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Did Lake County start construction in early 2025 on widening Citrus Grove Road in Minneola, as its spokeswoman said?

The Roadmap Reckoner · Minneola, Lake County, Florida (Citrus Grove Road between U.S. 27 and Hancock Road) · last checked 2026-10-21

Verdict	DELIVERED LATE, by about 10 to 16 months, for the start of construction
Promiser	Lake County Government, Florida (Department of Public Works), speaking through its spokeswoman Sarah Lux
Place	Minneola, Lake County, Florida (Citrus Grove Road between U.S. 27 and Hancock Road)
Promised	Early 2025 ("with construction starting early next year", Lake County's spokeswoman as reported by Spectrum News 13 on October 21, 2024; read here as by March 31, 2025)
Delivered / status	The road is still being built. No record read dates the first day of work: Minneola's minutes of February 3, 2026 say "construction expected to begin soon" and its minutes of July 21, 2026 say the project "is under construction"; the county's update of October 13, 2026 says "approximately 30% complete"
Last checked	2026-10-21

Verdict: DELIVERED LATE, by about 10 to 16 months, for the start of construction. The road is still being built. Spectrum News 13 reported on October 21, 2024 that Lake County spokeswoman Sarah Lux said the county plans to widen this section of Citrus Grove Road, "with construction starting early next year." [C1] This entry reads "early next year" as by March 31, 2025 [C1, the trace]. No record read dates the first day of work. Minneola's minutes of February 3, 2026 said the project was "entering preconstruction, with construction expected to begin soon" [C16], and its minutes of July 21, 2026 said it "is under construction" [C18]. The start therefore falls between those two dates, which are 309 and 477 days after March 31, 2025 [C16, C18, the trace]. If "early" were read to run to June 30, 2025, the start would still be about 7 to 13 months late [the trace]. Spectrum News 13 reported in December 2025 that, according to the county's spokesperson, "an FDOT funding agreement and plans preparation delayed the project by about a year" [C15]. The county's update of October 13, 2026 says construction is "approximately 30% complete" [C21]. Minneola's report of July 21, 2026 gives "a target completion date around September 2027, subject to field conditions" [C18]. The promise gave no completion date [C1].

Last checked: October 21, 2026.

The promise. Construction "starting early next year", on a "$23-million project" with "bike lanes, sidewalks and a trail" [C1].
The record since. The county's board agenda of November 18, 2025 carried a staff recommendation to award the construction contract for $10,747,474 [C12]. Spectrum News 13 reported a start goal of February from the county's spokesperson [C15]. Minneola said the project was under construction by July 21, 2026 [C18], and the county said it was "approximately 30% complete" on October 13, 2026 [C21].
The schedule behind it. The state grant's schedule called for a bid opening by January 15, 2024 and final acceptance by October 7, 2025 [C5]. Minneola's present target is about two years after the final-acceptance date [C5, C18, the trace].
The cost. The county's April 2025 estimate was $23,000,000 [C7]. The recommended award was $10,747,474 [C12].

The promise

Spectrum News 13's Traffic Inbox, October 21, 2024 [C1]:

"Lake County spokeswoman Sarah Lux said the county plans to widen this section of Citrus Grove Road, with construction starting early next year." "The $23-million project includes bike lanes, sidewalks and a trail to match the roadway on both ends."

Early 2025. Spectrum News 13 restated the promise in December 2025: "work would begin in early 2025" [C15].
No completion date. The article gives none [C1].
The stretch. The county's April 2025 agenda item says: "The construction will complete the 4-laning of Citrus Grove Road from US 27 to N Hancock Road." [C7]
The name. The county and the state call this stretch Phase II or Phase 2 [C4, C7, C12]. The county's Phase 5, awarded October 24, 2023, is a different stretch, west of Florida's Turnpike [C23].

Before the promise

December 27, 2021. The City of Minneola asked the Florida Senate for $8,000,000 toward a project listed at $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2022-2023 [C2].
July 1, 2022. The county's interlocal agreement with Minneola recites that, "pursuant to House Bill 5001 which became effective on July 1, 2022, $8,000,000.00 is appropriated for the completion of the Citrus Grove Road Phase II project" [C6a].
April 18, 2023. Minneola's council approved a resolution authorizing its city manager to sign "the State Funded Grant Agreement and Any Supplemental Agreements" with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) [C3].
June 13, 2023. The state grant agreement's first page reads "is entered into on" and, beside it, "06/13/2023 | 10:52 AM EDT", with a printed note that the date is "to be entered by DOT only" [C4c]. Exhibit B to the agreement carries a cost certification dated the same day. It lists total project funds of $12,336,193.00, of which $8,000,000.00 is state funds and $4,336,193.00 is local funds [C5a].
The grant's schedule. It says: "a) Construction contract to be let (Bid Opening) by January 15, 2024. b) Construction Duration of 540 days. c) Construction to be completed (Final Acceptance) by October 07, 2025." [C5] Its term says: "the Recipient shall complete the Project on or before February 28, 2026." [C4]
September 3, 2024. Minneola's council approved an interlocal agreement with the county, "subject to additional City attorney review and modifications" [C6]. The minutes say that "The design is nearly complete, and the project is gearing up to go out for bid." [C6] The grant's bid-opening date had passed 232 days earlier [C5, the trace].
October 15, 2024. Minneola's mayor told the council: "An $8 million state allocation was secured for the road, causing delays." [C6b] That was six days before the promise [the trace].

Timeline

October 21, 2024. The promise [C1].
April 8, 2025. The county's later item says the board "approved an Interlocal Agreement" with Minneola for the construction [C12]. The April 8 item put the estimate at $23,000,000, with the state paying up to $8,000,000 and the county the remainder [C7].
April 15, 2025. Minneola's minutes: "The City is awaiting FDOT's approval of the latest plans and bid documents before proceeding with the project." [C8]
July 15, 2025. Minneola's minutes: "The State is currently on its third project manager for this initiative, and progress is being made toward putting the project out for bid." [C9]
October 7, 2025. The grant's final-acceptance date [C5].
November 18, 2025. The county's agenda item recommended award of Contract 25-749 to Southern Development & Construction Inc. for $10,747,474, and, as a separate item, Contract 25-755 with Tierra, Inc. [C12, C13]. Spectrum News 13 wrote that the project "was preliminarily awarded" that day [C15]. No county minutes of the vote were read [the trace].
December 8, 2025. Spectrum News 13 wrote that, according to the county's spokesperson, the goal "is to start construction in February." [C15]
February 3, 2026. Minneola's minutes: the project is "entering preconstruction, with construction expected to begin soon." [C16]
February 28, 2026. The grant's completion and expiry date [C4].
May 19, 2026. Minneola's minutes: "completion expected in 12-18 months" [C17].
July 21, 2026. Minneola's minutes: the project "is under construction" with a contract duration of "approximately 570 days" [C18].
August 4, 2026. Minneola's minutes: the project "is on schedule", with "pay application number three" processed and "an anticipated completion in September 2027" [C19].
October 13, 2026. The county's update, dated October 13: "Construction on Citrus Grove Road is approximately 30% complete." [C21]

What changed, and why, in the record's own words

Why the start was late. Spectrum News 13, December 2025, reporting the county's spokesperson: "an FDOT funding agreement and plans preparation delayed the project by about a year." [C15] Minneola's mayor: "An $8 million state allocation was secured for the road, causing delays." [C6b] Two further statements about the plans and the bid are in the timeline above, at April 15 and July 15, 2025 [C8, C9].
Who does what. The September 3, 2024 minutes say: "The agreement allows Lake County to handle the bidding and construction management" [C6]. The county's April 2025 item says: "the City will handle all official communication with FDOT" [C7].
The design. The county's April 2025 item: "This design was undertaken by the developer in exchange for transportation impact fee credits." [C7]
The scope. Spectrum News 13's article said "sidewalks" [C1]. The April 2025 item says "5-foot sidewalks" [C7]. The November 2025 item says "a 5-foot sidewalk on the south side and a 12-foot multi-use trail on the north side" [C14]. The wording differs, and this entry does not rule on it. The November 2025 item describes "the widening of Citrus Grove Road from a two-lane undivided roadway to four-lane divided urban roadway" [C14].
The finish. Minneola's minutes give "completion expected in 12-18 months" on May 19, 2026 [C17], "a target completion date around September 2027, subject to field conditions" on July 21 [C18], and "an anticipated completion in September 2027" on August 4 [C19].

What it cost

The estimate. Spectrum News 13's article: "The $23-million project" [C1]. The county's April 8, 2025 item: "The total construction cost for the project is estimated at $23,000,000." [C7] The bid tabulation's engineer's estimate: "ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE $23,777,309.73" [C11].
The recommended award. $10,747,474 [C12]: "Based on the bid, the grant will pay $8,000,000 and the County will pay $2,747,474." [C12] That is 47% of the $23,000,000 [C1, C12, the trace].
The county's share. In April 2025 the item said: "The remaining approximately $15,000,000 will be funded by the County through South District Transportation Impact Fees." [C7] At the award the county's share is $2,747,474 [C12].
The second contract. A separate contract, 25-755, with Tierra, Inc. is for "Construction, Engineering, Design Services for Citrus Grove Road Phase II" [C13]. Its item says: "The estimated fiscal impact is $878,238.31 (expenditure)" [C13].
Why the bid was lower. The records read give no reason for a bid at less than half the estimate [the trace].

What is still open

The start date. The first day of work is not in any record read. It falls between February 3 and July 21, 2026 [C16, C18]. A resident quoted by Spectrum News 13 said the shaking began about six months earlier. This entry does not use that as a date [the trace].
The state's $8,000,000. The grant says it "will expire on the last day of the scheduled completion" unless "an extension of the time period is requested by the Recipient and granted in writing by the Department prior to the expiration of this Agreement." [C4] It adds: "Expiration of this Agreement will be considered termination of the Project." [C4] It then says that, "Notwithstanding the expiration of the required completion date" and "the consequent potential unavailability of any unexpended portion of State funding", the recipient "shall remain obligated to complete all aspects of the Project" [C4, packet pp.563-564]. No amendment or extension was found in the 126 county board agendas read (January 2024 to October 2026) or in the 61 sets of Minneola council minutes read (April 2023 to October 2026) [C22, the trace]. What exists is indirect: Minneola's resolution authorized "Any Supplemental Agreements" [C3], and the city reported on August 4, 2026 that "pay application number three" had been processed [C19]. This entry does not claim that the funding lapsed or that it was extended.
The state's notice to proceed. The grant says the recipient "shall not begin the construction phase of the Project until the Department issues a written Notice to Proceed" [C4, packet p.564]. No such notice was found in the records read [the trace].
The finish. Minneola's target is about two years after the grant's final-acceptance date of October 7, 2025 [C5, C18, the trace]. No completion date from the county was found in the records read [the trace].

What this entry did not check

FDOT's own records for financial project number 435541-3-54-01: the work program, any supplemental agreement, and invoices [the trace].
The county Clerk's minutes, which the county's CivicClerk site does not publish. The agendas show what was put before the board, not how it voted [the trace].
25 of Minneola's 86 first-and-third-Tuesday meeting dates from April 2023 to October 2026 had no file at the web addresses tried [the trace].
A later completion estimate. Spectrum News 13 reported one on September 29, 2026 and named no source for it. This entry does not use it [the trace].
Residents' reports of vibration and possible home damage from the work, raised at Minneola's September 15, 2026 meeting [C20].

Sources

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