From her seat on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla., showcased almost $326 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants headed to South Florida.
Mucarsel-Powell noted that the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) and Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) will be getting $325,989,054. The funds will be coming from the $2.3 trillion CARES Act that Congress and the White House agreed to at the end of March.
“As we face one of the worst economic crises since the Great Depression, I’m proud to have fought for and won this funding in the CARES Act to protect the jobs of our invaluable transit workers and keep transit systems running so essential workers can continue their lifesaving work,” said Mucarsel-Powell. “I will continue to advocate for affordable and accessible rapid transit for our district that will connect working families, students, and our community and boost economic access for all of South Florida.”
DTPW is getting the bulk of the funds–$222,579,256–for “bus and rail system salary expenses, paratransit operations, vanpool program expenses, and security-enhancing lighting and door replacement projects.”
SFRTA will get $103,409,798 for “operating assistance and preventive maintenance costs to maintain Tri-Rail service throughout the SFRTA’s eighteen stations and seventy-two-mile corridor, rail fleet, and Operations Center.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
