STATEWIDE — President Joe Biden is expected to unveil the details of his plan Wednesday to make massive investments to the nation’s infrastructure, from roads and interstates to public water and broadband, with hopes this will help Florida.
What You Need To Know
- President’s plan could help with I-4 construction
- Civil engineers’ report says 13% of Florida’s roads in poor conditions
- RELATED: Biden to Unveil Sweeping $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan, Corporate Tax Overhaul
It is all a part of his “Build Back Better” spending package, expected to run an estimated $3 trillion to $4 trillion.
For people living in Central Florida, roadwork is already a part of the daily routine for many drivers. Construction along Interstate 4 has already been happening for years as crews work daily to widen and improve the interstate.
The president's plan, if approved, could send it into overdrive, calling for massive investment to rebuilding roads and improving other infrastructure.
In the Sunshine State, infrastructure investment is needed.
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ annual Infrastructure Report Card, 13% of the roads are in poor condition. And drivers end up paying the price to the tune of an extra $425-a year in costs from driving on Florida’s roads.
Nationwide, Florida falls in the top half of states for infrastructure while the U.S. earned a C-.
That report card lists more than 100 dams in the state as being “high hazards” while drinking water needs an estimated $21.9-billion in investments over the next 20 years.
Biden’s plan aims to tackle these infrastructure needs and it is already getting the attention of lawmakers.
"It is going to create millions of jobs across the country, right. This is the time for us to rebuild crumbling infrastructure in place for the last hundred years," said Rep. Jamaal Bowman, (D) New York.
This phase of the bill is expected to run $2-trillion, paid for not through gas taxes or mile-based taxes but financed instead by increasing the business tax while ending federal subsidies for fossil fuels.
Republican leaders are weighing in, saying they're for infrastructure investment but not one that raises taxes.
“Let's do an infrastructure bill. Let's don't turn it into a massive effort to raise taxes on businesses and individuals," Sen. Mitch McConnell, (R) Minority Leader.
But, here in the Sunshine State, the state’s top Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis himself has been pushing for infrastructure investment.
His own 2021 fiscal budget proposal includes $9.9-billion in funding for FDOT that would pay to resurface roads, advance the rails, and repair and replace 18 bridges.
Biden is expected to outline the details for his Build Back Better plan during a speech in Pittsburgh Wednesday.
A second phase of the Build Back Better Plan is expected to invest in child care and family tax credits paid for through tax hikes on the wealthy and bringing the total cost of the plan up to a massive $3 trillion or $4 trillion.