SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – This week, crews in Seminole County are covering the bright green markings in some crossings after they received a letter from the state that these areas are not in compliance with updated guidelines.
Our News 6 team spoke to residents who noticed the changes happening in places like E.E. Williamson Road and along International Parkway, where crossings that were previously green and white were freshly painted black.
The county explained that they were complying with a request from the Florida Department of Transportation. The same agency is also installing bright green bike lanes as they are working on an improvement project along State Road 46 in the Sanford area.
County commissioners pointed out the area under construction from east of Upsala Road to U.S. 17-92 this week, as they questioned why these bright green markings are allowed there but the green crossings are not.
“There are green markings and green paint utilized for bicycle paths, pedestrian paths and so forth on state roads all over this state. So, I’m not sure how our crosswalks with the green hashing is any different than the green paint,” Chairman Jay Zembower said. “And from my observation, or visual observation, of the color green we were using in the crosswalks appears to be identical to what the state’s using in other parts on their state roads.”
News 6 reached out to FDOT to inquire about the use of the bright green markings in the bike lanes on S.R. 46. We are waiting for a spokesperson to return our request for comment.
[WATCH: Seminole County’s green crosswalks go black amid Florida crackdown]
Commissioner Amy Lockhart shared her understanding of the state’s position when the board briefly discussed the letter the county had received from FDOT.
“The sides of the roads the state perceives with their new code as being exempt,” Lockhart said while sharing what she learned during a conversation with county staff. “So, that is their interpretation of their new code that those trails along the sides of the roads are not the same as the crossing.”
Lockhart then asked, “I want to understand: does the state believe the green coloring and the differentiation is in fact a safety mechanism or not?”
Bright markings at trail crossings have been popping up across the county in recent years as part of an effort to put penny sales tax dollars toward safety improvements.
An excerpt on the county’s website says the initiative is part of a safety enhancement study that was done in 2022, and the bright green crossings result in “lower maintenance costs and a safer crosswalk for cyclists, joggers, and walkers.”
The county also shared information about high-visibility crosswalks that are used nationwide and said both the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recommend them because of their safety benefits.
County Manager Darren Gray reiterated to the Board and the public on Tuesday that the county had identified safety concerns for bikers and walkers, and the high-visibility crossings were permitted by the DOT.
“This is something that we went through the state, because a lot of them are beside state right-of-ways and roads and that sort of thing,” Gray said. “So, all of them have been approved by DOT, but they’re not in compliance with the new updated manuals that they have.”
News 6 learned this week that the county had already completed removals at more than a dozen sites and expected their crews to finish what was left on the list of 15 “initial” locations they had received from the state.
Chairman Jay Zembower said he was concerned about the county being forced to make changes regardless of the previous approval, without any grandfather clause.
“I personally find it, without a grandfather clause in, to be very concerning to me that they would approve such and then turn right around with a new standard that falls on the taxpayers here locally without any funding coming or any grandfathered-in issue,” Zembower said. “That’s very concerning.”
Zembower said taxpayers in Seminole County deserve a clear understanding, especially during this budget season where the board has considered raising the property tax rate along with the gas tax and utility tax.
“This is yet another cost that’s falling on our taxpayers that we just spent money following the state’s protocol that we’re turning right around to spend more taxpayer dollars to reverse that,” Zembower said.
Commissioner Andria Herr said it’s important for the commission to have clarity too.
“I believe that originally the concept was that the markings would all be the same so the driver would recognize that there’s pedestrians in play. This was part of ‘Project Zero,’” Herr said. “I would love to understand the timeline, etc., so that we can actually speak intelligently to the citizens when they’re beating us about the head over this, which I would too if I were out there and didn’t understand it.”
The county manager said he is keeping track of the cost, so they will know how much they are spending to keep in compliance with the new standard. He also shared that there is an appeal process with the state, but it would be up to the board to decide if that is an option they want to pursue.
Ultimately, the cheapest option is likely for the county crews to handle the removal request in house and comply with FDOT’s requirements.