No takers for Alligator Alley lease

May 19, 2009 1 min read

TALLAHASSEE (AP) – Alligator Alley will remain under state control.

The Florida Department of Transportation announced Monday that a proposal to lease the 78-mile stretch of Interstate 75 failed to draw any bidders.

Officials hoped leasing the highway across the Everglades would generate more money for the state.

Critics saw the lease as a giveaway of taxpayer assets although the state would still own the road and regulate tolls.

The state initially set the bidding for December, but it was postponed a month so more public meetings could be held. Prospective bidders then asked for another delay due to the global financial downturn.