Mr. Gibilaro,

Please allow me to summarize my questions previously posed in my email from November 11th. I am still awaiting replies to them -- I hope this summary will help clarify my questions and save you some time.

1. You had stated that the purpose of US-19 has been changed from serving intra-city traffic (as an FIHS road) to one whose primary purpose is to serve LOCAL traffic. Who made this decision and when was it official?

2. You had written that "the final decision as to the selection of the Build vs. No-Build will be made by the Federal Highway Administration." I was not aware that the FHA had that authority. Can you please confirm this is the case?

3. What are the traffic projections for Citrus County's feeder roads into the Suncoast 2? i.e. How much strain in road infrastructure will Citrus incur as the direct result of the Suncoast 2 in the next 20 years? Was this a consideration in the impact studies? Have our County Commissioners been given the data necessary to understand this impact and so preparations can be made for it?

Additionally, I would also like to ask why the tollroad was proposed on top of the Brooksville Ridge, considered one of the most sensitive, karst-filled region in Florida. SWFWMD data dating back to 1985 has shown this area to have direct connections to the first-magnitude springs of Citrus and other counties, as well as serve as an extremely high recharge engine for the Floridan Aquifer (please see attached). Did FTE and its consultants consider the environmental impact on the Floridan Aquifer when the initial corridor studies were made?

Approximately 10-15 years ago, the Suncoast 2 proposal was moved out of Marion County into Citrus County precisely because an unconfined aquifer was found under its proposed path. The corridor through Citrus County poses a much more damaging threat to the Floridan Aquifer by attracting development onto the Brooksville Ridge, than if the road were built outside the Ridge.

I would appreciate understanding FTE's reasoning for changing the placement of the Suncoast 2 from Marion County onto the Brooksville Ridge, an area much more environmentally sensitive regarding the Aquifer than Marion County, where it was initially proposed.

Thank you for your time and attention.