Florida senator: Palm Bay 'really dropped the ball' with I-95 interchange, connector road

Florida Today

Florida Sen. Tom Lee, a former Senate president, has served in Tallahassee from 1996 to 2006 and 2012 to the present. But the Brandon Republican could not recall a situation like Palm Bay's new Interstate 95 interchange — which remains closed four months after its completion.

“I’ve never heard of an interchange getting built with no connection to it," Lee said during Thursday's Joint Legislative Auditing Committee meeting.

"Sounds like somebody really dropped the ball," Lee said.

The JLAC heard a presentation of the Auditor General's operational audit that found 31 areas of concern at Palm Bay City Hall. A contingent of Palm Bay officials traveled from the Space Coast to Tallahassee to listen and offer the city's response.

Sen. Tom Lee expresses that he has never seen anything like the result of the special audit of the City of Palm Bay by the Auditor General of the State of Florida which were presented during the joint legislative auditing committee meeting Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019.

“I saw the audit as a good thing to help recognize and look at some of the things that our city was doing. Help us to become a better city, become stronger," Palm Bay City Councilman Harry Santiago told the committee.

"And really shine a light on those things that needed to be exposed to help the city move forward," Santiago said.

JLAC members are tasked with overseeing government operations across Florida. The committee is composed of seven House members and five Senate members.

Palm Bay officials have 18 months to take corrective action. The audit largely examined records between October 2016 and February 2018.

Looking west on Sept. 30, a drone photographs construction of Palm Bay's St. Johns Heritage Parkway "connector road" linking the new Interstate 95 interchange with Babcock Street.

More:Palm Bay responds to state audit, considers forensic audit to probe I-95 interchange

More:New Palm Bay city manager plans to reboot administration, improve City Hall transparency

In the case of I-95 interchange and connector-road planning, events dated back nine years along a timeline of Palm Bay council members and City Hall administrators — and agreements were not formalized, said Mike Gomez, audit manager.

Florida Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, said the City Council agreed to build a connector road linking Babcock Street with the future $28 million, Florida Department of Transportation-funded interchange. Council members were told a developer would build the connector road for $16 million, rather than moving the interchange southward to Micco Road.

Michael Gomez, an audit manager with the Auditor General of the State of Florida, presents the findings of a special audit of the City of Palm Bay during a joint legislative auditing committee meeting at the Capitol Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019.

"And then, magically, the developer was never asked to pay the $16 million — so the taxpayers of the city were stuck with the bill," Fine said.

"What you stated was correct," Gomez replied.

Palm Bay City Manager Lisa Morrell told the JLAC she will recommend a forensic audit to further examine the I-95 controversy.

“There is missing information. I cannot stand here today and say why we built a road when we said the developers were going to build the road. That is an outstanding question for me, and I’d like it answered as well," said Morrell, who was hired on a permanent basis in December 2018.

The 1.67-mile, city-controlled connector road remains unfinished. Morrell said Florida Power & Light Co. is placing a transformer to power a temporary traffic signal, and the city awaits a Brevard County permit to wrap up a 500-foot stretch. The city also has issued notice that it intends to fine the paving contractor $3,645 in daily liquidated damages for failing to meet the substantial completion date.

Sen. Debbie Mayfield holds up a letter from the City of Palm Bay to the Florida Department of Transportation while asking questions of Palm Bay City Manager Lisa Morrell during a joint legislative auditing committee meeting where the results of a special audit of the city were presented at the Capitol Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019.

Florida Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne, said Palm Bay officials should withhold building permits for developments near the interchange until a road-financing agreement is reached.

Florida Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Lady Lake, asked whether Palm Bay’s “heavy growth mode” was a factor.

“When I lived in Vero Beach as a young man, this didn’t exist. And so a lot has happened in a very short period of history with the growth of this community," Baxley said.

Thursday, the JLAC also considered requests for operational audits of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, West Volusia Hospital District and the cities of Deerfield Beach, Port Richey and Weeki Wachee.

Neale is the South Brevard watchdog reporter at FLORIDA TODAY.

Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1