Governor Rick Scott today directed Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Secretary Mike Dew to suspend the payment of all federal funding for the Florida International University (FIU) pedestrian bridge which collapsed last week, taking the lives of six Floridians. For this project, FDOT is the agency which acts as a pass-through for federal funding to be administered to FIU. At the Governor’s direction, this funding will be withheld indefinitely pending the completion of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation.
Governor Scott said, “Last week, the lives of six Floridians were tragically lost when the FIU pedestrian bridge suddenly collapsed onto SW 8th Street in Miami. Ann and I are heartbroken for these families and while we continue to mourn the loss of these individuals, we are also searching for answers.
“Today, I am directing FDOT to suspend all future payments of the more than $13.6 million in federal funding originally allocated for this project. Before another dollar is spent on this bridge, we must know exactly what happened. FDOT is working hand-in-hand with the NTSB in its investigation and until this is completed, all taxpayer dollars will be withheld.”
The funding breakdown for the FIU pedestrian bridge is as follows:
