Dan Molloy Says Yes To Transit Referendum

June 8, 2010 - PRLog -- (TAMPA, FL) – Dan Molloy, Republican candidate for the Florida State Legislature, District 57, has announced that unlike his Republican primary opponents, he supports the passage of the Hillsborough County Transit Referendum this November.

“I urge all Hillsborough residents to support this effort by our business community to create opportunities for employment, advance the economic future for our children, and to make sure that future residents enjoy the same quality of life that make our community what it is today, by voting in favor of this referendum,” said Molloy.

Molloy points out that the referendum is not simply an additional consumption tax of one percent on discretionary purchases, but about the very future of the community and whether future generations will have the same economic opportunities. “The economy of Florida is changing, from one based on construction, agriculture, and tourism, to an economy which includes diverse elements based on technology, medical, and financial industries,” according to Molloy.

Dan Molloy says the initiative which is primarily directed to the development of light rail transit is the product of years of efforts by members of the local and regional business community to provide for the economic future of the Tampa Bay area. The Tampa Bay Partnership, which functions as a regional economic agency, began this effort by proposing the legislation creating the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority in 2006, and Hillsborough County’s proposed transportation plans are an essential part of the regional TBARTA plan. Hillsborough County followed up on that concept by appointing the Transportation Task Force to make recommendations on transportation issues.

Dan Molloy is a Tampa real estate attorney, who served as a member of the Hillsborough County Transportation Task Force which recommended that the Hillsborough County Commission adopt the ordinance, which will allow Hillsborough County voters to pass or reject a one-cent local option sales tax to fund transportation improvements.

“As a community, we have no real choice but to embrace the future. And as for timing, there is never a perfect time, so there is no better time than now, to ask our voters to approve this issue,” urged Molloy.

Molloy is a 50-year resident of Tampa, and has served as president of the Tampa Bay Builders Association, a member of the Parkway Center Community Development District, the Avelar Creek Community Development District, and on numerous boards in the area. He is a graduate of Chamberlain High School, received his law degree at the University of Florida and lives in Hyde Park with his wife, Judy. They have four grown children.

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FOOTNOTE:
The Hillsborough County Transit ordinance is the result of 3 years of study by the county’s Transportation Task Force into the transportation future of Hillsborough County. The funds are allocated 75% to rail and related bus service lines, and 25% for roads and alternative transportation

In 2006, Dan Molloy asked to be appointed to the county’s Transportation Task Force, because he was opposed to the development of rail transit in Tampa and wanted to ensure that the opposition viewpoint was represented. When the TTF straw voted on the rail issue in 2008, he was one of two opposing votes who suggested that while rail might be appropriate, the timing would be wrong for this referendum in 2010. The TTF heard from all local and state transportation agencies, other communities, and community interests. In 2009, Molloy voted, along with all TTF members, in favor of recommending that the county commission place this issue on the ballot.

The benefits of the proposed rail system include a substantial multiplier of the initial costs of construction which is one of the highest multipliers for any government expenditure, the encouragement of development of service centers in conjunction with the availability of access to rail transit, and the use of the system as an alternative to automobile use. In addition, the indirect benefits include the likelihood, based on the experience of other cities, that the availability of alternate transportation will be a positive force for the location of new technology-related businesses, and the expansion of existing firms.


For additional information contact: MPA Consulting, Inc. (813) 689-5659

[Political advertisement paid for and approved by Dan Molloy, Republican, for State Representative, District 57.]

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MPA Consulting represents real estate interests, business clients and political candidates, in addition to organizing grassroots issues campaigns, event planning and public relations.