The Amenity Authority Committee has finally made a move on Morse Boulevard after heavy pressure from residents.
The AAC has faced a steady stream of criticism after refusing to commit money to improve safety on the busy thoroughfare north of County Road 466.
In April, the AAC balked at the thought of spending $2.4 million on safety improvements on Morse Boulevard, which has seen numerous deaths through the years, due to the dangerous intermingling of golf carts and automobiles. This past month, a Maine snowbird died of injuries suffered days earlier when his golf cart collided with a car on Morse Boulevard.
When the AAC met Wednesday at Savannah Center, residents went to the podium and blasted the board for its refusal to accept an idea pitched by Sumter County Commissioner Deb Butterfield to reach into a $7 million “settlement” fund to pay for safety improvements on Morse Boulevard.
Brad Burton of the Village of Tierra Del Sol said Sumter County commissioners have steadfastly refused to admit there is a problem on the county-owned roadway and therefore, won’t pay for any modifications. Burton said the continued growth of The Villages has stressed that section of Morse Boulevard. He said 20,000 vehicles a day are traveling on that stretch of the roadway. He said the deceased victims of crashes on Morse Boulevard are being entirely saddled with the blame for their untimely demise.
“Golf carts, bicycles, and pedestrians utilizing the adjacent multi-modal path are forced perilously close to the traffic with only a painted line to separate them, not to mention the dangerous crossing and merging conflicts that no longer match the roadway’s use,” said Burton. “This is not simply due to user failure as many times previously argued by Sumter County, this has been shown to be a system design failure.”
He and other residents urged the AAC to work with Sumter County to find a solution.
However, AAC member Jim Vaccaro reiterated his firm position that the county should pay for any improvements and it shouldn’t be something funded by residents’ amenity money.
“These are not public funds,” said Vaccaro, who has advocated for years for safety improvements on Morse Boulevard. “They are private funds.”
But the drum beat from residents, including numerous letters to the editor published on the topic in Villages-News.com, has been urging the AAC to meet somewhere in the middle with Sumter County.
AAC member Donna Kempa made a motion to move forward with a previously discussed $1.53 million safety option.
However, the AAC’s lawyer suggested it might be a better option to empower him to sit down with county officials and discuss potential options as the majority of AAC members are finally ready to consider options in partnership with the county.
The AAC voted 5-1 in favor of that approach, with Vaccaro casting the lone dissenting vote.