Board authorizes 2026 bond package after heated debate over Airport Gateway

The Blueprint Board of Directors voted to authorize the agency to proceed with the 2026 bond issuance on Wednesday, a move staff said will accelerate construction of congestion‑reducing, safety and economic‑revitalization projects included in the board's adopted five‑year capital plan.

"This 2026 bond is a key component of almost a decade worth of IAB board project prioritization and funding direction," said Autumn Calder, the staff presenter, describing congestion‑reduction and multimodal projects the bonds would fund.

The proposal prompted a lengthy and at times heated debate when Commissioner Kaban sought to exclude the Airport Gateway project — and specifically "segment C" that crosses state‑owned land leased to Florida State University — from the bond resolution. Kaban argued the board was being asked to bond money for a parcel it did not yet own and said he planned to "vote no on the airport gateway bonds." "We are bonding money for segment C on the airport gateway without even owning the land," he said.

The board's attorney responded that carving the Airport Gateway project out of the bond authorization would have the effect of amending a budget the board had already approved by resolution last fall (Resolution 2025‑02), and that the proper route to remove a previously adopted project would be a budget amendment presented as a separate agenda item. "That would make the motion improper because the board has approved funding for the airport gateway project back in September by motion," the attorney said.

Commissioners exchanged procedural and substantive arguments about whether a bifurcated vote was permissible. After a substitute motion to accept staff recommendation was offered, the board held a roll‑call vote and the measure passed. On the record, multiple commissioners praised staff's work and noted this bonding series is intended to keep long‑planned projects on schedule.

Roll‑call votes recorded on the audio record showed the substitute motion to accept the staff recommendation passed (board members recorded as voting in favor included Commissioners Richardson, Williams Cox, Caban, Cummings, Maddox, Minor and Welch; Commissioners Matlow and O'Keefe recorded no votes). The attorney advised staff that any change to the projects list would need to come back as a budget amendment if members wanted to pursue it.

Board members said the authorization will allow projects to advance sooner than waiting for sales‑tax revenues to accumulate and that bond proceeds could be reallocated among listed Blueprint projects depending on need.

No final project award or construction contract was approved at the meeting; the action authorized staff to commence the financing process for the 2026 series bonds.