First The Ferry, Now A1A

So far it’s been a bad year for Florida landmarks.

With the fate of the Mayport Ferry – the last ferry operating in Florida – hanging in the balance, word that A1A might lose its National Scenic Byways designation is not good news.

You’ll remember the Friends of A1A and the A1A Scenic and Historic Byway from the 72-mile garage sale last November.

It’s this and other funky Florida beach-townthinking (See links at the end of this piece.) that makes the Friends so much fun.

There’s a whole population of NoFla.™-not-just-Yankee tourists who just eat up their beachy weirdness.

Yep, Scenic A1A helps match up the First Coast with their money.

The National Scenic Byways Program

Established in 1991, the National Scenic Byways Program was designed to:

Provide marketing tools to attract international visitors and create jobs for locals.
Incorporate current transportation strategies – good road design and integration of transportation corridors with natural resources – with economic redevelopment.
Strengthen rural and metropolitan communities along the byway.

The 150 Scenic Byways will lose their national designation if The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act (HR 7) is successful.

Introduced on Jan. 31 and currently under consideration, HR 7 is a move to streamline the national transportation system, remove barriers to domestic energy production and create jobs.

One way to accomplish at least some of the goals is to repeal, completely, the Scenic Byways program – national designation, grants and all.

Gee Wiz. Florida Tourism Is A Hurt Puppy Already

Let’s face it: We live in a visitor-based economy that’s been in the dumper since at least 2008.

In the face of HR 7, there’s much more in play for GreaterJax™ than the $200 million that funds the National Scenic Byways Program.

According to the Friends of A1A and other local supporters, losing funding through the program is not really what’s at issue anyway – it’s losing the national designation.

In fact, in many more ways than one, HR 7 couldn’t have come along at a worse time.

No national designation for our Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway, no marketing or other money love from Brand USA (formerly the Corporation for Travel Promotion).

Created in 2010, Brand USA is a private-public marketing organ whose job it is to sell international vacationers on vacationing in the United States.

There’s no reason to steer travelers down A1A if, you know, there’s nothing to see.

As long as the Scenic Byways program keeps running, there’s infrastructure in place to market the roadways in the program alongside the National Parks.

In short, the Scenic Byways designation is worth it’s weight in tourist-dollar gold.

Here’s Your Assigment

Help the Friends of A1A lobby HR 7’s sponsors. Write a letter.

There’s a sample on The Friends web site, and you can even fax it for free over the Internet.

All The Friends really want is to keep the national designation for our stretch of A1A.

It’s possible to renew the program under HR 7 while eliminating almost all of the funding.

Because the economies of our cool little beach town depend so much on tourists, it’s a win-win for everyone.

For more information about the Friends of A1A and local lobbying efforts, contact Sallie O’Hara, Sallie_OHara@scenica1a.org or 904.425.8055.

Here’s Where To Send Your Letter

American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012 (HR 7)

Rep. John Mica, Chairman
House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
2187 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202.225.4035
Fax: 202.226.0821

mica.house.gov/Contact/Contact.html

Learn More About A1A

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OFFICIAL BIO: K Truitt is a second-generation, native Floridian born in Jacksonville. Truitt worked in public higher education for 25 years, most recently in Texas, is a successful grant writer, knows newspaper publishing, printing and graphic design and wants to work in the public sector. Contact: kt.4examiner@yahoo.com