Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/297477
Easter break. There is a gulf between the two chambers' budget proposals. In their version of the annual budget, House representatives have appropriated $115 mil- lion in supplemental transportation funding that could be appropriated for construction projects throughout the state, including the Sarasota interchange, said Sarasota County Commission Chairman Charles Hines. But the Senate budget does not include any discre- tionary funding for transportation proposals. "Next week, hopefully, this gets hammered out," Hines told The Sarasota News Leader on Tuesday, April 15. Part of the problem is that the project was not on state legislators' radar a year ago, said Hines, who has traveled to Tallahassee twice recently to meet with FDOT officials about the project. Funding has to be secured this year if construction is to start soon, a timeline local leaders are pushing. After speaking with the county's legisla- tive lobbyist this week, Hines told the News Leader he is optimistic the Senate and House will compromise on a budget agreement that includes funding for the interchange between Sarasota and Manatee counties. So far, local and state officials have been collaborating well on the proposal, especially given the sense of urgency to get the project under way well before the 2017 World Rowing Championships are held at Nathan Benderson Park off University Parkway. There is momentum, Hines said: The project is in the design phase already; the state does A graphic shows how a diverging diamond interchange would be constructed at Interstate 75 and University Parkway. Image courtesy Sarasota County Sarasota News Leader April 18, 2014 Page 71