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Cost of repainting Seminole County crosswalks
Some Seminole County residents aren't in support of using taxpayer dollars to repaint the county's green crosswalks black and white. The Florida Department of Transportation made the changes this summer — with the cost to Seminole County totaling to $31,000.
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. - Some Seminole County residents aren't in support of repainting the county's green crosswalks, black and white – and using over $31,000 in taxpayer dollars to do so.
The crosswalks had been painted green to improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.
What we know:
Nearly two months after 15 of Seminole County's crosswalks were repainted from green to black and white to adhere to new Florida Department of Transportation rules, the county's total cost of the paint project was released.
Seminole County used revenue from its penny sales tax to pay for its green crosswalks, which were painted green after a 2022 safety study. The county said the green paint was more visible to drivers and skid-resistant particles in it were safer for b …
The backstory:
Seminole County used revenue from its penny sales tax to pay for its green crosswalks, which were painted green after a 2022 safety study. The county said the green paint was more visible to drivers and skid-resistant particles in it were safer for bicyclists.
However, on Aug. 21, the Florida Department of Transportation sent Seminole County a letter saying 15 crosswalks would have to be re-painted black and white within the next two weeks.
To comply with FDOT's regulations, the day after the letter was received, a county employee purchased paint and paint rollers to complete the task. But, in order to meet the state's deadline as well as keep up with other projects, the county said it brought in employees over the weekend – paying them overtime – to meet the Sept. 4 deadline.
The Florida Department of Transportation sent Seminole County a letter saying fifteen crosswalks would have to be re-painted black and white within the next two weeks.
How much is this costing taxpayers?
Overtime pay alone cost taxpayers over $20,000.
Along with the cost of equipment and supplies, the total expense for Seminole County taxpayers was over $31,000.
What was the cost to other Central Florida counties?
FOX 35 News reached out to several county governments within Central Florida to see how much they paid to repaint crosswalks at FDOT’s behest.
Marion County said their crosswalks and bike lanes were already in compliance, so they didn’t have to change anything.
Volusia County only had one out of compliance and were able to paint it over using their own maintenance crews and materials they already had.
The Source: Information from the story was gathered from Seminole County records.