Expressway authority approves Wekiva Parkway, ethics rules

At a Wednesday meeting, the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority board approved a deal to build the Wekiva Parkway, and it approved some new, tougher ethics rules.

The meeting became contentious at times over the issue of whether board member Scott Batterson could or should have abstained from voting on the agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation that paves the way for the Wekiva Parkway. Batterson worked on a development that will benefit from the toll road.

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, who is a board member, got the ethics issue to be heard and voted on first. It was an effort to get Batterson to abstain in the Parkway vote.

Batterson worked for Kelly Park Crossing, a development that will grow because of the Wekiva project.

The new ethics rule allows a board member to abstain, even if they don't have a current conflicting business relationship.

The mayor said she wants to repair the tarnished relationship of the expressway authority, by avoiding even the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Batterson abstained, and the Wekiva plan passed without him.

"Were you always planning to recuse yourself today, or not until after the conversation?" WFTV reporter Kathi Belich asked Batterson.

"Well, that's a good question. You can't always plan for everything with certainty, Things change, and certainly opinions change as I think mine did a little bit today. And I think we were able to flush it out appropriately," said Batterson.

Batterson said the new policy will stop him from doing business connected to the Wekiva.

"There's no future plans for that and given our newly adopted situation I don't see where that would make sense," Batterson said.

The board also passed some requirements for the new executive director, which include having at least eight years of experience running a highway system, and strength in finance.