There are three phases to every Florida road project: (1) design; (2) right of way acquisition; and (3) road construction. These three phases usually occur in the same order. The government usually first hire engineers to design the project and determine what right of way must be acquired. Next, the government acquires the right of way it needs. And finally, after obtaining the needed right of way, the government constructs the road project.
All three of these road project phases require funding from the Florida governmental entity building the road, and given this dependency, the timing for each of these phases can change quickly and often. The Florida Department of Transportation (“FDOT”), for example, issues five-year plans that indicate when within a five-year window each of these three phases will occur for FDOT’s prioritized road projects. The priority and timing of these projects typically changes numerous times throughout the life of a project. Sometimes, a project will be drastically sped up; other times, the FDOT can be delay a project by years.
One advantage of hiring the Fixel Law Firm is that the firm has a team of dedicated employees that track the status road projects throughout the state. If a project’s status changes, the Fixel Law Firm notifies its affected property owner clients of the change and explains how the change may impact their property.
If you have a question about the timing of a Florida road project that may impact your property or about any other issue related to Florida eminent domain, please contact the Fixel Law Firm’s partner, William Fixel, by e-mail at wfixel@fixelfirm.com or by telephone toll-free at 1-800-848-7535.