The Lowest Bidder

I drove along I4 the other day (in Tampa, FL), and dealt with the usual hideous traffic congestion. I found myself wondering when the road would be finished. By my calculations, the road has been in a state of repair and expansion for as long as I've been alive, which would be...too long, by any standards.

Why?

Because in Florida, our government gives all the contracts to the LOWEST bidder.

That means that if Florida has to choose between ABC Road Company (with 123 employees who can finish I4 in 2 years) and the XYZ Road Company (whose only employee is known as George), they will pick the XYZ Road Company if their bid is the cheaper of the two. That's good news for George, who will have a lifetime of employment. It's bad news for the drivers in the Tampa Bay area.

We have a horrendous spate of accidents on I4. There are areas that are notorious for the amount of deaths that are directly resultant of the continued construction in those areas. But, is the State of Florida negligable? Can they be sued for this?

No.

It's our own fault. Until we change our laws, until we put people in our government that will actually have some common sense, we will not see an end to this road construction.

We need to write to our legislators and ask them to re-evaluate giving every contract to the lowest bidder. Until then, we'll keep getting what we pay for.