CDD 1 refuses to surrender on Morse Boulevard golf cart safety issue

Community Development District 1 supervisors refuse to budge on the issue of golf cart safety on Morse Boulevard.

Fueled by frustration and heavy lobbying from resident James Vaccaro and others, CDD 1 agreed earlier this year to update a traffic study originally done by Kimley-Horn & Associates Inc. for about $120,000.

CDD 1 Supervisor Rocky Hyder and Vaccaro recently met with Sumter County officials, including Public Works Director Deborah Snyder.

“The conversation became more positive when it was mentioned that this board might be willing to pay to update the previous Kimley-Horn study,” Hyder said as he updated his fellow supervisors at Friday’s meeting at a Savannah Center.

But county officials signaled they have no desire to address the issue of Morse Boulevard traffic north of County Road 466, Hyder said.

“Right now there doesn’t seem to be any political will in the county to do anything about this project. They have other projects and I understand that,” Hyder said.

Vaccaro said it was made clear to him that the county would not address Morse Boulevard’s traffic problems.

“It was kicked down the road,” Vaccaro said.

While that may mean going it alone, CDD 1 supervisors indicated they will move forward with the study, despite the anticipated costs contributing to a decision to raise the residents’ maintenance assessment by 10 percent.

“We can’t give up. We can’t kick it down the road anymore. We have to try to keep going,” said CDD 1 Supervisor Bill Jenness.