FDOT: $4 billion in state cash advanced a $7 billion Moving Florida Forward package; secretary highlights I-4 relief lanes and procurement changes

Secretary Perdue of the Florida Department of Transportation told the Senate Committee on Transportation that $4 billion in general revenue was programmed and leveraged with bonding to assemble a $7 billion Moving Florida Forward package of 20 major projects layered on the Department's existing work program.

Perdue said the program was designed to be delivered to construction over four years while the department adopted new delivery techniques to avoid overloading the industry and supply chains. He described a new procurement approach he called a "modified phased design-build," which the department used to foster early collaboration among multiple contractor teams, score proposals on innovation and collaboration, and deliver work in sequenced work packages with a maximum guaranteed price. Perdue said the approach was used on the I-4 program.

The secretary highlighted an I-4 innovation in which contractors built temporary congestion-relief lanes that were opened to traffic and maintained during the long-term reconstruction. He told the committee those lanes were finished eight months early and said they "essentially... cut travel times in half" for frequent corridor users. Perdue argued the technique is repeatable and can yield visible relief to motorists while larger reconstruction continues.

Perdue described several other delivery tools: voluntary acceleration (incentives for teams to finish sooner so resources free up for later work), structured acceleration (incentives tied to milestones that produce visible benefits sooner), regional workforce events that produced onsite hires, and research and an aggregate grant program to mitigate material shortages.

He reviewed project highlights and timelines: I-4 in Osceola/Polk County (a large multi-billion-dollar reconstruction), the Golden Glades interchange (nearly $1 billion; reported progress metrics: 31% of bridge beams placed, 47% of concrete bridge piles placed, 41% of drainage installed; a flyover ramp forecast to open early 2027 and full completion projected by 2031), advancing I-95 at U.S. 1 into contract sooner than originally planned, I-75 auxiliary lanes in Sumter/Marion counties (with early works underway including clearing, gopher tortoise relocation and preparatory paving), a diverging-diamond interchange at I-75/Pine Ridge Road, and the I-275 38th Avenue to 4th Street phase in Tampa that has begun clearing and grubbing.

Senators asked about small-business participation, subcontracting opportunities and how local businesses can take part. Perdue said the department has outreach and a small-business program that sets aspirational targets rather than quotas and said the agency is reimagining the program to grow participation. On local partnership, he said many of the work packages rely on local and regional subcontractors and that FDOT can assist firms seeking entry to the market.

Senator Jones asked about contractor safety and media reports involving fatalities on a project with Archer Western. Perdue said FDOT monitors every injury and fatality on projects, that OSHA investigates incidents tied to worker behavior and that contractors subject to findings must produce corrective action plans; contractors must be in good standing with OSHA to contract with FDOT.

On federal funding, Perdue criticized the prevalence of discretionary grants under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and argued formula-based federal funding would better match state needs; he also noted Florida's program is roughly 75% state-funded and 25% federal-funded, which gives the state resilience if federal discretionary awards are limited.

Perdue closed by urging continued resource support for transportation, describing the department's authority and recent innovations and asking staff to work with senators to provide district-level project lists for constituent outreach.