ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – As growth continues to be an ongoing concern in Orange County, leaders are meeting to discuss the future of transportation for the region.
The Board of County Commissioners is holding a transportation visioning work session on Thursday to hear from experts about how to meet Orange County’s needs while reducing the impact of any improvements.
“What we want to do is grow responsibly. That means we have to manage the growth,” Mayor Jerry Demings said. “We have to plan for alternative modes of transportation. We have to plan for protecting the environment as well.”
Demings said expansions of SunRail and Lynx, along with other solutions, will be needed to relieve pressure on infrastructure.
“We can’t just continue to try to solve traffic congestion problems by putting more cars on the road. That means building more expressways, more roadways,” Demings said.
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A lingering question that remains is how the county will pay for transportation improvements.
Voters rejected a sales tax increase to fund transportation projects in 2022, and a similar effort was suspended last year.
Demings would not rule out another push for a transportation sales tax increase in 2026.
“That is yet to be seen, but I don’t think we can responsibly manage the growth in this community without addressing the elephant in the room. The elephant in the room is transportation,” Demings said.
While funding may be discussed during the visioning session, the primary focus is expected to be the environmental impact of future projects.
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“If urban communities are to thrive, then they have to protect the wild spaces in order to protect the public spaces,” Demings said.
Thursday’s meeting will be held from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the Holden Heights Community Center, which is located at 1201 20th St.