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FDOT outlines workforce, research institute, rural funding, spaceport and advanced air mobility priorities
Summary
Florida DOT Secretary Perdue outlined 2025 priorities emphasizing workforce pipelines, a statewide research institute, higher rural roadway funding, modal coordination (airports, seaports, spaceports), and planning for advanced air mobility.
Secretary Perdue (Florida Department of Transportation) presented the department’s 2025 legislative priorities to the Senate Committee on Transportation, highlighting four core areas: workforce and innovation, operational enhancements, modal coordination, and efficiency/accountability.
On workforce, Perdue described a proposed “transportation academy” framework to partner with education and training partners (school districts, state colleges, universities, Department of Corrections and others) to build certification and degree programs that lead directly to jobs in transportation and aviation. He said Florida needs to close a projected 38% gap between labor demand and supply in transportation over the next decade.
Perdue proposed a Florida Research Institute to leverage university expertise in transportation planning, contracting, delivery, maintenance and preservation; he said the institute would not create a new government entity but would coordinate existing academic capacity.
Operational proposals include increasing annual rural-program funding (SCRAP and SCOP) from $25 million each to $50 million each, enhancing small-business participation thresholds, and requiring consistent application of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices across public transportation entities.
On modes, Perdue discussed airport safety and preservation priorities, directing seaports to prioritize infrastructure near spaceports and expanding eligible uses of Spaceport Improvement Program grants to include shared public infrastructure (utilities). He also described a renewed push on advanced air mobility (AAM/"flying cars") including vertiport planning and digital infrastructure research to support future high-volume corridors.
On efficiency and accountability, Perdue proposed directing an existing monthly revenue stream (approximate figure cited) into the Transportation Trust Fund to offset electric-vehicle impacts and asked the Florida Transportation Commission to expand transit oversight and performance metrics.
