Penny tax is already making a difference, Broward officials say

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward County’s Penny for Transportation tax, which voters approved in 2018, will be funding 700 projects over the next five years, officials said.

Broward Transportation Director Chris Walton’s five-year plan includes $366.2 million for operating projects, $295.6 million for new transit infrastructure, $279.8 million for transitways projects, and $71 million for transit projects.

“We have our new seat fleet and an electric bus placed on order,” Walton said. “It will arrive in July of next year.”

Walton said Broward’s public buses have air ionizers that generate an electrostatic charge that kills viruses, including the coronavirus. And that, he said, is just the beginning of a series of innovations.

Walton is planning on rolling out an interactive dashboard to update residents on the progress of the ongoing projects. He is working with Sygic, a company that produces global automotive navigation systems for mobile phones and tablets.

Attorney Gretchen Cassini is implementing the administrative elements of Broward County’s 30-year Mobility Advancement Program to help improve the transit landscape.

“We want to make sure people know that this penny is making a difference already,” Cassini said.