SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL — Residents of Southwood are calling on Tallahassee city officials to hold a developer, The St. Joe Company accountable after two road projects tied to the community failed to meet their required deadlines.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
A petition filed by residents states that Orange Avenue from Biltmore Avenue to Southwood Plantation Road was required to be completed by Dec. 31, 2025. The petition also states that Biltmore Avenue from Orange Avenue to Apalachee Parkway was supposed to be under active construction by that same deadline. Residents say neither project is underway.
Neighbors argue the current stretch of Orange Avenue was meant to be temporary, installed more than a decade ago to redirect commuter traffic away from neighborhood streets. They say it is now deteriorating and not designed to handle the daily traffic volume moving through the area.
John Ray with Southwood's Residential Leadership Team says the community is counting on city officials to take action.
"The residents of Southwood are going to let our petition speak for us on this issue," Ray said. "We're not asking the City Commission for any favor, variance, or special exception. We're demanding that our city government follow the rules they wrote and passed."
I reached out to The St. Joe Company for comment on the missed deadlines and whether there is an updated timeline for completing these road projects. As of airtime, I had not received a response.
City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, who represents seat 3, says the city intends to act.
"This can be resolved easily," Matlow said.
Matlow added that a resolution may be on the horizon.
"We scheduled an agenda item to come back at out next meeting in March to have the conversation," Matlow said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.
