TO: Board of County Commissioners
THROUGH: John Titkanich, Jr.; County Administrator
THROUGH: Ryan Sweeney; Acting Planning & Development Services Director
FROM: Brian Freeman, AICP; MPO Staff Director
DATE: October 21, 2025
SUBJECT: Consideration of a Roadway Jurisdiction Transfer Agreement between the Florida Department of Transportation and Indian River County to Transfer County Roads onto the State Highway System
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BACKGROUND
Within Indian River County, only a small number of roadways are designated as state roads, including all of I-95, US 1, SR 60, and SR A1A. In addition, portions of SR 510 and 17th Street (SR 656) between US 1 and SR A1A are designated as state roads.
Responsibility for the improvement and maintenance of state roads is with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), based on the input and guidance from the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Through the development of its annual List of Priority Projects and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the MPO provides direction to FDOT regarding improvements to the state highway system within Indian River County. FDOT also performs routine maintenance and assesses the pavement condition annually of the entire state highway system.
Over the years, County staff has had ongoing discussions with FDOT District 4 about increasing the number of roads within Indian River County that are part of the state highway system. In 2023, FDOT District 4 proposed to transfer three county roads onto the state highway system:
• CR 510 (85th Street/90th Avenue) from CR 512 to US 1
• CR 512 (Sebastian Boulevard) from I-95 to CR 510
• CR 606 (Oslo Road/9th Street SW) from I-95 to US 1
On March 28, 2023, the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) authorized staff to begin the process of transferring jurisdiction of these roads from the County to FDOT. Since then, County staff has coordinated with FDOT to prepare the necessary legal agreement and associated documentation. Recently, FDOT notified the County that it is ready to complete the transfer process.
ANALYSIS
The proposed roadway transfers provide significant benefits to Indian River County, particularly with regards to funding planned roadway improvements and paying for future maintenance. At this time, FDOT is managing improvement projects for two of the three roads proposed for transfer to the state highway system.
• CR 510 will be widened to four lanes from CR 512 to US 1 in multiple phases. Construction of the first phase (CR 512 to 87th Street) has recently commenced, and the second phase is programmed for 2030. The remaining phases are not yet funded for construction in FDOT’s Work Program.
• Oslo Road is currently being widened to four lanes from the new I-95 interchange to 58th Avenue. Construction of the new interchange and Oslo Road widening will likely be completed by 2027.
Because these roads are not currently part of the state highway system, the projects listed above are currently classified as “off-system” projects. FDOT’s Work Program is funded by both federal and state gas tax revenues. State law, however, permits state gas tax revenues to be expended only on the state highway system. As a result, off-system projects in FDOT’s Work Program are only funded with federal gas tax revenues, which comprise less than half of FDOT’s construction funding. Transferring CR 510 to the state will make the widening project eligible to be funded with state gas tax revenues, potentially accelerating the schedule for constructing the remaining phases.
While there are no current improvement projects for CR 512, the MPO’s Long Range Transportation Plan includes a six-lane widening project for the section to be transferred (I-95 to CR 510). FDOT is requesting this segment of CR 512 be included so that, together with CR 510, there is a complete FDOT-maintained roadway from SR A1A to I-95. This will be a valuable FDOT evacuation route for not only Indian River County mainland and barrier island residents, but for Brevard County residents as well.
Another benefit of the proposed roadway jurisdiction transfer is that the future maintenance responsibility will also be transferred from the county to the state. According to FDOT, the average cost of milling and resurfacing a four-lane divided road is approximately $1.4 million per mile. Added together, the sections of CR 510, CR 512, and Oslo Road to be transferred to the state are 12.75 miles in length, which would cost about $18 million to resurface. State roadways are typically resurfaced every 15-20 years based upon pavement condition.
At this time, FDOT has requested that the BCC conduct a public hearing and approve a resolution authorizing the transfer (Attachment #1), a resolution regarding the affected railroad crossings (Attachment #2), and the Road Jurisdiction Transfer (RJT) Agreement (Attachment #3). Following approval by the BCC, the agreement will also need to be approved by FDOT District 4 and FDOT Central Office in Tallahassee.
Final approval will occur upon execution of the agreement by FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue, which is expected to occur in early 2026. At that time, the transfer of CR 512 and Oslo Road will become effective immediately. For CR 510, the effective date of the transfer is when FDOT issues Right-of-Way Certification for the final phase of the CR 510 widening project (projected to occur in 2032).
BUDGETARY IMPACT
By transferring the financial responsibility for roadway improvements and ongoing maintenance from the County to the State, the proposed roadway transfers will provide significant savings to Indian River County over the long term.
PREVIOUS BOARD ACTIONS
On March 16, 2023, the BCC authorized county staff to begin the process of transferring jurisdiction of the affected roads from the County to FDOT.
POTENTIAL FUTURE BOARD ACTIONS
At a future meeting, the BCC will need to approve a three-party agreement with FDOT and FEC to transfer maintenance agreements for the 85th Street and Oslo Road railroad crossings from the County to FDOT.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
Infrastructure
OTHER PLAN ALIGNMENT
The proposed roadway transfers are consistent with the MPO’s Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the Board of County Commissioners approve the two resolutions, approve the Roadway Jurisdiction Transfer Agreement, and authorize staff to take any necessary actions to complete the transfer process.