BRADENTON, Fla. - The Florida Department of Transportation said yesterday that the agency did not receive bids from any of the six respondents that had shown interest in leasing an existing 78-mile-long toll road known as Alligator Alley.
DOT officials could not immediately be reached for comment about why they thought no bidders responded, or whether they would consider trying again in the future to solicit firms interested in the lease. The lease plan had become controversial in part because foreign companies were financial backers among the consortiums of prospective bidders that showed interest.
"The state's primary objective in pursuing the lease was to maximize value to the state for reinvestment in transportation facilities while maintaining the Alley's high safety standards, service levels, and overall quality," the DOT said in a brief announcement yesterday.
The state had hoped to find a firm or consortium to lease, maintain, operate, and receive toll revenues for Alligator Alley for up to 75 years. The idea was to maximize the value of the toll road through an up front payment in order to use the funds on other transportation projects.
The acceptance of bids had been delayed more than a week, the DOT said earlier this month, at the request of prospective bidders.
In addition to being controversial, the process of conducting a search for a firm or consortium to lease Florida's first existing toll road came as the economy worsened significantly. The DOT began eyeing the process of seeking qualifications of potential bidders more than a year ago.
Initially, eight candidates showed interest in the lease but the DOT restarted the process of seeking qualified bidders last June. A month later, only six candidates submitted qualifications and were asked to submit bids.
