Temple Terrace council picks $25,000 speed hump over $550,000 intersection redesign

Temple Terrace City Council approved a new speed hump on Sunnyside Road on Oct. 20. The unanimous vote selected a low-cost fix for speeding complaints that have plagued the neighborhood for years. Council members rejected more expensive structural changes to the street network.

The city chose Option C from a list of five alternatives prepared by Public Works Director Jason Warrenfeltz. This plan adds a hump at the south end of the corridor. It also replaces three removable humps installed in 2025 with permanent asphalt structures. Staff estimated the total cost of this option at about $25,000.

The council had set aside $500,000 in the fiscal year 2026 budget for the project. The rejected alternatives included a travel-over mini-roundabout at Shadow Lane, which would have cost an estimated $311,000. Another option involved building a T-intersection at Brentwood Drive for about $550,000. That design aimed to eliminate a sweeping turn that allows drivers to maintain speed onto Sunnyside Road. Council members also rejected a do-nothing option that would have only repaved the street.

The decision follows a neighborhood meeting held on Aug. 19. About 15 residents attended that session. Staff received 10 written questionnaires from the community. Half of those respondents favored the roundabout and T-intersection. The other half preferred the additional hump. Warrenfeltz and Mayor Andy Ross said the written results surprised them because the verbal feedback at the meeting pointed in a different direction.

Ross and Warrenfeltz noted that residents openly criticized the larger projects during the meeting. They observed that the fourth hump was the only idea that drew broad support. City Manager Carlos Baia, who lives in the neighborhood, shared that view. He stated that he can see the proposed roundabout site from his kitchen window and heard the same concerns from neighbors.

Council member James Chambers expressed doubt that the T-intersection would slow northbound drivers enough to justify the expense. Fellow council member Alison Fernandez called the fourth hump the most effective use of the city's funds. Ross questioned whether spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on intersection redesigns was the right approach to a speeding problem.

Ross described the roundabout proposal as a sledgehammer solution. He argued that the city's layout, established by planners in 1924 or 1925, intentionally features meandering streets and angled entrances. He pointed to nearby neighborhoods like Forest Hills and Carrollwood as examples of this design philosophy. Ross worried that changing one intersection would start a trend of sharpening corners citywide.

Instead of large infrastructure changes, Ross advocated for stricter traffic enforcement. He suggested using the roughly $475,000 difference between the budget and the cost of the selected hump to fund police overtime. The plan would involve periodic, multi-day enforcement efforts to issue tickets for speeding and stop sign violations. Ross urged officers to stop issuing warnings to neighbors and start writing $150 or $200 tickets consistently.

The city currently adds speed humps in various neighborhoods and recently postponed a planned school zone speed camera program. Ross argued that consistent ticketing would solve the problem without requiring major construction. He stated that the city has the money to address the issue through enforcement. No construction date has been set for the new Sunnyside Road improvements. Ross said he welcomes complaints from residents who receive tickets for speeding.