Washington County, Fla., says no to proposed toll road

By Lance Griffin

Published: June 10, 2008

With the Florida panhandle county of Washington deciding Monday to pass on a proposed toll road, organizers say they will continue with the project and are now focusing on their eastern neighbor, Jackson County.

“You definitely want someone who really wants (the road) there, and we had tried to alleviate the concerns of the people in Washington County,” said Luther Strange, a Birmingham attorney who represents a group that hopes to form a public-private partnership that will lead to the construction of a toll road connecting the Wiregrass with I-10 and possibly south to the Gulf. “But we want it to be where people are interested in economic development.”

Washington County held two public meetings about the proposed road, and commissioners faced overflow crowds full of residents concerned about eminent domain, the process through which a government entity can take ownership of private land. Other residents were concerned the limited access road would allow traffic to zip through the county without stopping to patronize local merchants.

The commission voted 3-2 against entering into an agreement with the toll road organizers to bring the road through the county.

Strange said the toll road group has been in constant contact with officials from Jackson and Bay counties about the possibility of constructing the road there. He said he expects public meetings to be held there soon. No official dates have been set.

For more on this story, read Wednesday’s Dothan Eagle.