As 2019 chair of the Jefferson County Commission, Ms. Barfield supported the Toll Road when she raised her hand and voted to defeat a motion for a resolution requesting FDOT and the Florida Legislature to consider removing Jefferson County as the terminus county for the Suncoast Connector toll road.

 

Ms. Barfield at the time was the county’s representative on the M-CORES and the Capital Regional Transportation Planning Agency (CRTPA), where she continued to support the TOLL ROAD by failing to represent the will of Jefferson County citizens who overwhelmingly opposed it.

 

After the 2020 elections had elected new County Commissioner Chris Tuten did the people now have a majority on the board to pass the resolution. Ms. Barfield continued to fight against it. Only after a majority was prepared to pass the resolution on December 17, 2020, did Ms. Barfield, protesting and trying to weaken the wording, cast her token vote for political cover.  

 

CRG hasn’t forgotten nor will we let the people of Jefferson County forget that County Commissioner Betsy Barfield was adamantly for the TOLL ROAD before she reluctantly sided with the new majority on the board who led the charge, without her help, to defeat the TOLL ROAD.