City to design pedestrian safety upgrades near airport with $360,047 FDOT‑funded contract

City management presented a task authorization with HDR Engineering to design pedestrian improvements at Airport Road and Dawn Emerson Drive adjacent to the terminal area. The manager said the total cost of the task authorization for design and permitting is $360,047 and that it will be funded 100% by an FDOT grant previously approved by the commission.

Airport staff (Speaker 11) said benefits include better connectivity between hotels and the terminal, safer pedestrian routes where people currently walk across drainage swales, and conceptual design capacity for a future cell‑phone waiting lot to reduce road backups. "One is just the continuity of hooking up to Airport Road and flow with the terminal with airline service now… The 2nd really big, plus that we're seeing is our sidewalk system is now going to be connected so that folks staying in the hotel… have a way to do that," the airport director said.

Staff said the task authorization is for design and permitting only; construction will be undertaken once funding is available. The item will return to the formal commission meeting for approval of the task authorization and appropriation details.