During the initial meeting, the Village asked for a one-month continuance of the bridge item, which was placed on the TPO agenda pursuant to recommendations from the TPO's Transportation Planning Council and the Transportation & Mobility Committee last week. Village officials argued that the additional time would give Palmetto Bay residents the opportunity to learn more about the proposed bridge project, including items such as the project plans, schedule and costs and also to provide the county more time to study the impact of all future transportation projects collectively since none of that information has been shared with the community. The March 12th meeting was adjourned to be reconvened on March 15th pending a response from County Mayor Levine Cava. At the carryover meeting, County staff informed the Village that County Mayor Levine Cava would not be recommending a continuance since the item was placed on the TPO agenda by administration at the direction of the Board of County Commissioners.
Today's TPO meeting was the final step in the process to amend the LRTP and TIP and include the SW 87th Avenue bridge project.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Mayor Cunningham offered the following statement, "I couldn't be prouder to see our community come out today in all forms and prioritizing the future of our Village in the middle of the day and for the past few months. During this process, I have learned so much and know we are all better as a result. We will continue to move forward to get comprehensive traffic solutions for our area."