The Honorable Chris Sprowls
Speaker, Florida House of Representatives
420 The Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Dear Speaker Sprowls,
We, the undersigned business leaders from Tampa Bay, are writing you today to voice our very great concern regarding the Florida Department of Transportation proposal to delay the construction of the $1.4 billion Westshore Interchange (known as Segment 4 of Tampa Bay NEXT) from 2024 to 2026, and the adjoining lanes to Downtown Tampa (known as Segment 5 of Tampa Bay NEXT) beyond that.
We request that you do everything in your power to restore this project, and its associated funding, to its original schedule.
The Westshore Interchange serves as the primary connection point for residents of Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties, linking the Veterans Expressway, State Road 60 and I-275. Because of this, the project has drawn the collective and unprecedented support of private, public and non-profit leaders and organizations from throughout the Tampa Bay Region, who have identified it as our region’s most important transportation project.
The 2024 start date is critical, as it coincides with the completion of the new span of the Howard Frankland Bridge and the six lanes of traffic that will be coming into Hillsborough County. With the delayed start, and the scheduled completion pushed back to 2030, the region will suffer from huge transportation delays and dangerous bottlenecks that negatively impact commuters and commerce, including passenger and freight access to Tampa International Airport.
The Westshore Interchange project is already long overdue, and the current configuration of roadways already creates the most severe traffic congestion in the region. A further delay, considering the bridge construction and the expected population growth, is unacceptable.
As our community faces the difficult pandemic recovery ahead, we need to remove hurdles to our economic growth rather than self-inflict them.
We respectfully request your leadership and support in encouraging the Florida Department of Transportation to reconsider this proposed delay and find a way to restore the original start date and funding in its 2024 work plan, when new state and/or federal funds become available.
Sincerely,
Brian Auld
President
Tampa Bay Rays and Rowdies
Brian A. Butler
President & CEO
Vistra Communications
Blake Casper
CEO
Caspers Company
Robert J. Clark, Jr.
President
Tampa Steel Erecting Co.
Don DeFosset
CEO
DJD Group
David J. Dufort
Director of Corporate Service
Amgen
Scott Fink
CEO
Giant Auto Group
Melanie Fowler, PE
Vice President, Office Principal – Tampa/ Sarasota HDR Engineering, Inc.
Mike Griffin
Senior Vice President, Market Leader
Savills, Inc.
Bobby Harris
President & CEO
BlueGrace Logistics
Tommy Inzina
CEO
BayCare
Steven Bernstein
Regional Managing Partner
Fisher Phillips
Pierre Caramazza
Head of Product and Specialty Sales Franklin Templeton
Ravi Chari
President
HCA, West Florida Division
James T. Daly
West Florida – Regional President Truist
Dan Doyle, Jr.
CEO
Dex Imaging
James L. Ferman, Jr.
President & CEO
Ferman Motor Car Company, Inc.
Brian Ford
Chief Operating Officer
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Marcus Greene
St. Petersburg Market President Truist
Steve Griggs
CEO
Tampa Bay Lightning
Richard Hume
CEO
TechData
Gordon Johnson
President
Highway Safety Devices, Inc.
Ken Jones
Chairman & CEO
Third Lake Capital
Anne Marie Lapczynski
Site Lead, North America Capability Center Bristol-Myers Squibb
Allan S. Martin
Chairman
Atlantic Merchant Capital Investors
Carolyn Monroe
President
Old Republic National Title Insurance Company
Harold W. Mullis
President Emeritus
Trenam Law
Jessica Muroff
CEO
United Way Suncoast
Jim O’Connell
President
Vinik Family Office
Cary Putrino
Regional President, North Florida
Fifth Third Bank
Amy F. Rettig
SVP, Community Engagements, Florida Site Leader Nielsen
Timothy Schar
Tampa Market President
Truist
TJ Szelistowski
President
TECO – Peoples Gas System
Ron Wanek
Founder & Chairman
Ashley Furniture Industries
Kara Klinger
Tampa Managing Partner
Deloitte
Chad Loar
Regional President, West and Central Florida PNC Bank
Stephen J. Mitchell
Senior Partner
Squire Patton Boggs
Larry C. Morgan
Chairman
Morgan Auto Group
Leslie M. Muma
Philanthropist
Retired CEO Fiserv Inc.
Willy Nunn
President
Homes by WestBay
Lou Plasencia
CEO
The Plasencia Group
Steve Raney
Chairman & CEO
Raymond James Bank
Larry Richey
Florida Managing Principal
Cushman & Wakefield
Darryl Shaw
Co-Founder and CEO
BluePearl Veterinary Partners
Jeff Vinik
Owner
Tampa Bay Lightning
Cc: The Honorable Wilton Simpson, President, Florida Senate The Honorable Kelli Stargel, Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee