MPO chair presses for FDOT corridor study after proposed US‑17 land‑use change that could enable thousands of homes

The Charlotte County–Punta Gorda MPO on Dec. 15 asked Florida Department of Transportation staff to examine the feasibility and scope of a corridor study after board members raised concerns about a proposed land‑use change near the county’s US‑17 border with DeSoto County.

"There is a possibility of somewhere between 6 and 8000 units going in off of a major US highway," the chair warned during the meeting, urging a deeper analysis from FDOT rather than relying only on the transmittal review process.

FDOT planner Wayne Gaither and other staff explained that initial materials provided by the developer form the basis of required reviews and that developers must produce traffic impact analyses as part of the transmittal. Gaither recommended county staff and FDOT staff coordinate early to avoid duplicative or conflicting studies.

Board members asked staff to return with specific options, cost estimates and a timeline for a corridor or targeted operational study at a joint meeting (Manatee/Sarasota or Lee County) early in 2026 so elected officials could decide whether to commission a larger study. Some members noted the scope could be significant, could take many months or longer, and might require additional funding.

Commissioner DeSalle said he had conditioned his transmittal vote on a cap for a particular applicant — "a cap of 6,000 units and 1,000,000 square feet of economic development" — which he said the applicant agreed to for that parcel. Other members responded that the transmittal process affects only the parcel(s) before the county and that adjacent owners might still pursue additional changes if the rules are altered.

Staff and FDOT committed to present what they could deliver and revised cost/time estimates at a joint meeting in February 2026.