Bexley Residents Escalate Fight Against $150 Million Rangeland Boulevard Extension

Pasco County is moving ahead with a $150 million plan to extend Rangeland Boulevard into a four-lane road through the Bexley community in Land O' Lakes, and residents there are fighting back with petitions, a federal complaint and standing-room crowds at public meetings. County officials say the road is needed to relieve State Road 54 and open up access for a fast-growing part of the county. Bexley homeowners say it will put a regional highway in their backyards.

The proposed extension would run about 3.4 miles, connecting Cattle Gap Trail to the existing roundabout at Bexley Village Drive, crossing the Suncoast Parkway on a new overpass. The county's preferred design calls for a four-lane divided road with bike lanes, a sidewalk and a multi-use path, plus median space that could allow further widening down the road.

Dozens of residents turned out for a county workshop on Rangeland Boulevard held September 24 at the Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center in Odessa. Many said they were told years ago the road would stay a local street, not grow into a four-lane regional connector carrying truck traffic past their front doors.

That sentiment, echoed by resident after resident, centers on safety as much as noise. Neighbors describe streets where getting a dog across the road already feels risky at 25 mph, let alone with four lanes and heavier traffic passing through.

A 20-year-old plan meets new resistance

County officials point out the extension has sat in Pasco's comprehensive plan for two decades and argue it's overdue given how much the Land O' Lakes and Odessa corridor has grown around it. Even some residents who oppose the current design agree a new road is needed, but they want one built for local traffic, not one designed to double as a regional bypass.

That disagreement came to a head at the Pasco County Commission's March 24 meeting, when a motion to approve the county's preferred design failed on a 3-2 vote. Commissioners then voted 3-2 to continue the matter, asking staff for more cost information and additional public engagement before bringing it back. A neighborhood group called Keep Bexley Beautiful has specifically pushed the county to rule out a future traffic signal or interchange ramps at the Suncoast Parkway, something county planners have said they are not currently recommending but are leaving room for if traffic later demands it.

The dispute has since moved beyond commission chambers. At a September 23 meeting, Bexley representatives told commissioners they had filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General, alleging the county's route study mischaracterizes what they say is really a regional arterial with freight-scale turning radii, not the residential collector road listed in the comprehensive plan. The residents asked the county to freeze the project file and have engineering staff explain the design choices on the record. No such freeze was ordered, and commissioners said they would keep discussing the project, with staff offering a follow-up neighborhood meeting.

What happens next

The Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization added the Rangeland Boulevard project to its Transportation Regional Incentive Program priority list at a September 3 meeting, a step toward securing state matching dollars from the Florida Department of Transportation to go along with the county's share. If design, permitting and funding all stay on schedule, construction could begin as early as 2029. A separate state funding document lists a later construction window, between October 2030 and September 2032, underscoring how much is still unsettled about timing.

For now, no design has been formally approved. The county commission has not scheduled a new vote, and Bexley residents say they intend to keep showing up until one direction, or none at all, is finally chosen.

Stay connected with Pasco County Community Website for updates on this and other stories shaping Land O' Lakes and the rest of the county. Follow us on Facebook for the latest, and share your take on the Rangeland Boulevard extension in our Community Forum. For more coverage of local decisions affecting your neighborhood, visit our government and politics section.