Old business diverging diamond contractor default

1:23:33Okay, that ends regular items. We'll move on to old business. Mr. Moore.

1:23:38Thank you, Mr. Chairman Mariano.

1:23:42All right, we hope everybody had a safe and happy Independence Day. And thanks to our county staff and the team, obviously working around the clock, preparing for hopefully what's a not a severe situation, but uh being diligent and keeping our our public um aware and and engaged of what's going on. I think some of you have probably heard this. You may have gotten a call from um Secretary Gwen, District 67 Secretary Gwyn, because we too spoke and I kind of encouraged him to to maybe let everybody know. But uh

1:24:12unfortunately before the public sees this on a daily basis, um disappointing news, but we're gonna look at the positive behind it. Um the diverging diamond. Um F dot um has decided to um Uh what's the word I'm looking for again? They um default. Defaulted, thank you. Jeez, I can't think today. Uh so epdot defaulted, um DA B contractors from the Divirgin

1:24:43Diamond Project. Um fortunately, you know, I was into the company and I got pretty involved with that, swore up and down that they would get this done, they would meet the milestones, the timelines, um they were moving Along nicely in the beginning, and unfortunately they slowed down again. So F DOT has um defaulted them. What happens now is that the surety bond Company is in charge of finding that

1:25:13replacement for them. Um it may take a couple months for them to find that replacement, but the good thing is it does not have to go through the whole process and go out to bid again. So they're able to go find that replacement on their own. So we will see a work stoppage. We already have seen a work stoppage on that at that location. And so hopefully the company will, the surety company will be able to find that replacement very soon, hopefully sooner than

1:25:43later. So it doesn't look like it's gonna be done for the holiday season.

1:25:48Well we gotta be uh hopeful that uh nothing happens with the other projects they got going because they've got several in our county.

1:25:55You're right, you're right. And let's let's let's hope that uh they are able to continue on with their and move forward and maybe faster now with the project they have with 50 on 54. How many county projects do they have right now, do we know, that they're working on for us? Mike, do you you know?

1:26:14What they're doing Mr.

1:26:16Demoy comes out.

1:26:22Last month I could see a bunch of cars that were out there some stuff going on driving over this morning, tons of cars, but I don't see any bodies. I don't see any work. I don't see a crane being moved. So I don't know what what they're doing, but might tell us about it.

1:26:37Yeah. Well as as far as fifty two and fifty four go, those those are state projects, of course, and you know we don't know what the effect of those are. Our staff is trying to reach out to D O T to see if there Yeah. you know, make sure that these are mutually exclusive events. As far as work with the county, DA B has finished up a couple of signalization type projects for us. Nothing major, so they they're they're done. Um but Yeah.

1:26:59So currently not on any other projects in the county?

1:27:02Not that I'm aware of offhand, anything major and active, correct.

1:27:05And we and we know they were forbidden to bid on any more in District Seven, I believe. Although someone told me they just won a low bid.

1:27:13Yeah, they did. Yeah. They got some in the airport at uh Brook in Brooksville at the airport.

1:27:19Okay, that's not a not a district seven. That's not um I just want you to know I also talked to Secretary Gwynne and I asked him about State Road fifty two and he said it is a little bit behind schedule and they're getting ready to send them some letters. So Yeah,

1:27:33it's unfortunate. Yeah, it really is, you know, because you know who pays the price is our is our our citizens that pay their taxes and expect these projects to be done in a tiny manner. Um So hopefully the surety company gets a good company out there that will finish this up for us because it's such a great project that's gonna have huge benefits.

1:27:52And I I I like I said I think the overpass is gonna be open in in front of fifty-six.

1:27:58Well no, no, no.

1:28:00It is. Isn't it?

1:28:02No, no.

1:28:06I know. The Overpass Interchange will open before fifty. That's three months. No that wait What do you say?

1:28:13Overpass will open

1:28:14before they're done with fifty six.

1:28:16Yes.

1:28:17You oh they're gonna have that done in two months.

1:28:20You mean that's right.

1:28:21No, no, no. You're not talking about fifty six. We're talking about the divergent diamond. The divergent diamond is a little bit of a divine. Okay,

1:28:25the seventy five, fifty

1:28:26six.

1:28:27That's what I'm saying. The divergent diamond will the the overpass ru it's um oh the

1:28:34new energy

1:28:35jump in before the divergent diamond.

1:28:37No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, we're way way different time frame. I I think he thought about fifty six, he was thinking about he was thinking about fifty six. to go to three on one. Diverging diamond. on the current timeline was supposed to be done before the holiday.

1:28:50Before the holidays.

1:28:51Before the holidays. Now they're gonna be two months behind. So you're probably looking to get two

1:28:55months behind.

1:28:55It's gonna take him it's gonna said it could take up to two months. Let me I talk to him all the time. Um I just telling you, this is what he told me. Okay. He could tell it could be up to two it could be up to about two months for them to find the new contractor out there.

1:29:11I think it'll take too much to get a contract when the contractor can get out there. It's a different story. But anyway, didn't I hear What w when's the overpass interchange going to be? Maybe I heard maybe I misunderstood what I heard.

1:29:26So Overpass Road will be reopened in February. Right? We closed Overpass Road to to save money and accelerate the construction. And then that project will be uh I b I want to say it would be in twenty three. I can get you the date. Okay. I can get you the exact date. So I I just misunderstood.

1:29:46Yeah, that's

1:29:48Well I think I I would I'll be confident the contractor they bring in now will expedite things. So anyways, um that's the story there. Um and obviously good luck to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup finals. Looking great. Almost had it last night. Um Wednesday. Uh you know, some some elected officials around here um said they wanted them to come lose last night. I can come back to uh come back to Tampa. That was the one. I wasn't one of them.