Fla. Stat. § 334.044 — Florida Code / Title XXVI / Chapter 334 / Section 334.044
334.044 Powers and duties of the department.
Status: in_force

The department shall have the following general powers and duties:

(1) To assume the responsibility for coordinating the planning of a safe, viable, and balanced state transportation system serving all regions of the state, and to assure the compatibility of all components, including multimodal facilities.

(2) To adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement the provisions of law conferring duties upon it.

(3) To adopt an official seal.

(4) To maintain its headquarters in Tallahassee and its district offices and necessary field offices at such places within the state as it may designate, and to purchase, build, or lease suitable buildings for such uses.

(5) To purchase, lease, or otherwise acquire property and materials, including the purchase of promotional items as part of public information and education campaigns for the promotion of environmental management, scenic highways, traffic and train safety awareness, commercial motor vehicle safety, workforce development, electric vehicle use and charging stations, autonomous vehicles, and context classification for electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles; to purchase, lease, or otherwise acquire equipment and supplies; and to sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of any property that is no longer needed by the department.

(6) To acquire, by the exercise of the power of eminent domain as provided by law, all property or property rights, whether public or private, which it may determine are necessary to the performance of its duties and the execution of its powers, including, but not limited to, in advance to preserve a corridor for future proposed improvements.

(7) To enter into contracts and agreements.

(8) To sue and be sued as provided by law.

(9) To employ and train staff, and to contract with qualified consultants. For the purposes of chapters 471 and 472, the department shall be considered a firm.

(10)(a) To develop and adopt uniform minimum standards and criteria for the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of public roads pursuant to the provisions of s. 336.045. (b) The department shall periodically review its construction, design, and maintenance standards to ensure that such standards are cost-effective and consistent with applicable federal regulations and state law. (c) The department shall work with the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention in developing a plan to consider the implementation of evidence-based suicide deterrents on all new infrastructure projects. (d) The department is authorized to adopt rules relating to approval of aggregate and other material sources.

(11) To establish a numbering system for public roads and to functionally classify such roads.

(12) To coordinate the planning of the development of public transportation facilities within the state and the provision of related transportation services as authorized by law.

(13) To plan proposed transportation facilities as part of the State Highway System, and to construct, maintain, and operate such facilities.

(14) To establish, control, and prohibit points of ingress to, and egress from, the State Highway System, the turnpike, and other transportation facilities under the department’s jurisdiction as necessary to ensure the safe, efficient, and effective maintenance and operation of such facilities.

(15) To regulate and prescribe conditions for the transfer of stormwater to the state right-of-way as a result of manmade changes to adjacent properties. (a) Such regulation shall be through a permitting process designed to ensure the safety and integrity of the Department of Transportation facilities and to prevent an unreasonable burden on lower properties. (b) The department is specifically authorized to adopt rules which set forth the purpose; necessary definitions; permit exceptions; permit and assurance requirements; permit application procedures; permit forms; general conditions for a drainage permit; provisions for suspension or revocation of a permit; and provisions for department recovery of fines, penalties, and costs incurred due to permittee actions. In order to avoid duplication and overlap with other units of government, the department shall accept a surface water management permit issued by a water management district, the Department of Environmental Protection, a surface water management permit issued by a delegated local government, or a permit issued pursuant to an approved Stormwater Management Plan or Master Drainage Plan; provided issuance is based on requirements equal to or more stringent than those of the department. The department may enter into a permit-delegation agreement with a governmental entity if issuance of a permit is based on requirements that the department finds will ensure the safety and integrity of facilities of the Department of Transportation.

(16)(a) To plan, acquire, lease, construct, maintain, and operate toll facilities; to authorize the issuance and refunding of bonds; and to fix and collect tolls or other charges for travel on any such facilities. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the department may not enter into a lease-purchase agreement with an expressway authority, regional transportation authority, or other entity. This paragraph does not invalidate a lease-purchase agreement authorized under chapter 348 or chapter 2000-411, Laws of Florida, existing as of July 1, 2013, and does not limit the department’s authority under s. 334.30.

(17) To designate limited access facilities on the State Highway System and turnpike projects; to plan, construct, maintain, and operate service roads in connection with such facilities; and to regulate, reconstruct, or realign any existing public road as a service road.

(18) To establish and maintain bicycle and pedestrian ways.

(19) To encourage and promote the development of multimodal transportation alternatives.

(20) To conduct research studies, and to collect data necessary for the improvement of the state transportation system.

(21) To conduct research and demonstration projects relative to innovative transportation technologies.

(22) To cooperate with and assist local governments in the development of a statewide transportation system and in the development of the individual components of the system.

(23) To cooperate with the transportation department or duly authorized commission or authority of any state in the development and construction of transportation facilities physically connecting facilities of this state with those facilities of any adjoining state.

(24) To identify, obtain, and administer all federal funds available to the department for all transportation purposes.

(25) To do all things necessary to obtain the full benefits of the national Highway Safety Act of 1966, and in so doing, to cooperate with federal and state agencies, public and private agencies, interested organizations, and individuals to effectuate the purposes of that act, and any and all amendments thereto. The Governor shall have the ultimate state responsibility for dealing with the Federal Government in respect to programs and activities initiated pursuant to the national Highway Safety Act of 1966, and any amendments thereto.

(26) To provide for the enhancement of environmental benefits, including air and water quality; to prevent roadside erosion; to conserve the natural roadside growth and scenery; and to provide for the implementation and maintenance of roadside conservation, enhancement, and stabilization programs. (a) On an annual basis, an amount equal to at least 1.5 percent of the total amount contracted for the average of the previous 3 completed fiscal years of construction projects shall be allocated by the department on a statewide basis for the purchase of plant materials to enhance State Highway System rights-of-way and arterial facilities. Such funds must be allocated on a statewide basis. (b) To the greatest extent practical, at least 50 percent of the funds allocated under paragraph (a) shall be allocated for large plant materials and the remaining funds for other plant materials. (c) Except as prohibited by applicable federal law or regulation, all plant materials shall be purchased from Florida commercial nursery stock in this state on a uniform competitive bid basis. The department shall develop grades and standards for landscaping materials purchased through this process, which must include standards for landscaping materials native to specific regions of this state which are reflective of this state’s heritage and natural landscapes.

(27) To conduct studies and provide coordination to assess the needs associated with landside ingress and egress to port facilities, and to coordinate with local governmental entities to ensure that port facility access routes are properly integrated with other transportation facilities.

(28) To require persons to affirm the truth of statements made in any application for a license, permit, or certification issued by the department or in any contract documents submitted to the department.

(29) To advance funds for projects in the department’s adopted work program to governmental entities prior to commencement of the project or project phase when the advance has been authorized by the department’s comptroller and is made pursuant to a written agreement between the department and a governmental entity.

(30) To take any other action necessary to carry out the powers and duties expressly granted in this code.

(31) To provide oversight of traveler information systems that may include the provision of interactive voice response telephone systems accessible via the 511 number as assigned by the Federal Communications Commission for traveler information services. The department shall ensure that uniform standards and criteria for the collection and dissemination of traveler information are applied using interactive voice response systems.

(32) To enter into agreement with Space Florida to coordinate and cooperate in the development of spaceport infrastructure and related transportation facilities contained in the Strategic Intermodal System Plan and, where appropriate, encourage the cooperation and integration of airports and spaceports in order to meet transportation-related needs.

(33) To develop, in coordination with its partners and stakeholders, a Freight Mobility and Trade Plan to assist in making freight mobility investments that contribute to the economic growth of the state. Such plan should enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system across and between transportation modes throughout the state. The department shall deliver the Freight Mobility and Trade Plan to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by July 1, 2013. (a) The Freight Mobility and Trade Plan shall include, but need not be limited to, proposed policies and investments that promote the following: 1. Increasing the flow of domestic and international trade through the state’s seaports and airports, including specific policies and investments that will recapture cargo currently shipped through seaports and airports located outside the state. 2. Increasing the development of intermodal logistic centers in the state, including specific strategies, policies, and investments that capitalize on the empty backhaul trucking and rail market in the state. 3. Increasing the development of manufacturing industries in the state, including specific policies and investments in transportation facilities that will promote the successful development and expansion of manufacturing facilities. 4. Increasing the implementation of compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), and propane energy policies that reduce transportation costs for businesses and residents located in the state. (b) Freight issues and needs shall also be given emphasis in all appropriate transportation plans, including the Florida Transportation Plan and the Strategic Intermodal System Plan.

(34) To assume the responsibilities of the United States Department of Transportation with respect to highway projects within the state under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. ss. 4321 et seq., and with respect to related responsibilities for environmental review, consultation, or other action required under any federal environmental law pertaining to review or approval of a highway project within the state. The department may assume responsibilities under 23 U.S.C. s. 327 and enter into one or more agreements, including memoranda of understanding, with the United States Secretary of Transportation related to the federal surface transportation project delivery program for the delivery of highway projects, as provided by 23 U.S.C. s. 327. The department may adopt rules to implement this subsection and may adopt relevant federal environmental standards as the standards for this state for a program described in this subsection. Sovereign immunity from civil suit in federal court is waived consistent with 23 U.S.C. s. 327 and limited to the compliance, discharge, or enforcement of a responsibility assumed by the department under this subsection.

(35) To expend funds for a construction workforce development program, in consultation with affected stakeholders, for delivery of projects designated in the department’s work program. The department may annually expend up to $5 million from the State Transportation Trust Fund for fiscal years 2025-2026 through 2029-2030 in grants to state colleges and school districts, with priority given to state colleges and school districts in counties that are rural communities as defined in s. 288.0656(2), for the purchase of equipment simulators with authentic original equipment manufacturer controls and a companion curriculum, for the purchase of instructional aids for use in conjunction with the equipment simulators, and to support offering an elective course in heavy civil construction which must, at a minimum, provide the student with an Occupational Safety and Health Administration 10-hour certification and a fill equipment simulator certification.

(36) To expend funds, within its discretion, for training, testing, and licensing for full-time employees of the department who are required to have a valid Class A or Class B commercial driver license as a condition of employment with the department.

(37) Notwithstanding s. 287.022 or s. 287.025, to directly enter into insurance contracts with local, national, or international insurance companies for the purchase of insurance coverage that the department is contractually and legally required to provide.

(38) Notwithstanding s. 287.14, to purchase or acquire heavy equipment and motor vehicles for roadway operations and emergency response purposes regardless of whether the department exchanges or ceases to operate any department-owned heavy equipment or motor vehicles.

(39) To adopt rules for the purpose of compliance with 49 C.F.R. part 26 and any other applicable federal law.

History: s. 11, ch. 84-309; s. 9, ch. 85-180; s. 26, ch. 86-243; s. 2, ch. 88-224; s. 155, ch. 92-152; s. 56, ch. 93-164; s. 15, ch. 96-423; s. 1, ch. 98-105; ss. 69, 232, 233, ch. 98-200; s. 1, ch. 99-250; s. 6, ch. 2000-266; s. 3, ch. 2002-13; s. 8, ch. 2002-20; s. 39, ch. 2003-286; s. 65, ch. 2006-60; s. 27, ch. 2007-259; s. 1, ch. 2009-89; s. 64, ch. 2010-5; s. 28, ch. 2011-66; s. 23, ch. 2012-174; s. 6, ch. 2014-223; s. 10, ch. 2016-181; s. 2, ch. 2019-43; s. 3, ch. 2020-39; s. 2, ch. 2021-161; s. 11, ch. 2021-186; s. 9, ch. 2023-70; s. 5, ch. 2023-197; s. 17, ch. 2025-149; s. 22, ch. 2025-155.