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Highlighted Projects Interstate 275 (FDOT VII) – Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida
The lack of availability of single-family homes for rent in the subject neighborhood. The limited number of single-family rentals was primarily due to a “tight” real estate market which was compounded by the other concurrent projects causing competition for rental housing resources. The limited supply of rental homes led to increased rents that resulted in a considerable number of “Last Resort Housing” calculations. AAG was able to secure replacement housing in this tight market through negotiations and personal contact information with realtors and landlords in the area. Considering the active market at the time of this project, all calculations needed to be approved in a timely fashion to maintain the availability of comparables found. This meant AAG’s calculations needed to be correct and compliant the first time to meet these time constraints and evidence of this is given in our grade and in meeting our schedule in advance of the certification date. Additional challenges included the ability to communicate with displacees who spoke various languages other than English and to assure that they were provided with the advisory services necessary to understand their rights and responsibilities under the Uniform Act. AAG was able to overcome these barriers through constant advisory services above and beyond what is required and through the assistance of interpreters associated with the firm in the area. Many homeowners raised concern over the prospect of their property taxes increasing as a result of being forced to relocate. While a 3% Save Our Homes cap that limits the increase in the annual assessment of homestead properties in Florida was now a part of our state constitution, a new effort began to allow homestead property owners to transfer this tax savings to new homes in situations where they are forced to move as a result of eminent domain. This provided additional consideration in our negotiations and relocation assistance. Contact person: Elbert Johnson, 11201 N. McKinley Drive, Tampa, FL 33612, (813) 975-6740. elbert.johnson@dot.state.fl.us 40th Street (City of Tampa) – Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida This project, that has five acquisition phases, AAG has acquired more than160 parcels with approximately 40% being settling prior to filing suit and over 100 complex commercial and residential relocations even though the City of Tampa experienced a lengthy PD&E phase and the affected property owners were saturated with solicitations from countless eminent domain attorneys, in some cases for over 12 years.
This project presented a number of challenges due to stalls in negotiations, difficult relocation issues and increased construction costs, which AAG took into consideration during each phase of their duties.
From public meetings to individual engagements, were daily accomplishments AAG provided to the client and community. Many consisted of sensitive business and property owners. Our field professionals made it a priority to provide as much information to promote positive public perception to all affected property owners, businesses and tenants. In order to maximize resources and maintain an aggressive timeline, the AAG Team worked closely with neighborhood task force groups to identify the most critical issues and parcels along the roadway to stay on schedule.
For all five phases (Segments A-E) the widening project also provides for roadway, storm-water, water and wastewater improvements, street lighting, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, bus shelters and bus bays and three roundabouts.
The nature of the acquisition and relocation process was priority one to AAG and the City of Tampa as this project had been on the drawing board for many years. AAG acted as accessible educational resources for both the client and affected property owners, which is evident in the final product for the benefit of the public. Contact person: Jim Burnside, Street Design Engineer, City of Tampa, 306 E. Jackson Street, Tampa, FL 33602, (813) 274-8054; Jim.Burnside@ci.tampa.fl.us Interstate 4 (FDOT I) – Lakeland, Polk County, Florida
This project entailed an accelerated schedule to meet construction certification dates with the overall expansion of Interstate 4 from surrounding counties in Hillsborough and Osceola. AAG was assigned 2 phases simultaneously and was able to meet the accelerated schedule with property acquisition and relocation with no exceptions to the State Certification. Contact person: Richard Cason, P. O. Box 1249, Bartow, FL 33830, (863) 519-2453 Richard.Cason@dot.state.fl.us |
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The I-275 improvement project was part of several major interstate projects that would occur concurrently over a decade. Even though this particular project was completed five months ahead of schedule, there were several hurdles that had to be overcome so that AAG could comply with the FDOT certification date:
The timing on all phases, A-E, involved strict coordination between AAG, City of Tampa Real Estate Division, the City of Tampa Transportation Department, Demolition and Construction Teams, as individual demolitions and two new bridges needed to be constructed without interruption of the traffic flow through an area of Tampa where over 17,000 vehicles per day travel.
Other issues to comply with and coordinate with were the asbestos inspections, abatement and demolition scheduling, which AAG not only completed in compliance with 49 Code Federal Regulations Part 24 / The Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended, but also in a timely manner.
The 40th Street/McKinley Drive corridor is a north/south urban arterial corridor located between 30th Street on the west and 56th Street on the east. The limits of the project are from Hillsborough Avenue to Fowler Avenue. The corridor was a two-lane rural roadway and included a two-lane bridge across the Hillsborough River, Tampa’s main source of drinking water.
40th Street is a major gateway to Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, the University of South Florida, and two regional medical hospitals. The improvements AAG accomplished through negotiation, relocation and property management provide a more efficient route to these destinations and help alleviate congestion and improve safety for pedestrians and motorists. 
Phase II 62 parcel acquisition / relocation project for the overpass and roadway expansion of Interstate 4 from Memorial Boulevard to US 98 in Lakeland, Florida. The nature of the project consists of right of way from the cross roads that extend over the highway to facilitate raising the overpasses and adding lanes for the ultimate expansion of this interstate. The parcels consist mostly of rural residential and vacant properties with some commercial parcels. Relocation consisted of 15 residential relocations and 5 personal property moves. Responsibilities include title update, negotiations, relocation, closings, suit preparation and property management all done in conformance to 49 Code Federal Regulations Part 24 / The Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended. |