William O. Birchfield Jr. (December 19, 1935 – February 5, 2016) was an American politician, lawyer, and civic leader in Jacksonville, Florida.

Birchfield was named to the UF Hall of Fame in 1957,[2] earned his bachelor's degree in 1958, then enlisted in the United States Navy.

[5] In response to the Yates Manifesto, the 1965 Florida Legislature created the Local Government Study Commission.

Over 15 months they developed a document entitled Blueprint for Improvement, a plan for achieving consolidation of the Jacksonville City and Duval County governments.

At the time, the only way to cross the St. Johns River from north Arlington or the beaches was the unpredictable Mayport Ferry or a long, circular route through downtown.

Birchfield and the JTA board realized that tremendous growth was happening to the east of the downtown area all the way to the Jacksonville Beaches.

Each had traffic signals at every major intersection, creating a long, inefficient commute for beach residents.

[1] Birchfield and the JTA board proposed a limited-access expressway named J Turner Butler Boulevard.

By then, growth along Butler and at the beach had turned the highway into a major commuter route, requiring a third lane in each direction, plus extended on and off ramps.

[1] In the early 1970s, Federal grant money was available from the Urban Mass Transit Administration for people mover projects.

JTA Chairman Birchfield and the board endorsed the idea, pursued it, and received a $23.5 million grant for the initial construction of the Jacksonville Skyway, a monorail.

[13] Ten months later, Birchfield joined Lewis, Longman & Walker to concentrate on eminent domain and land-use issues.