Look out Central Florida the OOCEA is at it again!

[roadman65]

A fourth mainline plaza for FL 528 is being built as we speak along with a ramp toll for Dallas Blvd.  The new plaza is being constructed east of Dallas and west of FL 520 and its nearly completed.  Another move for the OOCEA to keep exsisting and the other mainlines on the road are already a dollar or one and a half.  What is this one going to be?  If it is a buck fifty it will mean $3 one way to the beach and another to return. 

I agree with conservative radio on this one the OOCEA has to go!  Bud Hedinger (Orlando's local Rush Limbaugh) thinks this agency is corrupt and needs to be abolished!

[NE2]

Q: Why did this need to be a separate thread?
A: To keep this crap out of the main Florida thread.

By the way, if you want facts and not some Rush wannabe arse,

Once open, the Dallas Boulevard Toll Plaza will be $.75. The toll at the Beachline Main Plaza will be reduced to $.75 from $1.50.

[realjd]

NE2 beat me to it. It will be cost neutral for those of us who drive the entire length of the toll road but will result in a lower toll rate for those getting on from Dallas Blvd and Int'l Corp. Park Blvd. Because of the way the tolls were structured, they were paying significantly more per mile than the standard for OOCEA. This will fix that discrepancy.

This isn't exactly new news. Construction has been going on for at least 6 months

I disagree strongly about OOCEA needing to go away. They may be corrupt, but the freeways in Orlando (other than I-4) are in fantastic shape, and it keeps local toll dollars local.

[DeaconG]

They want to encourage the folks living in Avalon Park and Wedgefield to use the Beachline-especially since they built the Alafaya Trail extension to Int'l Corp Park Blvd (Innovation Way).

[roadman65]

Sounds good, but given the way the OOCEA has acted in the past, it would be something that they would do.  It would not suprise me if they did double the rate of the tolls.  They got away with raising the tolls recently by a quarter.  Many of us residents were unhappy about that yet they did it anyway.   

As far as Bud Hedinger goes, I only stated one fact he made that I agreed with.  I only brought the Rush dude in to let others know who he is.  He thinks the tolls should be removed and I happen to agree to an extent with.  I do not know if he wants to be like Rush or not, cause he comes on too early for me to listen to him since he has been moved.  He might even have mentioned this too, I have not heard it lately. He was on in the evenings until last year when he was moved to his current timeslot, so I have lost touch. 

FYI I voted for Alex Sink in the last election. 

[NE2]

"The Rush dude" is Geddy Lee. "Rush" is Rush Limbaugh. Happy to help.

[Ace10]

Anyone know if the new toll plaza will have express E-Pass lanes or be all-ETC only?

[NE2]

It will feature four Express Lanes (two in each direction) and eight cash/receipt lanes (four in each direction).

[J N Winkler]

Speaking as a collector of construction plans, I like OOCEA and would like them to stay:  construction plans are free.  If OOCEA were abolished, Florida DOT would probably take over the Orlando toll expressways, and that means $5 per contract for plans on DVD and the unmitigated mindfrick of MyFloridaMarketplace registration.

[Ace10]

Thanks. I should've checked the PDF you referenced in the post above first. Thanks for the info!

[roadman65]

Speaking as a collector of construction plans, I like OOCEA and would like them to stay:  construction plans are free.  If OOCEA were abolished, Florida DOT would probably take over the Orlando toll expressways, and that means $5 per contract for plans on DVD and the unmitigated mindfrick of MyFloridaMarketplace registration.

It has its good and bad, but realistically I would rather pay the toll once, even if it costs more for those who exit at ICP or Dallas Boulevard as there is not yet enough traffic there to warrant such a change! Innovation Way is long way from being developed completely and if you surveyed most through motorists who use the Beachline, at least where I work and hang out, they either do not care or they just wish the OOCEA would quit spending money and pay off the roads instead!

True the OOCEA does have a good road system and are planning for the future.  They have been at it for years trying to finish FL 429 as it is badly needed and they are trying to extend FL 408 at both ends and at one time they wanted a relief route for US 441 between Orlando and Leesburg (it still maybe alive, I will have to check the website of OOCEA on that one).  However, you need balance in life.  Until at least the economy levels out, then talk about building another plaza for 528.  That is my personal opinion on that matter.

[NE2]

Once open, the Dallas Boulevard Toll Plaza will be $.75. The toll at the Beachline Main Plaza will be reduced to $.75 from $1.50.

It has its good and bad, but realistically I would rather pay the toll once, even if it costs more for those who exit at ICP or Dallas Boulevard as there is not yet enough traffic there to warrant such a change!

[agentsteel53]

the unmitigated mindfrick of MyFloridaMarketplace registration.

can anyone figure out the origin of the "My" meme?  it certainly dates back farther than "Myspace"; the first example I can think of is Windows 95 establishing a root directory, higher than "C:\", and calling it "My Computer"... but how did that silliness catch on, especially in such official contexts?

what's next?  MyTenFortyForm?

[NE2]

myflorida.com has been the state's website since 2000.

[roadman65]

Once open, the Dallas Boulevard Toll Plaza will be $.75. The toll at the Beachline Main Plaza will be reduced to $.75 from $1.50.

It has its good and bad, but realistically I would rather pay the toll once, even if it costs more for those who exit at ICP or Dallas Boulevard as there is not yet enough traffic there to warrant such a change!

Oh I stand corrected, the price of the toll is still going to be the same for those exiting onto Dallas Boulevard at $0.75 there and a reduced $0.75 at the Mainline Plaza.  That adds up to, lets see, $ 1.50.  Is not that what is being payed now at the Mainline Plaza to go east to Dallas Boulevard ?  So really nothing is being benefited except for that of the toll plaza going to be reduced at ICP. 

[realjd]

Oh I stand corrected, the price of the toll is still going to be the same for those exiting onto Dallas Boulevard at $0.75 there and a reduced $0.75 at the Mainline Plaza.  That adds up to, lets see, $ 1.50.  Is not that what is being payed now at the Mainline Plaza to go east to Dallas Boulevard ?  So really nothing is being benefited except for that of the toll plaza going to be reduced at ICP. 

Correct. This was to eliminate the high tolls for people going west from the ICP exit. One of the hopes is that this will help encourage people to use the new Alafaya extension.

[kharvey10]

Screw the FDOT, it would be something if FTE takes over and their conspiracy theory to have as few mainline plazas if possible.  (The first thing they would do is build an interchange for Toll 417 with the turnpike mainline.)  They got the turnpike itself where there is just 1 mainline plaza north of the northern end of their ticket system and none in the Orlando area.  That mainline plaza on the turnpike s/o of US 301 needs to go bye-bye though, its the most congested mainline plaza I have ever seen anywhere in Florida.  Convert it all electronic, most of that traffic is bound to Disney World in the first place, they can do it like they did in Miami on the Homestead Extension.

[cpzilliacus]

More on OOCEA from Peter Samuel's TOLLROADSnews:

Orlando mayor calls for OOCEA chief exec Snyder to go for "financial mismanagement"

Mike Snyder chief exec OOCEA says he will go... next March at age 65

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: OOCEA's Snyder to leave Dec 29 - win for Mayor Jacobs

[Ace10]

Sounds like Snyder is not very well liked! To be honest I've never heard of the guy, but I think I can speak for myself and a lot of Floridians that we *do* know about all the financial mishandlings of OOCEA. Hopefully all that corruption gets sorted out. Driving on OOCEAs roads was always a great experience for me and are the highest quality freeway in Florida (or anywhere in the US I have driven) in my opinion, so hopefully with Snyder gone, they can keep that going as inexpensively as possible!

[cpzilliacus]

[This story seems relevant to this (admittedly old) thread, so I am bumping it.]

TOLLROADSnews: Orlando toller in turmoil again and now they are spending millions of $s for a rail line!

The Orlando Orange County Expressway continues in turmoil with chief executive Max Crumit forced out this week in a 3/2 vote of no confidence by the political appointees who constitute the board of directors.

Crumit  told the board he'd been approached privately in a violation of rules for state officials by a director Scott Batterson who told him to resign his job. Batterson told Crumit he had the three votes (of five) needed to force him out if he didn't go quietly.

At the board meeting this week Crumit said he was not going to be a party to subterfuge by resigning under private pressure. He wanted a vote. They voted. Batterson was right. He had the numbers, so now they're looking for a new executive.

Batterson's complaint was that Crumit wouldn't commit to his job longterm, so Batterson saw him having a conflict of interest in procurement of contractors and consultants.

[NE2]

Misinformation from ToLLRoaDSNeWZ? Clutch the pearls!

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/28/3591439/deseret-ranches-reaches-agreement.html

Deseret Ranches has reached an agreement with the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) to sell additional right of way for the State Road 528 corridor. The agreement, approved August 28 by the OOCEA board, accommodates rail tracks along the Beachline Expressway for the All Aboard Florida (AAF) passenger train, allows for the full implementation of the Beachline masterplan and kicks off long-term planning across the region.

https://www.oocea.com/Portals/0/2013%20board%20meetings/June%2026/AAF%20Lease%20Agr.pdf (page 12: they're not getting the ROW for free)