LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — At least some Lake County commissioners have reached a breaking point, watching road projects pile up without ever getting done and hearing residents’ complaints about crashes and potholes.
On Tuesday, commissioners discussed ways to reduce the county’s $710 million backlog of proposed projects that are incomplete or have not started due to a lack of funding.
The list spans the entire county and ranges from signal work on major thoroughfares to repaving and realigning problematic intersections. It’s been growing for decades, back to the days when the county did not allocate any of its annual general fund budget to transportation.
“I absolutely understand how frustrating it is,” Commissioner Sean Parks said. “You put a project on a list, and you know you’re not sure whether it’s going to be done for 10 years.”
Parks pushed other commissioners into a discussion about reducing the backlog, laying out a menu of options ranging from restructuring taxes and the county’s budget to adding more taxes on new homeowners, upping the gas tax, applying for more grants and simply building cheaper roads.
He said if the county and its municipalities could invest an additional $36 million in the roads each year, which would roughly double the current investment, the backlog could be cut by 50% by 2035.
Parks added that the county has been better about hitting its transportation funding targets in recent years, but the hole shouldn’t be allowed to grow any more.
He added that the county is also in the process of redoing its transportation plan, which provides the perfect opportunity to discuss funding.
“I think they know that now is the time,” he said. “Let’s get in there. Roll up our sleeves. We have the rest of this year to put a cost-feasible plan together to put an actual plan to fund these projects.”
The energy was met with appreciation from drivers in Mount Dora, who complained about blown tires and dangerous merges.
“We need it here,” Freddie Allen said. On Tuesday, commissioners discussed ways to reduce the county’s $710 million backlog of proposed projects that are incomplete or have
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