Justice

Florida’s New Target in the Fight Against Sprawl: Too Many Roads

Several counties have turned to “mobility fees” that discourage highway expansion and steer development toward cities.
katiew / Flickr

In facing a massive infrastructure crisis, America is learning the hard way that the cost of highways doesn’t end with their construction. Roads must be maintained for years and years—a ceaseless strain on local budgets. As chief of development and infrastructure for Florida’s Hillsborough County, home to metro Tampa, Lucia Garsys knows this lesson all too well.

“As we add more roads and don’t have the money to keep the roads resurfaced, I know what the impact of that is,” she says.