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Recently, the Biden White House Administration has been making a push for a massive $2.3 trillion infrastructure package that would address specific needs spanning an expanded field of jobs sectors across the country.
Billed as “a once-in-a-generation investment in America” by President Joe Biden, the proposed plan includes a state-by-state breakdown that will highlight proposed changes for each state and its infrastructure needs.
Today, the White House released the “Need for Action In Florida” fact sheet, a Florida-specific plan highlighting the state’s most urgent infrastructure needs under the American Jobs Plan project.
“The fact sheets highlight the number of bridges and miles of road in each state in poor condition, the percentage of households without access to broadband, the billions of dollars required for water infrastructure, among other infrastructure needs,” read the White House press release.
It’s no secret that the Sunshine State needs all the help it can get in regards to bettering bridges, roadways, and public transportation, to name a few things. In the ‘Need for Action In Florida’ fact sheet, the Biden Administration emphasized the state “suffered from a systemic lack of investment” and pointed out the state’s C grade on its Infrastructure Report Card.
Chief among the major proposals for Florida is the ‘Roads and Bridges’ sector. According to the plan layout, Since 2011, commute times within the state have risen by 11.6%, and the average cost of repair for driver’s vehicles as a result of poor roads is roughly $425.
The plan estimated that 408 bridges and over 3,564 miles of highway in the state are in “poor condition.”
The American Society of Civil Engineers published Florida’s Infrastructure Report Card and found that 13% of all roads in the state were in poor condition, 16% of trains and other public transit vehicles were past useful life, and due to lack of available and affordable housing, there are roughly 1.5 million rent-burdened Floridians.
“It’s a once-in-a-generation investment in America unlike anything we’ve seen or done since we built the interstate highway system and the space race decades ago,” said Biden on the infrastructure plan. “In fact, it’s the largest American jobs investment since World War II. It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs.”
According to the plan outline for Florida, the following are the biggest priority:
Roads and Bridges
Public Transportation
Resilient Infrastructure
Drinking Water
Housing
Broadband
Caregiving
Child Care
Manufacturing
Home Energy
Clean Energy Jobs
Veterans Health
As of now, specifics such as how much the state will receive and when are unclear. The president is expected to meet with representatives of both parties later today to further discuss the intricacies of the plan before it can even seek approval in Congress.
To see the full list of proposed infrastructure needs in Florida, click here.
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William is the Managing Editor at FloridaInsider.com. His years of experience in journalism, broadcasting and multimedia include roles as a Writer and Web Producer. He graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science and Communication.