Citrus County officials outline $40 million annual estimate to maintain county road network

Citrus County officials and outside counsel told the Board of County Commissioners on June 23 that maintaining the county's roads at an acceptable condition will likely cost roughly $40 million a year, and that larger capacity projects can carry individual per-mile price tags in the millions.

The county's presentation to the board explained how projects move from planning and study to design, right-of-way acquisition and construction, and why federal or state funding changes the process and the county's responsibilities.

County Tech Services Director Walt E. Spence and real property attorney Campbell McClain led the discussion. McClain said the work follows a set of repeatable steps and cautioned that failing to follow required procedures can jeopardize state or federal funding and the county's ability to acquire property by eminent domain. "Local government is charged with protecting the health, safety and welfare of its citizens," McClain said. "The failure to abide by the correct procedures will put at risk your ability to get state and federal funding and risk your ability to take property through eminent domain."

Why it matters: Commissioners and staff framed the presentation as both a technical primer and a warning about scale. The county maintains about 1,844 miles of roads (312 major/minor collectors and roughly 1,500 local roads), and staff said a Mott MacDonald modeling exercise produced a ballpark $40 million annual figure to maintain the network. County staff also reminded the board that some gas-tax revenues and impact fees have legal limits on use and that certain state gas-tax components are scheduled to sunset in 2034.

Major points from the presentation:

- Project stages: planners identify needs and list them in MPO and county documents; the county then secures funding, conducts studies (topographic, environmental, archaeological, hydrologic), designs the project and acquires right-of-way before construction. McClain described two common study approaches: county-led team studies and consultant-led PD&E (Project Development & Engineering) reports. He said PD&E reports are required when state or federal funds are involved but are usually more time-consuming and siloed.

- Funding and scope: staff presented a rough breakdown showing the county currently receives roughly $8'$9 million a year in gas tax revenue, about $3.2 million in impact fees and roughly $7.8 million from transportation ad valorem; that total is approximately half of the modeled $40 million maintenance need. Some commissioners pressed staff to provide the underlying data before publishing the estimate publicly.

- Grant and federalization effects: staff said when a project is federalized (even for one phase or element), the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) or federal agencies typically manage the project, and local matching commitments can be substantial. "Once you federalize a project, even one piece, it is a total game changer," Spence said, adding typical county-led projects might take five to six years while DOT-managed projects can take 15 years or longer.

- Right-of-way and eminent domain: McClain described the two-stage Florida condemnation process and the Chapter 74 "quick take" deposit mechanism that allows construction to proceed while compensation disputes continue in court.

- Pavement and program numbers: staff noted FY 2025 resurfacing treated 64 miles at about $18.7 million. SCOP (Small County Outreach Program) funding for Citrus County is capped by DOT at about $1.8 million annually and is tied to population thresholds; counties that exceed the DOT population threshold can lose SCOP eligibility.

Board reaction and next steps: Commissioners asked for more detailed backup for the $40 million figure and for traffic-count and segment analyses from the MPO. Commissioner Jeff Kennard successfully moved that the board formally ask the Hernando-Citrus Metropolitan Planning Organization to conduct traffic counts and produce a traffic study for Citrus County roads; the motion was approved unanimously. Staff also flagged options the board has discussed to increase revenue, including MSBUs, adjustments to transportation ad valorem, sales tax measures and financing for major capital projects.

Ending: Staff said refined data and a five-year capital improvement program will be returned to the board for budget considerations, and that county efforts to identify revenue sources and prioritize resurfacing versus capacity projects will continue through the budget process.