No Way, No How, No Northern Turnpike Extension
Fact sheet provided by the No Roads to Ruin Coalition Steering Committee:
There is no documented need for these roads. The final M-CORES NTE Task Force report states that "The Task Force did not reach a conclusion based on the information available at this time that there is a specific need for a completely new greenfield corridor or modification of existing facilities through the study area to achieve the statutory purpose."
Florida rural communities value their cultural, historical, agricultural, and archaeological resources. The NTE will incentivize sprawl that will:
- Upend residents and push out family farms in the pathway of any of the proposed routes
- Slice through precious remaining natural and agricultural areas, permanently severing agricultural land and wildlife habitat connectivity
- Cause a decline in sales and decreased business activity to existing local businesses
- Redirect local dollars away from homegrown economic interests and toward national chain businesses
- Result in low wage and/or temporary jobs that would not address the issues of lower incomes, higher unemployment, or the lack of a trained and ready workforce
- Turn many of the remaining rural downtown areas into ghost towns
The NTE perpetuates sprawl and bad or non-existent planning.
- While the population of Florida continues to grow, good planning builds strong towns by incentivizing more compact, mixed-use development, infill development, and redevelopment in urban and rural areas. This is how we build a better future for all who want to call Florida home.
- Land is a finite and precious resource. Florida needs public transit and conservation programs to protect the urban/rural boundary and limit sprawl.
Funding for a new toll road will drain money from rural community programs like the Transportation Disadvantaged Trust Fund, Small County Road Assistance Program, and Small County Outreach Program. Main Street communities at risk include Chiefland, Bronson, Inglis, Cedar Key, Yankeetown, Inverness, Homosassa, Citrus Springs, Crystal River, Cedar Key, Rosewood, Dunnellon, Hernando, Lecanto, Suwannee, and Ocala.
FDOT needs to stop this madness! With your help, we can protect agricultural areas, keep the rural character of our communities, maintain boundaries between urban and rural communities, discourage sprawl, protect the ecosystems that provide Floridians the air, water, and fresh food upon which we depend, and support the health of all Floridians.
#NoBuild
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