Residents of Saint Andrews and The Hill recounted multiple pedestrian injuries and at least one death along the Frankfort–Balboa (15th Street) corridor and urged the commission to prioritize lighting, crosswalks and protected pedestrian facilities.

"The St. Andrews community shouldn't have to live in fear about where we walk and live," Elizabeth Blakely said as she requested an immediate protected walking path between Frankfort and Balboa avenues. Cheryl Franklin provided a list of neighbors injured or killed in vehicle strikes and urged a coordinated push for DOT funding.

Commissioners and staff said the corridor is on the city’s radar but noted that the stretch is a state road controlled by FDOT and prioritized through the Bay County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO). They urged residents to provide letters and personal testimony to the TPO because the county’s representative board evaluates and programs DOT funding.

FDOT constraints and funding options
Tom, introduced as a DOT representative, told the meeting that FDOT’s right-of-way and design standards can limit the practical width of a multiuse path on West Beach Drive. "In parts of the right of way...it could be as narrow as 4 feet," he said, and warned that some original designs for a south-side path became impractical under those constraints. Tom recommended citizens and elected officials consider reallocating available funds to broader safety improvements citywide rather than a single corridor feature if the community prefers that prioritization.

Near-term steps suggested at the meeting included targeted lighting upgrades coordinated with FPL, installation of pedestrian flashers or refuges at mid-block crossings, and assembling letters of support to the TPO to increase the priority for safety work. Commissioners noted a recent LED street-light conversion and discussed using the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) expansion as leverage to match funds or accelerate projects.

Why it matters: multiple speakers described repeated pedestrian injuries and argued that small, targeted investments—lighting, refuge islands and mid-block flashers—could reduce risk faster than a long DOT design process. DOT representatives and commissioners said larger changes require consistent advocacy and local matching funds to move projects in their work program.

What’s next: city staff and commissioners said they will circulate contact points for TPO advocacy, explore immediate lighting requests with FPL, and seek ways the recently expanded CRA, the infrastructure surtax and potential matching funds could be programmed to accelerate pedestrian safety improvements. No binding commitment to reallocate specific grants was made during the meeting.