{"id":7072,"date":"2014-12-10T11:26:41","date_gmt":"2014-12-10T16:26:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myparkingsignblog.com\/blog\/?p=7072"},"modified":"2026-02-11T00:24:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T05:24:36","slug":"florida-dot-chief-ananth-prasads-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myparkingsign.com/blog\/florida-dot-chief-ananth-prasads-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida DOT chief Ananth Prasad’s legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Florida Department of Transportation secretary Ananth Prasad will be leaving his office on January 2, announced Florida governor Rick Scott last week. \u201cSecretary Prasad has been part of my administration since the very beginning, and he has been pivotal to making sure we could make a record investment of over $10 billion in our transportation system this year,\u201d Scott said. The departure offers an opportunity to\u00a0survey\u00a0the secretary’s record on improving the state’s notoriously poor walkability, new port projects, highway building, and other transportation issues throughout Florida.<\/p>\n

\"Bridge

Ananth Prasad’s tenure included a few megatransit projects, but more toll roads. From Apalapala<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Prasad, who has served as DOT chief since 2011 and had previously worked as the Assistant Secretary for Engineering and Operation during his 21-year- tenure with the FDOT, has received high praise from government officials and industry leaders: \u201cI don\u2019t use this term loosely, but he is the best Secretary of Transportation we have had, and I\u2019ve been part of the process for over 25 years,\u201d Bob Burleson, president of the Florida Transportation Builders Association, told<\/a> Saint Petersblog.<\/p>\n

Then there’s Ron Howse, chairman of the Florida Transportation Commission, who raved, “Under Secretary Prasad\u2019s leadership, the department met all of the Commission\u2019s performance and production objectives for the first time ever, while overseeing the largest transportation budget in state history,\u201d while Howard Glassman, executive director of the Florida MPO Advisory Council, said that Prasad’s “complete streets initiative that promotes alternative transportation systems and pedestrian safety recognizes Florida\u2019s demographic change and supports livable and walkable communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

But what about Prasad\u2019s record? Some of his notable light-rail projects include a “partially-privately-funded” high-speed rail<\/a> between Miami and Orlando and promoting a $25 million structure to link two counties<\/a> via light rail. Prasad has also focused on developing Florida\u2019s ports — last year he advocated<\/a> for dredging ports in Jacksonville to increase trade. But his impact on roads and tolls are perhaps most significant, including a $338 million elevated toll roadway<\/a> project (with the Federal Highway Administration covering nearly half the cost); turning down<\/a> what would\u2019ve been the state\u2019s first privately-funded and -operated toll road, and a general push towards toll roads that, he claims, was geared toward moving traffic more efficiently.<\/p>\n

Critics like the Tampa Bay Times are calling<\/a> for Prasad\u2019s replacement to be “less enamored of toll roads and more amenable to mass transit,\u201d which did not emerge as a priority during Prasad\u2019s tenure. And, as The Florida Times-Union notes, Prasad \u201cused to work for one of the state\u2019s largest toll lane builders before approving billions of dollars in toll lane projects, some of which have gone to his former employer.\u201d (In response, Prasad had said, \u201cTwo years at a transportation firm doesn\u2019t trump 20-plus years with the DOT. That is a far-fetched theory.\u201d)<\/p>\n

As far as walkability — a major issue in Florida, one of the most deadly states<\/a> for pedestrians — Prasad pushed for pedestrian and cyclist safety with the Pedestrian & Bicycle Focused Initiative<\/a>, and oversaw additional bike lanes and infrastructure to accommodate bikers and walkers on limited access roads<\/a>. But\u00a0the state still has a long way to go to implement “complete” streets — the roads in question still cater to vehicles traveling at 55 mph (or faster), and bike lanes are often blocked due to lack of enforcement.<\/p>\n

Among the $10 billion in funds Governor Scott attributed to Prasad\u2019s leadership are Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants, including a $20 million grant awarded in September for replacing Florida\u2019s Tamiami Trail with a 2.6-mile elevated bridge to \u201chelp restore natural storm water flows into the Everglades National Park and Northeast Shark River, while preserving a critical transportation link between Southwest Florida and Miami.\u201d In 2013, Florida International University received over $11 million in TIGER funding for transit improvements; the year prior, the city of Tampa received over $10 million to support bike and pedestrian connections.<\/p>\n

Prasad is the third state agency head in Florida to resign<\/a> from his post within the week. The Florida Transportation Commission will meet in the new year to determine his replacement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Florida Department of Transportation secretary Ananth Prasad will be leaving his office on January 2, announced Florida governor Rick Scott last week. \u201cSecretary Prasad has been part of my administration since the very beginning, and he has been pivotal to making sure we could make a record investment of over $10 billion in our transportation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[637,577],"tags":[837,834,836,835],"class_list":["post-7072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-infrastructure","category-transportation-2","tag-ananth-prasad","tag-florida-department-of-transportation","tag-florida-legislature","tag-rick-scott"],"yoast_head":"\nFlorida DOT chief Ananth Prasad's legacy - MyParkingSign Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Florida Department of Transportation secretary Ananth Prasad will be leaving his office on January 2, announced Florida governor Rick Scott last week.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myparkingsign.com/blog\/florida-dot-chief-ananth-prasads-legacy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Florida DOT chief Ananth Prasad's legacy - MyParkingSign Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Florida Department of Transportation secretary Ananth Prasad will be leaving his office on January 2, announced Florida governor Rick Scott last week.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.myparkingsign.com/blog\/florida-dot-chief-ananth-prasads-legacy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MyParkingSign Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/parkingsigns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-12-10T16:26:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-11T05:24:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.myparkingsign.com/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Tampa-bridge.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"375\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Katy B. 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