Sarasota and Manatee Counties, Fla. — As part of their Connecting Communities initiative, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, in partnership with the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization and local governments, is reaching out to residents and business owners in Sarasota and Manatee Counties for their input on several area transportation projects and studies.

Major Connecting Communities projects include:

• Bradenton-Palmetto Connector
• Desoto Bridge
• Sarasota/Manatee US 41 Corridor Mobility and Safety Study
• Palmetto Trails Network
• 10th Avenue Complete Street

“Our goal is to work hand-in-hand with local communities to holistically enhance multimodal options within Sarasota and Manatee Counties,” said FDOT District One Secretary LK Nandam. “By partnering with residents and businesses, we will be able to gain a greater understanding of local expectations and provide the best and most innovative solutions to what these communities actually want and need from their transportation network.”

“The quickest way for the community to become involved and provide their valuable feedback is to complete our brief online questionnaire at www.swflroads.com/connectingcommunities,” said Secretary Nandam. The questionnaire will remain open until June 30, 2023.

As part of their robust public outreach, FDOT and its partners plan to hold small group and large public meetings. The webpage will provide updates as these meetings are scheduled as well as provide more in-depth information about each project and study.

Media inquiries should be directed to Adam Rose by email at Adam.Rose@dot.state.fl.us or by phone at (863) 519-2774.