St. Petersburg with his spouse and children.
Florida Phoenix is owned by States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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