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Lake Placid commenters press FDOT on Amazon intersection; county says fire‑station closing delayed by title issues
Summary
Residents told commissioners on Sept. 16 they are worried FDOT delays at the U.S. 27 intersection will create safety problems when an Amazon warehouse opens; county staff said FDOT controls the right‑of‑way and property closing for a Lake Placid fire station is delayed by unresolved title issues.
During public comment at the Highlands County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Sept. 16, Lake Placid residents urged county officials to press the Florida Department of Transportation to speed intersection work near a new Amazon facility and sought updates on a planned Lake Placid fire station purchase.
Ray Royce, a Lake Placid resident, said the Amazon facility is expected to begin operations in the next five to six weeks and that the owner has offered to invest more than $1 million in local transportation improvements. "Not a darn thing has happened in months and months," Royce said of the FDOT project in that corridor, and he urged the county and the Town of Lake Placid to "bring that to bear" on FDOT to expedite the needed signal or intersection changes.
County staff said they have met with FDOT and will continue to do so. Assistant County Administrator JD Langford described the intersection as within FDOT right‑of‑way and said staff will coordinate meetings with the department. "When I said 'out of my hands,' that was probably the wrong term," Langford said, adding the county shares concerns and is arranging follow‑up with FDOT.
Separately, the county's legal staff reported the closing on the Lake Placid fire‑station property was originally scheduled for June 30 but has been extended because of title issues. A new closing date was set for Sept. 29 and the buyer has requested an additional extension while title problems are addressed; the county indicated it will continue to work with the buyer and retain delegated authority for staff to sign extensions if needed.
Commissioners acknowledged the safety concerns raised by residents and asked staff to continue internal coordination with FDOT; they also noted staff are pursuing state appropriations to cover remaining fire‑station costs. County administration said lobbyists are preparing an appropriation request and that more details will be presented at a future meeting.
What comes next — County staff said they will continue meetings with FDOT about the Lake Placid intersection and will report back if there are further delays; staff will also continue to work on title clearance for the fire‑station property and seek any necessary appropriation support.
