Latest news with #CentralFloridaExpresswayAuthority
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pride lights, and most other colors, no longer allowed on Florida bridges
No matter what the cause or its associated color, lighting a state bridge to recognize it is now against Florida policy — with, of course, a big patriotic exception. In a policy quietly adopted in February and playing out around the state this Memorial Day weekend, the Florida Department of Transportation says lighting on state-managed bridges 'shall be a default scheme of red, white and blue' and 'limited to the recognition, commemoration and or promotion of government holidays.' It effectively makes a standard practice out of the 'Freedom Summer' lighting rule declared by FDOT last year. And it squelches, without express state permission, options such as rainbow colors for LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June, or even orange for National Gun Violence Awareness Month, also in June, or red in September for Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Recent history suggests that special permission for some causes would be tough to get. Last year's freedom summer declaration came about after the state overruled a practice in Tampa of deploying rainbow lighting during Pride Month. For three years the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay had sported such lighting, but in 2024 a Manatee County Commissioner objected. In prior years, creative bridge lighting had been fairly common in some locales. In 2016 the Central Florida Expressway Authority lit up the Lake Underhill Bridge on State Road 408 in Orlando with rainbow colors after the June 16 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub. CFX — created by the state in 2014 — said by email that it follows the city of Orlando's specialty lighting schedule. However, the city has no bridges or roads that it lights up in color for special occasions. Orlando does illuminate the Lake Eola fountain, City Hall and public art displays. The city's specialty lighting schedule includes red, white and blue illumination for Memorial Day. Orlando also used specials colors for other occasions such as red on Nurse's Day (May 6) and pink, purple and yellow on Mothers Day (May 12). Tatiana Quiroga, executive director of Come out with Pride Orlando which is behind the city's LGTBQ + parade and the region's biggest celebration, said her organization has never made any special lighting requests of the state. Quiroga said the city uses rainbow lights at the Lake Eola fountain for the Pride celebration. She said Orange County and the city have a long history of supporting Pride. 'We have a great relationship with the city but it speaks volumes that we don't have one with the state,' Quiroga said. 'It illustrates a lack of support from the state for LGBTQ. 'They don't support pride but also what happens to the breast cancer community who want pink lights or showing support for the immigrant community or the Black community?' she asked. The holidays stipulated by the state are New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The state has approved at least one exception to its policy so far: In the city of Sarasota, the community requested aqua blue as the default color on the Ringling Bridge when it isn't lit up in red, white and blue for the holidays observed by the state. With permission, those colors lit up the bridge earlier this month. FDOT said the policy is part of the Salute to America 250 Task Force, a group created by President Donald Trump that's planning a full year of festivities starting Memorial Day and running through July 4, 2026 — when the U.S. celebrates 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed. In a post on X, FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue said state bridges and highways will be lit with red, white and blue beginning Friday through 2026 'in commemoration of #America250.' 'Doing so reinforces how lucky we are to live in the Free State of Florida, USA,' Perdue said in the post. The Tampa Bay Times contributed to this report
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Orange, Osceola boards rebuff Split Oak Forest defenders' last-ditch pleas
Defenders of Split Oak Forest tried but failed Tuesday to persuade Orange County government to take legal action to halt construction of a toll road through the public land's southern wedge. Forest advocates insist Orange County has grounds to oppose the highway, even though it sits solely in the Osceola County portion of the preserve. County lawyers say they don't. Without a lawsuit to stop it, the Central Florida Expressway Authority seems set on its preferred route to run a 1.3-mile leg of the Osceola County Parkway through the forest. CFX already has planted stakes outlining the path, and on Monday Osceola County commissioners approved the plan. The Orange and Osceola meetings marked the apparent, anti-climactic conclusion of one of Central Florida's biggest environmental battles in recent years, one that pitted environmentalists against state road builders and the developers whose land will be served by the project. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the highway cut-through in a closely-watched vote almost exactly a year ago, but the Save Split Oak contingent vowed not to give up the fight. Toll road approved to cut through Split Oak Forest Nearly two dozen supporters of the forest turned out Tuesday to plead with Orange County to intercede. They argued that Osceola County's deal with CFX violates the original pact signed in the 1990's by Orange and Osceola counties to buy the 1,689-acre forest, now considered vital habitat for gopher tortoises and other endangered species. But Orange County Attorney Jeff Newton says the county has no say because CFX will use land only in Osceola. 'This board and the citizens and voters of Orange County could not vote to restrict or regulate any lands in Osceola County,' he explained to a crowd in Orange County Commission chambers. 'They don't have the jurisdiction to do so.' Orange County owns 1,004 acres of the forest. Osceola owns the other 685. Orange County Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad wanted the county — either through Newton's office or outside counsel — to seek an injunction to stop the project, insisting the entire forest would be harmed by the intrusion across Osceola's segment. 'It's not just about what happens on Osceola's part of the forest,' she said. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said the board has thoroughly vetted the issue through a series of meetings and agreements last year. 'I do believe Orange County has taken appropriate action to protect the portion of Split Oak that Orange County owns,' he said. In their Monday meeting, Osceola County commissioners approved the agreement with CFX without discussion. The 11-page document spells out Osceola's duty to release its conservation easement to the road builders. Only a few people attended the meeting. Two held signs that read 'hands off our nature.' 'I just think this is horrible so I had to come,' said Linda Chastain, who sat in the second row of the commission chambers. 'I heard about this being on Osceola's agenda last minute so I had to rush over here.' She attended Orange County's meeting, too, occasionally waving a multi-colored sign that read, 'PROTECT NATURE SERIOUSLY…IT'S UP TO YOU!' But even Semrad — elected last year after promising to continue the fight — could muster little hope by the meeting's end. She listed possible legal issues the county could pursue but added, 'Or is it time for us to just say to the people, 'We've got no shot here. You've lost.' ' shudak@
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
After another route shift, fruit farm stands in way of 417 airport connector
Hair tied up, dressed in flip flops and a loose-fitting shirt, Adam Shafran carefully examined the branches of a 20-foot tall tree growing close to the side of his Seminole County home. 'That's probably my best tree,' Shafran said, before regretfully announcing he couldn't see any fruit on its trunk. Many other trees on his farm did. He scowled as he picked off the remains of one gnawed by an animal, then nearly shouted with triumph as he grabbed an untouched purple lump that resembled a small plum. 'Jabuticaba,' he identified, peeling back the skin to reveal an almost white-like flesh and a single seed at its center. Shafran is one of Florida's main growers of the rare fruit, a native of Brazil that is most often compared to a grape. His business, Flying Fox Fruits, supplies growers and hobbyists with seeds, cuttings, young trees and – once, he said – leaves from one of his trees. Shafran began growing the trees 20 years ago, moved his farm to its current location in 2014, and has spent little time looking back. 'I was… thinking of permanently being here, planting in the ground,' he said. 'My business is based off of trees that take 20 years to fruit.' Shafran found out two weeks ago his dreams could be shattered, when the Central Florida Expressway Authority shifted the proposed routes of its planned 417 Connector project that would link the major highway with the Orlando Sanford International Airport. Prior to this month, CFX was studying multiple routes, all but one of which steered far away from Shafran's farm. The two finalists would both cut into his property. The first, that has long been part of the equation, would slice through the northern end of his property, which includes his driveway and potentially his house. Most of his trees would be safe, he believes, though he wasn't sure what damage shadows or drainage systems would do. The second, new route would be the more devastating. It would cut through his property, razing his greenhouses and all his trees. 'That's when I really I lost sleep,' he said. 'You've got me in a state of limbo here, where I was trying to take action for my business, to do certain things. For instance, planting trees in the ground.' The highway spur has been in the works since around the time Shafran moved to the property. It's intended to alleviate traffic on Lake Mary Boulevard and Ronald Reagan Boulevard, both of which converge into a pair of intersections sharing the same 417 on- and off-ramps. The connection to the airport is a bonus. By 2036, it's expected to serve one million more passengers annually, while the neighborhoods around it are expected to have 10,000 more homes. 'That intersection, that exit on east on Sanford Avenue, will back up quarter half a mile,' Seminole County Commissioner Bob Dallari explained. 'That's unacceptable, so we either have to do something or wait till it gets even worse than try to do something even more well.' Dallari said the numbers for the road's construction have finally started making sense. When he was asked why an entirely new road was needed instead of reconfiguring the problematic intersections, he said since the project was still in the study phase, other options were also being examined. He and expressway authority leaders urged community members like Shafran to attend feedback sessions, including an upcoming meeting on April 2. 'We want to save as much of our environment as we can,' he said. 'So do you move it to the left, to the right, east, west? Do you double decker road? Do you do an intersection? Even if you widen the road or improve the intersection, someone's going to be unhappy.' Shafran said he's working with an eminent domain attorney and plans to attend that meeting. He's hoping the road can be shifted to lessen the impact on his property, and said he understood the need for the area to progress. His other concern is trying to prepare for a move. He's looking at nearby property that he can acquire. However, because of jabuticaba's rarity in Florida and because several of his varieties are his own creation, he's worried the state won't fairly compensate him. 'They say, bring in an expert. And I'm like, I am the expert,' he recalled, seriously. 'You could come in here and offer me to buy my position right now, and I'd say, 'No.' It would take a ton of money to get me to say, 'Leave your job. Let me take everything you have and move.'' The April 2 meeting will be held at the Galileo School – Skyway Campus. 3755 Skyway Drive, Sanford. It's scheduled to last from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Controversial highway project moving forward, CFX confirms
Central Florida Expressway Authority leaders are continuing to push ahead with a controversial highway project that promises to bring relief to fast-growing eastern Orange and Osceola counties, CFX confirmed Friday. The Osceola Parkway Extension would run 14 miles from SR 417 through the Sunbridge area. 1.3 miles would be through an easement on the protected conservation land. Initially, both Orange and Osceola County leaders were in favor of the project to ease congestion. As the years wore on, opposition to the toll road grew. In November, 86% of Orange County voters backed preserving the forest in a referendum, and Orange County attempted to hit the brakes on its approval of the road. 'I represent a million and a half people that showed up at the polls,' Commissioner Nicole Wilson said. 'It has been an ongoing investment. It belongs to all of us.' In a response to Orange County's concerns about survey stakes appearing in the forest despite their withdrawal of support, CFX leaders said the approval of prior county leaders had already set things in motion. 'We moved forward with the design of the 14-mile expressway based on a number of approvals both Orange and Osceola counties received from state agencies regarding the section through Split Oak,' CFX spokesman Brian Hutchings wrote Friday. Hutchings added that two of CFX's 10-member board represented Orange County, and repeatedly discussed the need for the community's infrastructure to adjust. His email included two pictures from Google Maps to highlight the dramatic difference in development over a 20-year span. One of Orange County's primary concerns was the promised trade of 1,550 acres of land for the Split Oak easement, with commissioners wondering why the road project was progressing despite the deal not being finalized. Hutchings said the land swap was in the works and, along with money that will help restore the former orange groves into prime Gopher Tortoise habitat, was set to be finalized in the 'coming months.' He also reiterated that CFX's project would bring enhancements to Split Oak, including an upgrades entrance, picnic tables and a viewing platform over a pond. At the request of one commissioner, Orange County leaders will discuss what – if any – actions they can take to stop the road project at an upcoming meeting. 'I think it's super important for the county commissioners and the mayor to come to terms with that at some point in time, a bad vote happened,' commissioner Kelly Semrad said. 'I think that it is time… that Orange County come back to the people with an answer that explains how it happened, why it happened, and why it would never happen again.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Survey stakes appear in Split Oak Forest as county worries road project is ‘done deal'
Engineering crews and pink survey ribbons were spotted in and near the Split Oak Forest Wednesday, a sign that a controversial road project broadly rejected by voters was continuing to move forward. The ribbons marked the future Osceola Parkway Extension project, which the Central Florida Expressway Authority has pushed for – in conjunction with Osceola County – to bring relief to the rapidly growing and traffic-clogged eastern portion of the area. That community will soon include tens of thousands of homes in the Sunbridge mega-development that crosses the county line. The road is set to splice through the southern portion of the protected land, which was set aside because of its biodiversity and high concentration of gopher tortoises, which dig burrows that support other species. In return, CFX and a developer have offered up 1,500 acres for conservation and agreed to donate money to pay for the remediation of the land, which formerly hosted orange groves. Orange County initially supported the deal, but reversed course amid intense voter opposition. 86% of voters supported a referendum to protect Split Oak. Commissioner Kelly Semrad (D-5) claimed CFX staff recently told her the road was a 'done deal' despite Orange County walking away from the table. 'That it's over,' she recalled being told at a recent meeting. 'That there's nothing that can be done and that they no longer need Orange County sitting at the table.' Semrad is calling a discussion between herself and other commissioners to figure out if any levers are still available to halt the road's development, or if CFX broke any agreements made. She specifically mentioned she hadn't been told the land swap had been finalized. She warned moving forward with the road project could lead to mistrust from voters who could soon be asked to support a transportation sales tax. 'I think it's super important for the county commissioners and the mayor to come to terms with that at some point in time, a bad vote happened,' she said. 'If CFX is telling us the case that this is a done deal, Orange County [should] come back to the people with an answer that explains how it happened, why it happened, and why it would never happen again. If they're going to ask us to increase our sales tax, then we must restore voter confidence.' When asked about how discussions and planning could happen without one of the forest's landowners, Osceola County staff cited pending litigation and declined to respond. CFX leaders said they were working on a response and called the series of questions lobbed their way 'very technical.' FWC leaders also said they were working on a response when asked if they had taken control over the donated land, or knew what date that handover would happen. 'It belongs to all of us. It belongs to your children, and the idea of having it utilized for nothing more than an expressway to a private development interest is an insult to all of us,' Commissioner Nicole Wilson said. 'Quite frankly, it's a manipulation of a multi-jurisdictional agreement.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
