Sumter County officials are eyeing a $7 million pot of money controlled by the Amenity Authority Committee for a possible fix for Morse Boulevard.
Sumter County Commissioner Deb Butterfield, a Villager who represents District 1 which includes the controversial stretch of Morse Boulevard north of County Road 466, is billing this effort as one last chance to address the challenges on the busy roadway.
For years, Villagers have complained, protested and petitioned, expressing their concerns about the roadway that mixes cars and golf carts, along with other pedestrians. Residents cite accidents, some of them fatal, but officials contend those crashes were caused by risky decisions and the roadway can’t be blamed.
In presentations this week to officials in The Villages, Butterfield, a resident of Florida’s Friendliest Hometown since 2012, restated some hard truths.
“The county will not be involved in funding any improvements,” Butterfield said. “The county is not in the business of multi-modal paths.”
However, Butterfield said that she and other officials have heard residents’ concerns and are ready to try to find a solution.
“We are trying to facilitate what residents have been asking for,” she said.
Amenity dollars cannot be used by the county for improvements to Morse Boulevard. Amenity money can only be spent on amenities and amenity facilities.
However, the AAC has $7 million in its “settlement fund,” which was created by the Developer when a lawsuit nearly two decades ago created the AAC. The settlement fund is separate from amenity money and could be used for the Morse Boulevard project, if the AAC agrees to go that route. She also suggested that if the $7 million falls short, Community Development District 1, which is home to that stretch of Morse Boulevard, might be convinced to kick in some money. Butterfield said the county would be willing to fund an engineering study that might provide a direction for safety improvements for the roadway, aimed at separating cars and golf carts.
“It’s probably the last opportunity at what can be done on Morse Boulevard,” she warned.
The AAC will hold a budget workshop on April 1, providing a forum for discussing the possible use of the $7 million in settlement funds for the Morse Boulevard project.