OVIEDO, Fla. — Oviedo leaders are evaluating how to move forward with pedestrian safety projects after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed $500,000 in state funding for two planned crosswalks in the city.
The projects included a crosswalk at Central Avenue, also known as State Road 434, and Boardwalk Avenue near Oviedo on the Park, and another on Lockwood Boulevard at Fallbrook Drive near Seminole State College.
A city spokeswoman said Oviedo still plans to move forward with the Lockwood Boulevard crosswalk as part of its capital improvement plan, though that project list is not yet finalized. The city does not currently have the funding to move forward with the Central Avenue crosswalk.
Central Avenue carries about 16,900 vehicles each day. The road runs through an area near Oviedo on the Park, which is considered the city’s modern downtown and is surrounded by residential development, including townhomes and apartments.
Ian Tasman, owner of Pharmacy on the Park, said the growth has helped his business since he opened the independent pharmacy four years ago after working for larger chains.
“It wasn’t exactly what I was hoping it would be,” Tasman said of his previous work. “There’s a lot of corporate stuff that you have to deal with. And you really just don’t have time at a big chain to actually know your patients.”
The pharmacy now has 25 employees and benefits from its location near Oviedo on the Park, but the traffic along Central Avenue is a constant concern, Tasman said.
“We’re on a very busy street. We’re close to an extremely busy intersection,” Tasman said. “This area here is exploding. We’re completely surrounded by residential. We have townhomes; we have apartments.”
Tasman said he watches traffic from the front of his business and often hears horns throughout the day.
All that traffic makes it difficult for pedestrians to get between Oviedo on the Park and Boston Hill Park across the street, Tasman said.
“It’s just cars all over the place,” he said. “If a kid’s out here trying to go through the street, there’s no way they’ll know to check every single direction that a car could possibly be coming from.”
Tasman said he hopes the city eventually finds a way to fund the Central Avenue crosswalk.
“I guess we’ll have to wait,” he said. “It would be a shame for them to react after something happens.”
The city spokeswoman said Oviedo is evaluating previous appropriations requests, including the vetoed Central Avenue crosswalk. She said city staff will work with state lawmakers and lobbyists to finalize a list of recommended projects to bring to the city council in October.
Tasman said continued growth near his business makes pedestrian safety more important.
“The future for this pharmacy is hopefully another building across our parking lot here because we are very grateful for how busy we are, but we are out of space,” he said.