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way for it (a process that usually takes years); and FDOT, as noted earlier, is showcasing the diverging diamond statewide as a new inter- change model. In 2013, the Sarasota County commissioners were initially hesitant about the project, voic- ing concerns about the scale of it and how much FDOT estimated their financial invest- ment in it would be. Then this spring, they backed a scaled-down proposal, approving a resolution supporting the diverging diamond. Yet, during the June 27 County Commission budget workshop, Barbetta was not the only one to raise concerns. Vice Chairwoman Christine Robinson said she learned about the two other diverging diamond proposals — for the interstate's interchanges with Clark Road and Fruitville Road — from an article last week in the Herald-Tribune. "I really feel these FDOT projects are just popping up and taking us by surprise. … We really need to have a conversation with FDOT about part- nering with us, as opposed to us just being there," Robinson added. "Not a word of any of that was raised at the [recent Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization] meeting," Robinson pointed out. "It is troublesome to me that we stumbled upon these things, and FDOT doesn't tell what they are doing." Robinson said she would like to hear about FDOT's big projects earlier rather than later. "A lot of times lately, I've heard, 'We have already planned it,'" she continued. "There has got to be a better way." "You are right on the money," Barbetta responded. Commissioner Nora Patterson noted that another issue is whether FDOT will expect the county to help pay for local improvements that will be needed at the other intersections. "The one we are talking about at University, they are saying, requires $25 million of local money and [FDOT officials] are upset we haven't budgeted it, in part, because we didn't know [about] it until fairly recently," Patterson said. "What are the implications for these other intersections? If it is similar, it completely breaks the bank." Isaac Brownman, Sarasota County's director of public works, replied, "These interchanges have been in the FDOT work program for some time, but not as diverging diamond interchanges. … That is the concern. When do those decisions get made and why aren't we involved in it?" % Don't have your own subscription to The Sarasota News Leader? Subscribe for FREE and receive a weekly notification when the latest issue is available online. FREE SUBSCRIPTION Sarasota News Leader July 4, 2014 Page 35