The Florida Department of Transportation has postponed the date that bids are due for the potential leasing of Alligator Alley, an existing toll road in South Florida.
FDOT said it postponed the bid submission date from last Friday to May 8, at the request of proposers. The department now will announce the bids that have been received on May 11.
“The global financial uncertainty adversely affected the ability to move forward with the process at this time,” the agency said in a release.
This latest delay on the leasing effort would push it past the Legislature’s upcoming regular legislative session, which begins March 3 and runs through May 1.
Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, has filed a bill that would prohibit FDOT from entering into such a lease for an existing toll road if the concessionaire obtains more than 10% of its financing through one or more extraterritorial corporations. There is no companion bill in the House so far.
The proposed leasing has been controversial, with critics opposing the idea of turning the toll road over to a foreign company. Many consortiums do have foreign investors or partners.
Alligator Alley is a 78-mile section of Interstate 75 that runs from Naples on the west coast to Fort Lauderdale on the east coast.
