County mulls maintaining Midnight Pass Road

Sarasota County is in talks with the Florida Department of Transportation about taking over maintenance of Midnight Pass Road, according to FDOT spokeswoman Debbie Tower.

The state currently owns the length of Midnight Pass from the Siesta Key north bridge to Stickney Point Road. The county must comply with FDOT regulations for traffic devices and go through the state for changes to the speed limit.

Those decisions would lie with the county, along with the cost of maintaining the roadway, if it chose to accept the road from the state.

Sarasota County Engineer Jim Harriott said in an email to the county administration that Commission Chair Christine Robinson should expect to receive the request, along with an appeal to maintain a traffic device.