Tallahassee, Riz Roads, Suncoast tolls
What the county recorded
This item is not from the published agenda
This archive found it in the recording: a call to order, a recess, or business the board never listed. The county recorded nothing about it, so everything below is our reading.
The source document
The county’s agenda for Board of County Commissioners, Mar 8, 2022
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
The county’s minutes for Board of County Commissioners, Mar 8, 2022
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
What was said
Machine transcription of 6m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 100% of 46 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
Good. Commissioner Moore.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, just to update the board, I did go and visit Tallahassee again last week to continue to work on that Riz Roads phase two appropriation. Uh obviously the final budget is not out. So um maybe later today, maybe tomorrow, we'll see. Um but in addition to our delegation members and legislators across the state, I was able to meet with the governor's office of policy and budget um to share why this project is obviously so important, not just to Pasco County, but the entire town. So exactly. Yeah. So obviously we wanted to get in front of that in case it does get on the governor's desk and
make sure they realize the importance of that again for the entire region. Not just as an obvious we know the economic um development value of it as well, but it's really the hurricane evacuation for the entire region, which is the most important to all of us. So thanks to Andy. Actually Andy was able to set that up meeting up with the governor's office and Ralph joined us for the for the meeting as well. So we'll keep you updated. And obviously Ralph will keep you updated in in the coming moments.
Right. I think it has to happen today. Right.
I don't think it ha we would like for it to happen today. Don't I don't th think it has to happen today. They could they could stay through the weekend if they want.
Right
today. Correct. So we'll see, right. Uh one thing we do bring up, Commissioner, is a February approved an item to pay the tolls for the northbound traffic on the Suncoast Parkway from Ridge. until um until the Florida Turnpike Enterprise got the equipment fully in place and the final agreement wasn't in place. So we delegated the authority to um the County Administrator Dan Bino, Dan Biles to finish that agreement. Unfortunately the Turnpike Enterprise has not responded with the final version of that agreement for us to actually finish that, have they? We're still waiting on that. So again, I don't understand why I know Mark Kabbalah. Mike,
do you want to come up real quick? Yeah, we haven't
even seen a draft version
to have our Facebook guys. You know, I I think it's important to bring up. You know, we're waiting on that, our citizens are waiting on that. I did reach out to Representatives Zika's office yesterday. They're so busy up there right now, but just to see if he had the availability or him or Ash Mason to re reach out to them and just talk and maybe give 'em a little nudge. But we think about how important it is obviously to the county community, not only now but for years to come. So we know there's Th there's always delays, but this is a quick in my opinion. And you Mike, you jump in. Yeah.
Straightforward, easy document that doesn't need to be reviewed by 80 people.
No, this is uh what we're what we're simply asking for is just an agreement to work out how we pay the turnpike for those tolls until the actual permanent tolling equipment is in place, which is scheduled for May. Uh our contractor is on schedule. Uh that work is ready, that road is is ramps are ready to be open. We just need to uh get that counting equipment installed and that agreement is what what would uh what would hold us uh that we're told they're working on it. Um but three I mean it's been six weeks.
Well working on it is it just a matter of a signature?
I
I I We've
not even seen the agreement we're gonna have the county attorney review it
six weeks for the agreement we're still waiting. If you
sign it with two days later we'll be out there working. Right? It'll be correct. I yeah, I mean there's there's some noticing requirements, but we could we could have everything up and running within a week of of executing.
Well obviously you thought that would be done or we wouldn't have delegated to you a while ago.
A month is correct. A month ago.
A month ago.
And we were told it was imminent at that point. No true.
I was tempted to drive it on it anyway today.
Jump on everyone.
I would have followed you. Commissioner Oakley Mariano.
We're we're my wife and I were driving back from Tampa the other night. And it's like a little bit late and we're like and do we try to make that turn just to go try it 'cause you never hasn't tried it yet and not? I wouldn't advise it. It's not safe. Well but but but so many people they could get their people used to traveling on that road now anyway. Which would help the tolls later on. Now let's face it The money they're gonna collect is is a factor. However, the roads built And why would we take a great piece of infrastructure we know is gonna gonna help traffic
in immediately? That's why we're so important about road as well as evacuation. And to have a government bureaucracy slowing it down because they can't collect money is absolutely ridiculous. I think, especially we've been up there, I think we should send a letter to the governor. I was just
thinking that
saying just open the thing up for the for the get the agreements, the people paid for that road. That travel it anyway. Why are we gonna hold them up to just because you can't and and and no no fault to them as far as You know, deliver deriv deliverables, but if that road is ready, that the road should be opened, period. So I so
I think a letter should go. Yeah, I
know
I like I like your idea. So let's uh maybe um if they don't we don't get it by EOB tomorrow, have the we I would give the chair the chair the give the chair um direction to sign the letter right now. You wanna make the motion?
Yes. I'll make a motion
we send the letter today.
All in favor?
Aye. Okay. I th because they may this discussion may get them to I sit it today.
The letter is a great idea, but phone calls work just as well or better or more immediate. But no, he's right though. But
you
know,
if we don't get it by EOB tomorrow, so
we'll send the letter out. We will contact the governor.
And you know, just to be clear, you know, once that agreement the road is ready for traffic or can be ready for traffic within forty eight hours notice we gotta adjust the you know the the traffic control, you know, the construction traffic control. So that takes a couple of days, but once the agreement's signed, they have seven days to get their counting equipment out. And so you know I'm Cool. I think we would be perfectly willing to retroactively make the agreement retroactive. Just get the equipment out there and open it. And once we sign the agreement,
you know, we we know what's out there. Get it open to the public. That's what we've been pushing all along.
Yeah. Madam Chair.
Yes. So since we're gonna be
I have a s I'm making the assumption that we're gonna probably be done by eleven or something here. Um Um, do you maybe can you reach out to your team and have 'em just draft a letter for the chair to sign during so what she can sign it today. While she's here and then it'll be ready to roll. All right, cool. Not a problem. All right, thank you, I'm done.