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Long And Short Of Cuts In Road Mowing: Not Enough Green

Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH

Cutbacks mean there is less money to mow the medians of some state roads, such as State Road 581 in Wesley Chapel.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 7, 2008

TAMPA - Maybe you haven't noticed, maybe you have. State highways in Polk and Hillsborough counties are getting a little shaggy around the edges.

The reasons grass is not getting its usual trim vary.

Polk blames the economy.

Cutbacks mean there is less money to mow the medians of some state roads as often as the Florida Department of Transportation would like. Unaffected by the economy and more inclined to pay attention to rainfall and sunshine, the grass continues to grow.

The result: shaggy medians.

That's not to say mowing isn't going on. A strip along the shoulder next to the pavement is still being mowed so broken down vehicles can pull over without disappearing in tall grass, said Lauren Hatchell, spokeswoman for the DOT in Polk. But beyond that, it's a jungle.

The department, which has set up a complaint line for that and other issues, has yet to get a complaint, she said.

In Hillsborough, where the grass is just as green and long as in Polk, it grows unchecked for a different reason. Not that anyone has noticed.

"I don't think we've had anybody call here," said Kris Carson, a DOT spokeswoman in Tampa.

The overgrown medians in Hillsborough County aren't due to state cutbacks, Carson said. The department has just switched mowing contractors, and the new one is amassing the proper gear to hit the strips between the streets.

"We are not making cuts in this district," Carson said — of the funding, not the medians.

Each year, the medians are mowed nine times, on average. The state tries to mow more in the summer than winter and tries to get out once a month during the rainy summer months, she said.

"In the winter, we can let it go a little longer," Carson said.

"People do occasionally call to complain," she said, "But we've got nothing recently."

Anyone who wants to make a complaint about grassy medians can call the department's Tampa office at (813) 975-6060. In Polk, the number is 1-800-292-3368.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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