Oviedo declines to offer gas tax money for 417 connector to airport

The city of Oviedo has declined to give $3.8 million in gas tax money to Seminole County over the next 10 years for a planned connector from State Road 417 to the Sanford International Airport. 

Oviedo is the first City Council to address the project, which is expected to cost $200 million to build. The project would get about $48 million in tolls over the repayment duration of bonds for the project.

Seminole County has committed $50 million for the project, with $25 million coming from penny sales tax funding. The remaining $25 million is expected to come from other sources, including with the four Seminole County cities that touch S.R. 417 – Sanford, Lake Mary, Oviedo and Winter Springs – putting nearly $20 million in gas taxes for the project. 

Seminole County Commissioner Bob Dallari said the county possibly made a mistake by committing the full $50 million without a local agreement from cities in place. 

“The (Seminole County) board decided last year to raise the gas tax to do this,” Dallari said. “We probably should have got the agreements signed beforehand, but we didn’t. So now we’re trying to get them signed now.” 

Seated across from Oviedo officials in Oviedo’s Council Chamber, Seminole County Manager Darren Gray explained the county was asking for a projected 10 years of funding from the additional 5 cent gas tax passed by the county last year, estimated at $3.8 million for Oviedo.

“Our request would be for you to consider an interlocal agreement with Seminole County to use the gas tax that Commissioner Dallari referred to, we’re not looking at taking your existing – er, taking, that’s not a good word,” Soto said.

“Perfect word,” interjected Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek. 

“Contributing your existing dollars,” Soto continued. “This is the additional 5 cent gas tax.”

Seminole County passed an additional 5 cent gas tax last year. That additional 4 cents would generate millions for the cities over the next decade. The county is asking cities to pledge that money for the airport connector road. 

How much the county is asking for:

• Sanford $11.7 million 
• Oviedo $3.8 million
• Winter Springs $2.6 million
• Lake Mary $1.5 million

Dallari said the project is key for another regional project: a planned indoor sports complex, expected to come before the Seminole County Commission for a final vote next month. 

Dallari said that project is key for getting a hotel in Oviedo or Winter Springs, and reiterated an offer to split the cost of a hotel study with the city. 

“If we have any hope of getting a hotel, this is a part of it,” Dallari said to the Oviedo City Council at a workshop Monday. “It’s a piece of the equation.”

The road is planned as a 45 mph, two-lane road from 417 to the airport. The toll would be $.50 cents. It would have enough room for future expansion in its center, so future expansions could be done with the existing project. 

Will Hawthorne, the director of engineering for the Central Florida Expressway Authority, said the current timeline has the project going to bid in May, and design starting by the end of the year. Ultimately, the plan is to have the construction on the road finished by 2038 – or possibly sooner. 

“A corridor for doing a new facility like this is rapidly closing,” Hawthorne said, because of population growth.

Ultimately, Oviedo City Council members couldn’t find consensus to move forward with the agreement. Oviedo Mayor Natalie Teuchert said the road would also bring other issues. 

“If we have all this success and we have more people in our city and more cars in our city and more things moving through our city, then I hesitate to also give the money away that’s going to solve the problems we’re going to create,” Teuchert said. “I see the vision. But I do see us having more of an impact having the money stay here for mobility partners.”

For the county’s perspective, Dallari said the county is moving forward – with or without Oviedo. 

“We’re still going forward,” Dallari said. “We believe it’s of significance to the region. We’ll be going forward with it. We’re sorry Oviedo doesn’t see it that way.

In Winter Springs, city leaders are expected to get a similar presentation May 11. 

“They’re going to have to convince us that our residents should be paying for that,” said Winter Springs Mayor Kevin McCann.

In other news, the Seminole County Commission:

• Recognized the 100-year anniversary of A. Duda & Sons.
• Got an update on multiple conservation projects. The state of Florida is negotiating with property owners for Hi Oaks Ranch and Lee Ranch, two projects that could be funded for acquisition in the next year. “We told our staff to continue to work on the other projects,” Dallari said. 
• Recognized the Central Florida Zoo for taking the remaining living sloths from the now-shuttered Sloth World.

Abe Aboraya is a Report for America corps member.