Commissioners approve applications and updates to secure state funds for transit stops and NextGen 911 upgrades

Gadsden County commissioners approved two items related to state funding: authorization to submit a Florida Department of Transportation Service Development Grant application for capital improvements to county bus stops, and approval of an amended state agreement correction that preserves the county’s ability to receive NextGen 911-related funds.

Administrator Roosevelt explained the corrected state agreement is a statewide form and that the county’s copy had an incorrect end date of June 30; the amended version fixes the clerical date error so Gadsden County remains eligible to receive a regional allocation of approximately $392,000 to support NextGen 911 GIS and PSAP upgrades. Roosevelt said the agreement’s substance did not change and asked the board to approve signature to correct the date.

The board also authorized the chair to submit a Florida Department of Transportation Service Development Grant application to request roughly $361,000 for bus-stop infrastructure and capital improvements. A commissioner who chairs the county’s transportation-disadvantaged board described the grant as intended to add bus stops, covered waiting areas and other rider improvements across routes that link Havana, Chattahoochee, Quincy, Greensboro and Midway and to better serve residents traveling to Tallahassee.

Both items were approved by the commission following staff presentations and a brief public exchange about the regional nature of the funds. The amended state agreement is corrective in form, county staff said, and the FDOT grant application will proceed with county authorization to apply.