Yes, the Emerald Trail is eligible for gas tax funding

[thelakelander]

There is a belief among some city leaders that the proposed Emerald Trail system, though popular with the community, may not be eligible for Local Option Gas Tax (LOGT) funding. A look at the Florida Statutes shows this belief is incorrect. Part of the issue may be a misunderstanding of what a trail project actually is. Here is a look at how the Emerald Trail is eligible for gas tax funding and why the public should continue to lobby their council representatives for its inclusion in the LOGT draft project list.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/yes-the-emerald-trail-is-eligible-for-gas-tax-funding/

[Charles Hunter]

Excellent article.  If this has not been sent to all 19 Council members, it should be.
I will be letting my Councilmember know.

[heights unknown]

Wow; I like this Emerald Trail project. I hope it gets off the ground and gets moving!

[Ken_FSU]

This city man.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2021/12/14/city-leaders-could-take-up-bill-to-repeal-gas-tax-hike/

[fsu813]

This city man.

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2021/12/14/city-leaders-could-take-up-bill-to-repeal-gas-tax-hike/

The repeal effort failed. Cumber is making a lot of friends!*

*sarcasm

[acme54321]

I'd like to repeal all of that skyway clown car money out of it.

[Ken_FSU]

Vote breakdown, courtesy the Daily Record.

Probably not surprising, but the exact same 5 Council Members who voted against the gas tax originally voted to repeal it.

What a silly, sour-grapes waste of Council resources.

[Steve]

I'd love to hear DeFoor's argument. I really like her, and I'm surprised she went this route. It may be solely on the Skyway Clown Car money.

[Charles Hunter]

Gives anyone challenging an incumbent something to bring up, "Voted to increase your taxes, and then refused to provide relief to Biden's outrageous high gas prices." or something like that.  Maybe even throw in torching the Fox Christmas Tree.

[Ken_FSU]

^I think you're probably right, here.

She filed an amendment before the original vote to strip the Skyway money from the bill, which was voted down 13-4.

She subsequently voted no.

Feels like very poor form by these 5 to not respect the original vote and the overall City Council process, even if they disagree with the gas tax. Interesting also to see the vote distribution knowing that the gas tax is realistically going to most disproportionately impact the lower working class. But God forbid the white collar crowd have to pay an extra $20/year in taxes to better the city.

[Jagsdrew]

Wasn't Cumber a proponent of the 200m+ Lot J project?  I'm just confused at supporting a project that benefits few and not a gas tax that benefits all. Just funny sometimes, ya know but that's politics.

[Ken_FSU]

Wasn't Cumber a proponent of the 200m+ Lot J project?  I'm just confused at supporting a project that benefits few and not a gas tax that benefits all. Just funny sometimes, ya know but that's politics.

^Yep! Shockingly (sarcasm), she was also the sole "NO" vote on the Laura Street Trio incentives.

Voted no and threw a fit about how a $2 million supplemental grant to Southeast for the Trio "wasn't needed" and "undermined the city's incentive processes" while enthusiastically rubber-stamping at $52 million breadbox loan/grant/gift to the Jags for Lot J.

[Captain Zissou]

Wasn't Cumber a proponent of the 200m+ Lot J project?  I'm just confused at supporting a project that benefits few and not a gas tax that benefits all. Just funny sometimes, ya know but that's politics.

Cumber is spiraling out of control.  She is scrambling to take stands to appeal to the trumper crowd and largely ignoring the concerns of her district.  I love to see it because if she keeps down this road I think she's going to be out of city hall in 2023.

[acme54321]

I think she's already out of city hall in 23.  I for sure won't be voting for her again.

[jaxlongtimer]

First, 6 cents on $3+ gas isn't going to make a lot of difference to most.  I have the belief that people will pay $x for gas, like anything else.  If we don't take it for taxes, our friends in the Middle East will take more for themselves.  So, cutting the gas tax just helps the oil producers by making their oil more desirable and lining their pockets more.  I won't even get into the negative impact on climate change by consuming more gas. 

Bottom line, why waste time cutting the taxes when the market will just adjust the price back up due to the added demand.

What Cumber and Friends should have tried, maybe, was to cut the tax by an amount allocable to the clown cars and tied it to not funding them.  That's a plan many people might have been willing to consider .