Two former lawmakers from south Georgia have been chosen to lead a panel that helps determine Georgia transportation policy.

State Transportation Board members elected Johnny Floyd of Cordele to a one-year term as chairman. Jay Shaw of Lakeland will be vice chairman. Both men spent long tenures in the Georgia General Assembly.

Their promotions come in the wake of most Georgia regions, including metro Atlanta, rejecting a sales tax hike that would have paid for $18 billion in transportation projects.

"We have our work cut out for us on this board and in this department," Floyd said in a statement. "We need to hear what the voters were saying and work with Governor [Nathan] Deal ... to make the most of the resources we have."

Tags: Georgia Department of Transportation, State Transportation Board, t-splost, transportation tax referendum, Johnny Floyd, Jay Shaw