Tampa Bay To Benefit From $68M In State Funds For Electric Buses

TAMPA, FL — Thirteen Florida counties, including Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, will receive a portion of $68 million from a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency settlement with Volkswagen.

In violation of the Clean Air Act, the EPA said the auto manufacturer used emission testing "defeat devices" on 80,000 vehicles with turbocharged direct injection diesel engines sold in the United States from 2009 to 2015.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will use its portion of the settlement funds to purchase 227 electric transit buses to replace diesel transit buses in Alachua, Broward, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Leon, Marion, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, and Pinellas counties.

“This funding will help lower emissions while also bringing our transit bus fleets to more modern standards,” said DeSantis. “This is a win-win for air quality and advancing the state’s efforts to bolster growing electric vehicle usage.”

In addition, the DEP is awarding electric transit bus grant awards to seven school districts to purchase a total of 218 electric school buses in Broward, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties.

“Florida continues to be a national leader in air quality and is proud to be the most populous state in the nation to have met all of EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards,” said DEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton. “Through collaboration with partner agencies and the private sector, we are able to implement projects to protect air quality and support the needs of our communities.”

Florida received a total of $166 million from the Volkswagen settlement. A Florida Beneficiary Mitigation Plan, outlining how the state will use the money, focuses on constructing new electric vehicle-charging stations, purchasing electric buses for county transit systems and school districts.

The DEP has awarded grants to install 150 electric vehicle-charging stations along the state highway system and in and around the state’s ports.

Funding will also go to Diesel Emission Reduction Act projects, including replacing marine diesel engines diesel switchers on train engines in Florida's ports and rail yards.