Governor DeSantis says I‑95/US‑1 interchange in Ormond Beach will break ground in 2026

Governor DeSantis announced that reconstruction of the Interstate 95 and U.S. 1 interchange in Ormond Beach will break ground in 2026 after the project was accelerated under the state's "Moving Florida Forward" infrastructure initiative.

DeSantis said the interchange is one of 20 projects chosen for the $7 billion program and that the project's start date has been moved up repeatedly; "I'm able to announce here today that the project has been accelerated by an additional year ahead of schedule and now is officially breaking ground in 2026," he said.

Why it matters: State officials said the acceleration will move construction well ahead of a timeline that, until recently, left the interchange on the schedule for the next decade. FDOT officials said the move is intended to reduce traffic delays sooner and deliver capacity improvements earlier for commuters and visitors in Volusia County.

FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue said the $7,000,000,000 initiative covers 20 projects and that the department is piloting and expanding a new delivery approach called "modified phase design build." "No other DOT across this country, no other state has done anything like this initiative," Perdue said, and he added the technique enabled the agency to get the I‑95/US‑1 work under construction sooner while lowering taxpayer costs.

Officials projected savings from the new delivery approach; DeSantis said the method is "projected to save over $70,000,000 on costs," funds the state would reallocate to additional transportation upgrades.

The announcement outlined specific expected benefits for the interchange: increased capacity, improved traffic flow and reduced conflict points for merging traffic. DeSantis and Perdue cited other recent and ongoing FDOT work around the state as context, including work on I‑4, express lanes on I‑275 in Pinellas County and interchange work in Miami‑Dade and Sarasota.

Local reaction: Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie thanked the governor and FDOT for accelerating the project, saying the improvements are long overdue and will benefit the local community. "Promise made, promise kept," Leslie said, thanking state leaders for the action.

Questions from reporters included whether the governor would announce political endorsements and whether the governor's office could intervene in enforcement around the Orlando attraction "Sloth World." DeSantis declined to announce endorsements at the event and said he would let Florida Fish and Wildlife handle enforcement questions while the governor's office would "work through that."

What happens next: Officials said construction will begin with a ceremonial groundbreaking and that FDOT will roll out the modified phase design‑build delivery method on this and other projects in the Moving Florida Forward portfolio. The event concluded with a ceremonial shovel count and the start of the groundbreaking activity.

Sources: Remarks at an Ormond Beach press event by Governor DeSantis, FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue and Ormond Beach Mayor Jason Leslie.