State fails to get bidders for Alligator Alley

[Scurrilous]

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"The Florida Department of Transportation did not receive any formal bids for leasing, operating and collecting tolls on Alligator Alley.

The deadline to file bids was Monday, and since no formal proposals were received, a public meeting scheduled for May 29 in Naples to open bids was canceled. Failure to file bids was a surprise because at least eight private companies or groups of companies had initially expressed an interest in leasing the 78-mile tolled stretch of Interstate 75 from Naples to Weston.

State transportation officials declined to speculate on why no bids were submitted.

Potential bidders included firms from Brazil, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. An earlier statement from the state transportation agency in April extending the bidding deadline suggested that some potential bidders needed more time to close on loans.

An April 17 statement said extension of the bidding time would allow potential bidders to ``finalize their negotiations with lenders.''

The state transportation agency was interested in leasing Alligator Alley for either 50 or 75 years.

The project has been controversial because it essentially privatizes a state-owned and -operated asset."

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/1054838.html

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1. Stupid toll roads

It's interesting that they've all backed out, though.

Foreshadowing, anyone?