Commissioner Bob Dallari, BCC Chair, along with Commissioners Michael McLean, Carlton Henley, and Dick Van Der Weide, voted on 22 June to approve the Interlocal Agreement allowing OOCEA to build, operate, and maintain the Seminole County segment of the Parkway.  Brenda Carey, Commissioner for SC District 5 where the roadway segment is proposed to be constructed, was the lone dissenter who stood up for the citizens of Seminole County, and voted to reject the agreement unless Seminole County was given a voting seat on the Authority.

This reversed the previous BCC unanimous position taken on 8 June that it must be given a full membership seat on the OOCEA before committing to the Interlocal.  Click here to access the SC web page and view the 22 June meeting video.  There are two segments dealing with the Interlocal.  The first is the BCC discussion of the OOCEA response to the SCEA’s proposed amendments to the Interlocal sent back to the OOCEA on 14 June.  That segment is from 1:01:30-01:26:40. The second segment is OOCEA Executive Director Mike Snyder’s testimony, and subsequent BCC discussion and vote.  That segment is from 01:44:00-02:19:25.  Click here to view a copy of the document showing the changes made.  Lines 152-163 show the removal of the provision requiring a full voting seat for Seminole County on the Authority, while lines 310-324 provide, instead, a seat on OOCEA's Right of Way Committee.  Additionally, lines 477-479 remove the language inserted on 8 June giving Seminole County a voice on location of toll booths in the County. 

By caving in to Orange County’s requests, the Seminole County BCC gave up the only real leverage they had to get the legislature to enact legislation creating a regional transportation authority comprised of elected officials representing the interests of all Central Florida citizens.  NOTE: While the Seminole County Expressway Authority (SCEA) is comprised of seven elected officials (the five BCC members, plus one representative each from the cities of Lake Mary and Sanford), the Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) is comprised of three gubernatorial appointees, the FDOT Region 5 Secretary, and the Orlando mayor.  The composition of both Authorities is spelled out in separate acts of the Florida legislature. 

The question is, why, when the BCC and SCEA voted on 8 June (click here for that meeting’s video) to soundly reject the Interlocal Agreement without wording to create a regional authority where Seminole County would have a seat, did they cave in just two weeks later and agree to same after being offered the consolation prize of a seat on the OOCEA Right of Way Committee? 

At a special meeting of the SCEA at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, July 27 that body, by a 4-3 vote, approved the final revised Interlocal Agreement as approved by the OOCEA.  Click here to see the document as finally approved.  The final