Longwood to vote on keeping fuel-tax dollars amid 417 Connector debate

Longwood commissioners were scheduled to vote Monday, May 5, on whether the city would keep control of its local option fuel-tax proceeds or allow them to be used for Seminole County’s SR 417 Connector push, a decision that could leave more money available for Longwood’s own road, traffic and maintenance needs.

The agreement before the City of Longwood would clarify that the city had not assigned or pledged its fuel-tax revenue to Seminole County. County leaders have asked Longwood, Sanford, Oviedo, Winter Springs and Lake Mary to contribute their shares as they try to close a funding gap on the roughly $200 million project.

Seminole County already approved its own $50 million commitment in February 2026. The first $25 million payment came from the county’s Infrastructure Sales Tax Fund, and the remaining $25 million is expected later. County materials also tie the effort to a proposed five-cent-per-gallon local option fuel tax increase in the broader fiscal 2025-26 budget process, underscoring why city leaders are being asked to decide whether to divert their proceeds.

Central Florida Expressway Authority materials describe the connector as an approximately two-mile expressway link running from State Road 417 near the Seminole Toll Plaza to East Lake Mary Boulevard near Red Cleveland Boulevard, close to Orlando Sanford International Airport. The agency’s preferred alternative would connect SR 417 and East Lake Mary Boulevard near Red Cleveland Boulevard after community input and engineering review, with an elevated option along East Lake Mary Boulevard also studied.

Supporters say the project is meant to ease congestion on East Lake Mary Boulevard and Ronald Reagan Boulevard, improve access to commercial centers, and support long-term growth around the airport and surrounding business corridors. CFX says the concept study began in August 2022, was refined through an August 2023 study, and was further shaped by 2025 public workshops.

The fight over Longwood’s fuel-tax dollars comes as Seminole County cities show uneven support for the connector. Oviedo declined to offer gas-tax money at an April 2026 meeting, while Altamonte Springs and Winter Springs were also weighing similar requests. CFX materials say construction is not expected to begin before the end of December 2031, making the vote part of a long-running contest over who controls Seminole County’s next major transportation dollars.