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    • Gov. DeSantis signs bill killing M-CORES toll program

    August 01, 2021 |

    After more than two years of fierce opposition from both Floridians and lawmakers, the M-CORES is officially dead – in part.

    In June, Gov. DeSantis put his signature on SB100, which repeals the Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance program, more commonly known as M-CORES.

    However, SB100 only eliminated the M-CORES program but not all of the toll projects. M-CORES established toll roads on the following corridors:

    • Suncoast Connector, extending from Citrus County to Jefferson County
    • Northern Turnpike Connector, extending from the northern terminus of the Florida Turnpike northwest to the Suncoast Parkway
    • Southwest-Central Florida Connector, extending from Collier County to Polk County

    The M-CORES Suncoast Connector extends the Florida Turnpike, and the Northern Turnpike Connector extends the Suncoast Parkway toll road.

    Also, the Southwest-Central connector calls for building a new toll road. SB100 got rid of the Southwest-Central connector. However, the legislature found that the extension of the Florida Turnpike from its northern terminus is in the “strategic interest of the state.”

    Therefore, the remaining two connectors will continue to move forward. The Suncoast Connector has been modified. That road will use U.S. 19 and connect to Interstate 10 in Madison County rather than in Jefferson County.

    Although many who oppose M-CORES are satisfied with SB100, some are not. In a news release, a group organized to stop the program called No Roads to Ruin said the repeal was not enough.

    “The good news is that one proposed road has been eliminated; the bad news is that the other two proposed roads remain,” the group said in a statement. “In total, the governor’s action falls woefully short of eliminating the original M-CORES threat and realizing the transportation needs of Florida.”

    M-CORES was signed into law in May 2019. The bill instructed the Florida Department of Transportation to have a task force for each corridor submit a report to the governor. All three reports found that there was no specific need for the toll roads, sending a major blow to supporters. LL

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