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Ax the Tax: Abolish the Expressway Authority
The group's chairman, Doug Guetzloe, issued a statement Thursday urging taxpayers to contact authority board members and its chairman, Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, and tell them not to approve the increase.
Authority staff say an additional $.25 toll increase is necessary to complete the 27-mile Wekiva Parkway and the planned traffic loop around Orlando. Without the funds, bondholders could move in and take over the road building agency, its chairman told Orange County Commissioners this week.
But Guetzloe argued that the "bonded indebtedness could easily be absorbed by local government."
He claimed that it "would be an easy task" for Orange County to pay off the bond over the next 20 years and drop all tolls.
He went further to call for the abolition of the Expressway Authority.
According to the authority's website, the Wekiva Parkway "would provide an alternative to Interstate 4, and also relieve US Highway 441 and other area roads of traffic congestion stemming from intensifying growth and travel between Lake, Orange and Seminole counties."
The parkway would begin at SR 429 and US 441 in Apopka and then be built north and east through Lake and Seminole counties and connect to I-4 near Sanford.
What others are saying
- Ax the TaxDoug Guetzloe and Ax the Tax are heroes to the people!
Keep up the great work. - Oh Come On...I hate paying tolls as much as the next guy, but there's no frickin' way they could give the roads back to the state/county. Orange county can't even pay their teachers people!
If 417 and 429 suddenly became I-404 and opened up to the public taxes would have to be higher, traffic would increase, and there would be ZERO funding for new roads!
And you know what that would be? Socialist! People NOT using the roads would be paying for it! The Rich would be paying for hte poor. How is THAT fair?
There hasn't been a toll increase since 1990. Since then most of the 408 has been rebuilt, 417 went from 2-lanes to 3-lanes by UCF and added 4 new exits, 528 has rebuilt the airport exit, and 414 and 429 were built. Meanwhile traffic keeps increasing while we wait another 5 years for state help.
Should I also mention that the Turnpike Authority has already raised tolls 2 years ago. Try going on 417 in Seminole County. It's like $2.00 for ONE toll plaza.
So yeah, it stinks, but what can you do? Be real people. Orange County doesn't have the funding for anything right now without TAX INCREASES. - Its a public service....Thats just it- its a public service. It is on property TAKEN from the public. It is another bloated, out of control quasi government bureaucracy. Dismantle the EA, make the roads PUBLIC again
- toll roadsI just do NOT understand the opposition to charging the people who use a public service to use that service.
Toll roads are perfect; there is a cost involved, you decide to pay the cost or not, and then use the service or not. Unlike sports stadiums, theaters, museums etc that you have to pay for whether you use them or not...these are the real boondoggles.
Leave my toll roads alone...I like them well maintained, less heavily traveled, and convenient -- and for that the tolls are worth it.
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