Bradenton Beach is moving ahead with the next phase of its utility undergrounding project in the community redevelopment district.
The community redevelopment agency board voted Aug. 20 to approve $120,712 for Utility Consultants of Florida to provide consulting and management services for the remaining Florida Power & Light underground conversion.
The work continues the CRA’s effort to underground utilities in the district.
Police Chief John Cosby, who will serve as the project manager, said the vendors involved in the work have agreed to honor the CRA’s original 2022 pricing estimates.
Utility Consultants of Florida owner Mark Porter, whose firm is coordinating the underground conversion with FPL and other utility providers, said the next major step will be securing easements for utility equipment.
Porter estimated about 12 easements will be required. The process will include boundary surveys, contacting property owners and obtaining signatures before the easements are recorded.
He said the easement process could be completed within three months.
Once the easements are secured, FPL can provide a binding cost for the project. Porter said material delivery could take another four to six weeks.
“I would like to start before November,” Porter said when asked about project scheduling.
The project’s northern termination point was a point of discussion, and Porter said decisions will require coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation’s Cortez Bridge replacement project.
Porter said the location of a utility switch near Cortez Road will depend on the footprint of the new bridge.
The $120,712 consulting and management expenditure will be paid from CRA funds.
Cosby said the remaining underground utility work will cover the area from Bridge Street north to Cortez Road and Gulf Drive east to the bay and, once completed, utility undergrounding will be completed throughout the CRA district.
About the CRA
The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency is a special taxing district created to address blight and support redevelopment within a designated area that includes much of the city’s commercial corridor along Gulf Drive and Bridge Street. The CRA board members are the city commissioners, overseeing projects, budgets and planning within the district.
