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Commission narrows state funding priorities; CR 304 resurfacing tops list
Summary
Flagler County staff presented a shortened list of legislative priorities for the Sept. 19 delegation meetings; commissioners prioritized County Road 304 resurfacing and bridge improvements, followed by the Black Branch stormwater project and disaster-resilience staging sites.
Flagler County’s legislative liaison and county staff on Sept. 3 presented a condensed set of state funding priorities and project requests ahead of meetings with the county’s legislative delegation on Sept. 19. Commissioners agreed by consensus to prioritize County Road 304 resurfacing and bridge improvements as the board’s top request.
Why it matters: County Road 304 connects US 1 and State Road 11 and carries truck and regional traffic. Engineering staff said the corridor needs resurfacing and bridge work; full replacement would cost substantially more than available local match and programmed state funds.
Staff outlined three funding options for CR 304: a bridge-focused package, a roadway-resurfacing-focused package, and a minimal option limited to work already on FDOT’s five-year plan. Staff recommended packaging a $5 million legislative request with a $5 million county match and existing FDOT funding (about $2.8 million) to create a $12–13 million program that could be implemented in phases.
County Engineer (staff) described the corridor’s condition: daily traffic volumes are not high enough to be congested but worn surfaces and heavy truck traffic have increased deterioration. “The bridges are annually inspected by FDOT,” the engineer said; they are currently serviceable but “obsolete” and lack modern shoulders and railings, according to staff.
Commissioners discussed other priorities staff presented: a Black Branch North drainage construction proposal (staff identified roughly $717,000 needed for design and $2.6 million for construction) and disaster resilience staging-site requests (estimated $548,000 with in-kind local match). Commissioners also reviewed a FGUA (utility authority) septic-to-sewer conversion project and concluded the county’s priority area differs; commissioners agreed not to make FGUA the top county legislative ask this cycle because grant alignment and match availability were uncertain.
The board directed staff to submit CR 304 as the top legislative priority, with Black Branch stormwater and disaster staging sites to follow. Staff said it will continue to refine cost estimates and determine whether bridge retrofits or replacements are necessary depending on available funding.
Quotes
“We can package $5 million from the county and request $5 million from the legislature; coupled with FDOT’s programming, that gives us a program that could tackle County Road 304,” a county engineer said.
Ending
Staff will finalize the unified legislative agenda and related briefing materials for the county’s Sept. 19 delegation meetings, with CR 304 listed as the board’s highest-priority infrastructure ask. Engineering will continue to refine scope and cost estimates for bridges and roadway resurfacing.
