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Photo by Dana O’Connor Wyld Oaks developer Joseph Beninati speaks at the March 18 City Commission meeting.<\/p>\nThe city of Apopka announced its notice to begin construction on the Kelly Park Road widening project at the City Commission meeting Wednesday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is more than\u00a0just\u00a0a roadway\u00a0project\u00a0\u2014\u00a0it is a unifying, non-partisan achievement that every resident of Apopka can take pride in,\u201d said Vladimir\u00a0Simonovski, city of Apopka public\u00a0works director and city engineer. \u201cTogether, we are delivering a modern, 21st-century transportation system that will\u00a0enhance\u00a0safety,\u00a0reduce\u00a0congestion, and support the\u00a0continued\u00a0growth of our city for generations to come.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The widened Kelly Park Road\u00a0will include four travel lanes, a planted median, underground power lines, sidewalks, and updated traffic signals and lighting.\u00a0The widening will span about\u00a01.5 miles of roadway,\u00a0starting west of S.R. 429 at\u00a0the\u00a0Waypointe\u00a0Boulevard intersection\u00a0and continuing eastward\u00a0to\u00a0just past the Plymouth Sorrento Road intersection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis improved corridor is seamlessly integrated with the recently completed Kelly Park Interchange\u00a0and the 429 delta, positioning Apopka as a forward-thinking community prepared for future growth,\u201d\u00a0Simonovski\u00a0said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Kelly Park Road widening project has been in the works for two years, according to\u00a0Simonovski.\u00a0He predicts the project will bring more local jobs, impact fees, and property taxes to enhance local schools and first responder services.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wyld Oaks developer Joseph\u00a0Beninati\u2019s company\u00a0DCP will serve as the \u201cdesignated\u00a0constructing\u00a0company.\u201d\u00a0DCP\u00a0has agreed to share its audits and tax returns and provide\u00a0updates to the\u00a0City\u00a0Commission.\u00a0<\/p>\n
RCS Construction provided the\u00a0city\u00a0a \u201cfixed-price contract that\u00a0minimizes the risk of cost acceleration, except in cases where the project scope is modified,\u201d\u00a0Simonovski\u00a0said.\u00a0Newkirk Engineering and Kimley-Horn & Associates will independently oversee the project, with DCP covering all of Kimley-Horn\u2019s fees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photo by Dana O’Connor Wyld Oaks developer Joseph Beninati speaks at the March 18 City Commission meeting.<\/p>\n
Beninati\u00a0estimated the project would take\u00a0up to\u00a0two years to complete.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u00a0would hope\u00a0to be putting on silt fences now in the next few weeks, and we would hope that by Thanksgiving of \u201827 that\u00a0we\u00a0would\u00a0be complete on the project,\u201d Beninati said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Commissioner Nick Nesta raised concern about whether the project would move forward\u00a0within the planned timeline, since\u00a0Simonovskimentioned that only two of the three co-developers signed a memorandum of understanding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre we concerned about that third party?\u201d Nesta said. \u201cIs that\u00a0gonna\u00a0cause any delays with that one party\u00a0maybe not\u00a0signing right now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beninati explained the third party\u2019s involvement \u201cpredated\u201d that of his own\u00a0and consisted of roadway design.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe\u00a0party is interested in there being excess funds in the account to be able to return cash to him for his credits, and we also, on a pro rata basis, would receive excess funds as well,\u201d Beninati said. \u201cBut this is the city\u2019s road.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0the city\u2019s money, and\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0given out\u00a0$15 million in return. We receive those credits.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
City attorney Cliff Shepard then estimated the cost to be between $26 million and $27 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe money that we were going to get from the co-developers is already in the account and our certain amount of impact fees, which are there to be enhancements to the code,\u201d Shepard said. \u201cOnce\u00a0the road starts getting constructed, a certain amount of inertia builds, because then\u00a0development can come online and people can make money in a whole lot of other ways that they\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0until that happens.So\u00a0it would be my hope \u2014 no guarantee \u2014 that that would be the ultimate way this thing will resolve.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Sarah Merly is an editorial assistant and reporter for The Apopka Chief. She joined the Chief in May 2025 after graduating from Patrick Henry College’s journalism program in Washington, D.C. In her spare time, Sarah loves watching rom-coms, visiting Disney, and throwing parties.<\/p>\n