{"id":43655,"date":"2024-04-01T19:26:37","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T23:26:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=43655"},"modified":"2024-04-01T23:02:17","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T03:02:17","slug":"sparks-fly-between-lakeland-commissioners-and-fdot-over-long-delayed-florida-avenue-road-diet-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2024\/04\/01\/sparks-fly-between-lakeland-commissioners-and-fdot-over-long-delayed-florida-avenue-road-diet-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Sparks fly between Lakeland Commissioners and FDOT over long-delayed Florida Avenue road diet project"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People say the road diet has led to heavy traffic and fender benders, adding that it\u2019s unfinished and unsightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Joint FDOT, City Commission,&amp; Chamber Board Meeting - April 1, 2024\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/929594435?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;There&#8217;s a different kind of road rage boiling up in Lakeland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People are growing tired of waiting for the city and the Florida Department of Transportation to do something about Florida Avenue in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lakelandgov.net\/departments\/community-economic-development\/neighborhoods\/find-your-neighborhood\/historic-dixieland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lakeland&#8217;s Dixieland neighborhood.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"259\" height=\"194\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/images.jpeg?resize=259%2C194&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43656\" style=\"width:418px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s where a three-year road diet experiment, slowing traffic and reducing lanes, has left people starved \u2014 for answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey keep talking about it, but get it done, move forward,\u201d Mark Blanchard, who walks along Florida Avenue just about every day, said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Blanchard says he feels safer with the lane reductions and concrete curbs. But he\u2019s also less comfortable with the traffic that now backs up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He\u2019s not alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lot of people shared similar concerns at a sometimes-heated meeting on Monday between the city of Lakeland and FDOT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People say the road diet has led to heavy traffic and fender benders, adding that it\u2019s unfinished and unsightly.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"600\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/mayor-bill-mutz.png?resize=400%2C600&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4866\" style=\"width:237px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/mayor-bill-mutz.png?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/mayor-bill-mutz.png?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mayor Bill Mutz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The problem is we really haven&#8217;t done anything for 24 months. That&#8217;s really the problem,&#8221; Mayor Bill Mutz said. &#8220;While everyone was feeling like things were progressing, we weren&#8217;t doing anything. That&#8217;s sobering.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"731\" height=\"1024\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/guy-lalonde-12-23.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43657\" style=\"width:263px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/guy-lalonde-12-23.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 731w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/guy-lalonde-12-23.jpg?resize=214%2C300&amp;ssl=1 214w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/guy-lalonde-12-23.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/guy-lalonde-12-23.jpg?resize=1097%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1097w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/guy-lalonde-12-23.jpg?resize=1463%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1463w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/guy-lalonde-12-23.jpg?w=1500&amp;ssl=1 1500w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">City Commissioner Guy Lalonde<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cI feel like we&#8217;ve been taken to the prom and left at the doorstep without a corsage,\u201d<\/strong> City Commissioner Guy Lalonde said, describing how the city feels about the project \u2014 <strong>and now FDOT\u2019s suggestion that Lakeland chip in to finish it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"119\" height=\"149\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/FDOT-Secretary-L.K.-Nandam.webp?resize=119%2C149&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43658\" style=\"width:203px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FDOT Secretary L.K. Nandam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Florida Avenue is a state road. Still, <strong>FDOT Secretary L.K. Nandam made it clear resurfacing and expansion projects have become much more expensive. And if Lakeland wants the Florida Avenue project to move forward, the city is going to have to pony up part of the cost.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cIt will be sometime in the future. Sometime in the long-term feature for us to even pursue this,\u201d<\/strong> Nandam said. \u201cSo, a partnership is going to be very, very critical for us to advance this project.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How much money and who pays what share can\u2019t be known until an engineering and design study is complete, which could take two years alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FDOT has set aside $1.5 million this budget year and next year toward South Florida Avenue&#8217;s reconstruction, Nandam said, with a larger sum of $6 million budgeted in 2026-27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The roughly $9 million in funding from the FDOT is not anticipated to be anywhere near enough to completely redesign the Dixieland corridor. The cost of asphalt alone has increased by about 50% in recent years because of inflation, Nandam said.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/ken-road-diet.webp?resize=1110%2C624&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22350\" style=\"width:549px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">City leaders have also been hearing from people in nearby neighborhoods who say impatient drivers cut through their once-quiet streets looking for detours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere&#8217;s been lots of traffic and tons of people pulling into my neighborhood when they don&#8217;t need to be there,\u201d neighbor Grace Elizabeth said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Businesses in the area say they also have not seen the promise of more biking and foot traffic come to pass either. But it might, they say, with long-awaited wider sidewalks and more inviting landscaping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Tracy Wagner, owner of Tracy and Company Hair Designers, said. \u201cFor all the businesses. The pedestrians. And everyone in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"731\" height=\"1024\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Bill-Read.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2619\" style=\"width:294px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Bill-Read.jpg?resize=731%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 731w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Bill-Read.jpg?resize=214%2C300&amp;ssl=1 214w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Bill-Read.jpg?resize=768%2C1075&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Bill-Read.jpg?w=1500&amp;ssl=1 1500w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Commissioner Bill Read<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>&#8220;The short answer is no. We don&#8217;t have the money. We&#8217;re not sure where we are going to get the money,&#8221;<\/strong> Commissioner Bill Read said. <strong>&#8220;Everyone out here is experiencing everything we are. Florida Avenue is being inundated with traffic, people are shooting off into smaller roads, and we&#8217;re having to get speed bumps on every street. I think there&#8217;s more traffic, I think there&#8217;s more accidents, personally.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some estimates say it could take another 10 years to complete the project, a number many said is simply too long for such a busy road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When asked about removing the barriers to re-widen the road, FDOT said it could do so, but that it would be at the city&#8217;s expense.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They also warned that while there have been more fender benders along Florida Avenue during the road diet, it would likely lead back to the days of more serious accidents along the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Secretary Nandam suggested the city try to approach private stakeholders who would benefit from the project and ask them to chip in as well.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"818\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Chuck_Barmby_Headshot.width-1200.jpg?resize=1024%2C818&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43661\" style=\"width:309px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Chuck_Barmby_Headshot.width-1200.jpg?resize=1024%2C818&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Chuck_Barmby_Headshot.width-1200.jpg?resize=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Chuck_Barmby_Headshot.width-1200.jpg?resize=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Chuck_Barmby_Headshot.width-1200.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chuck Barmby, Lakeland&#8217;s planning and transportation manager<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>&#8220;It will take time with South Florida Avenue,&#8221;<\/strong> Chuck Barmby, Lakeland&#8217;s planning and transportation manager said. <strong>&#8220;We are probably looking at a few years before permanent three-lane configuration is done because of the complexity of the corridor. There need to be other routes to handle traffic. That puts the earliest date for the state of reconstruction in approximately 2027&#8221;, <\/strong>Barmby said, if design work and funding come together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>People say the road diet has led to heavy traffic and fender benders, adding that it\u2019s unfinished and unsightly. &nbsp;There&#8217;s a different kind of road rage boiling up in Lakeland.&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"0","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":71799,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[12,14],"tags":[8015],"class_list":["post-43655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","category-news","tag-sparks-fly-between-lakeland-commissioners-and-fdot-over-long-delayed-florida-avenue-road-diet-project"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43655"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43655\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}