Good news for people with lead feet.
The “high speed” bill passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee on Thursday is allowing the Florida Department of Transportation to raise the maximum speed on four-lane highways from 70 miles per hour to 75 miles per hour. Highways that are 65 mph and 60 mph could also see five-mile-per-hour bumps if the Department of Transportation deems it necessary.
The bill, which is sponsored by Sen. Jeff Brandes R-St. Petersburg, says the reasoning behind the bill is to adjust to the amount of drivers that are on the road. Supporters of the bill believe that there is no evidence that a higher speed limit will cause the roads to be more dangerous.
“This bill simply allows additional flexibility so they can use best practices … to set limits based on research and science,” Brandes told the panel.
However, there is also strong opposition to the bill. Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa believes that raising the speed limit would cause people to push the envelope too much.
“It’s congested. There’s accelerated road rage. There are people texting. There are people all over the place,” Joyner said before voting against the bill.
