Public Works warns slower pothole fixes, less stormwater maintenance if revenues fall

Public Works Director Tanya O'Lohrey told the board on Aug. 25 that Seminole County maintains more than 1,900 lane miles of road, 32,000 signs and hundreds of miles of stormwater infrastructure—and that a 20% cut would substantially reduce maintenance and emergency response capacity.

"Cutting that 20% would mean about 26 FTEs," O'Lohrey said while listing service changes the department would prioritize. She said the county would likely lengthen pothole response times from 24–48 hours to a week or more, reduce street sweeping and roadside mowing cycles, limit traffic-signal maintenance (with some signals placed on flash or converted to four-way stops), and reduce culvert and canal cleaning that currently supports flood-control credits.

O'Lohrey said reductions would also affect contracted services and local businesses that provide maintenance; she warned of higher sediment and pollutant loads in waterways if cleaning is scaled back. Several commissioners asked about contractual requirements and mandated stormwater obligations; O'Lohrey said some capital obligations exist and that staff will identify which work cannot be omitted.