They’re putting Plan B in action.
Bradenton Beach public works consultant Mark Porter said Sept. 3 he sent Florida Power & Light Co. a scaled-back buried utility proposal for streets that could be impacted by the 2026-27 planned 65-foot-clearance fixed-span replacement for the Cortez drawbridge by the Florida Department of Transportation.
FPL will review the plan before the city sends a finalized version to the DOT as part of the municipality’s ongoing negotiations with the agency for concessions related to the high bridge project.
FPL’s approval will lend credibility to the proposal and help the city provide the DOT with a cost estimate, Porter said.
The city’s initial plan — rejected by the DOT in June — had a $4.8 million price tag and called for the undergrounding of utilities on Gulf Drive and the side streets from Sixth Street North to First Street North.
The new, preliminary proposal omits First Street North and may cost about half as much as its predecessor, Porter said.
At its western terminus, the high bridge would extend into Bradenton Beach on Cortez Road and require the construction of retaining walls about 15- to 20-feet tall at their peak.
The DOT’s decision to build the high bridge is being challenged in federal court by four complainants who advocate for the construction of a 35-foot-clearance drawbridge replacement.
Bradenton Beach adopted a resolution in late 2019 against the construction of the high bridge and city commissioners voted to join the suit in March.
But, citing high estimated legal costs from city attorney Ricinda Perry, they reversed course in April and authorized her to begin negotiations with the DOT for concessions.
At an Aug. 5 meeting, commissioners indicated they would vote 3-2 against joining the suit before the complainants’ August court deadline.
Commissioners Jan Vosburgh and Jake Spooner favored joining the suit, while Mayor John Chappie and Commissioners Ralph Cole and Marilyn Maro were in opposition.
In addition to the buried utilities, the city initially sought funding from the DOT for the construction of a sidewalk on a portion of Gulf Drive and modifications to a multi-use path that would replace the existing path beneath the bridge.
The city’s initial proposal included the cost of a sidewalk within the proposal’s limits, but it remains to be seen if any concessions aside from undergrounding will be included in the plan’s next iteration.
Perry did not reply to a Sept. 3 text message or calls about the makeup of the future proposal.