Economics   Click on your Choice: download this chapter in a PDF file view web pages: Guiding Principle - Challenge Current Condition Priority Actions   Other Actions Benefits Key to Acronyms

Providing Adequate Infrastructure

Priority Actions:

Transportation Systems | Labor | Environmental Restoration / Regional Water Management

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS: 

Conclusion: Need to find ways to improve the state's transportation systems to:

coordinate state and county planning of road, rail, air and waterborne transportation facilities; 
take the needs of agriculture into consideration; 
provide for the transportation of agricultural products and supplies.

Suggested Actions: Input should be obtained from local agricultural interests to: 

Identify areas where road, rail, air and waterborne transportation infrastructure can be improved to better serve agriculture.

Ensure that food distribution requirements are a key consideration in planning road construction and maintenance, and in planning and upgrading air, rail and port facilities.

Ensure that links in transportation needs between different types of agricultural uses are acknowledged, understood and taken into consideration. For example, the Florida horse industry depends upon "dead-heading" — truckers haul straw, hay and grain to Florida to avoid driving empty trucks on their way to pick up produce for distribution to U.S. and Canadian markets. Policies that impact the transportation of produce out of Florida also affect the flow of feed into Florida for the horse industry.

Ensure that food safety — with a special emphasis on avoiding diseases and pests that can be spread throughout Florida from imported food and plant material — is a key consideration in planning and upgrading air, rail and port facilities. [See comments from Mike Stuart on this subject in Section 1, at the end of the discussion of "Current Condition" and in Priority Action 3-A.]

Review, revise and implement road construction and safety criteria to accommodate large, slow moving farm vehicles.

Consider requiring Ag impact statements prior to implementing any public policy or project.

Dick Marsh, an economist with South Florida Water Management District, states: "The recommendation for Ag impact statements seems to be a move toward increased bureaucracy. I believe this issue could and should be addressed through the requirements in Section 120.541, F.S., regarding statements of estimated regulatory costs. Agricultural interests could also take advantage of the procedural requirements in Section 120.54(1)(d), F.S., ‘In adopting rules, all agencies must, among the alternative approaches to any regulatory objective and to the extent allowed by law, choose the alternative that does not impose regulatory costs on the regulated person, county, or city which could be reduced by the adoption of less costly alternatives that substantially accomplish the statutory objectives.'"

Allyn L. Childress, South Florida Ecosystem Working Group staff, says: "The paper recommends that a revised transportation plan be generated that takes the needs of agriculture into consideration. How does this tie into concerns that road improvements in agricultural/rural areas lead to urban development? A further discussion on this topic would be helpful, particularly one that would address alternative methods of product distribution."

Recommendations: 

Who: FDOT, working with DOACS, DCA and others
What: Need regional and statewide action. FDOT, working with DOACS, DCA and others, should generate a revised transportation plan that: 

coordinates state and county planning of road, rail, air and waterborne transportation facilities; 
takes the needs of agriculture into consideration; 
provides for the transportation of agricultural products and supplies; and
addresses the comments from Dick Marsh and Allyn Childress.

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