Branford Highway Between I-75 and US 90: Relocation Benefits for Lake City Owners

If FDOT needs your land or building on Branford Highway between I-75 and US 90, the purchase price is not the end of what the state owes. FDOT has set aside relocation money on this stretch of State Road 247 in Lake City, and displaced owners, tenants, and businesses may be eligible for moving costs and other payments on top of the property price.

Is FDOT Still Buying Land on Branford Highway?

Yes. FDOT’s adopted work program dated July 1, 2026 still carries right-of-way purchase money on this item in fiscal years 2027 and 2028, plus a separate relocation line in fiscal year 2027. The acquisition is not finished, so Lake City owners on this stretch still have decisions ahead of them.

The item is 429930-1, listed as SR 247 (Branford Highway) from I-75 to SR 10 (US 90). FDOT’s status code for it reads “ROW ACQUISITION BEG.,” dated March 21, 2017. Here is what the program shows for right-of-way:

Phase	Fiscal year	Amount
Right-of-way purchase (includes $368,077 in local funds)	2027	$1,417,185
Right-of-way purchase	2028	$961,403
Relocation	2027	$189,857
Right-of-way services	2027	$252,527

That is about $2.8 million, the largest right-of-way item in Columbia County in FDOT’s fiscal year 2027 through 2031 program, which does not show what FDOT spent in earlier years.

What Is FDOT Building?

FDOT’s project page focuses the construction on the Bascom Norris Drive intersection: added through and turn lanes, raised medians, closed drainage, driveway and sidewalk modifications, and signal upgrades. FDOT puts the cost at $18 million, with construction projected from fall 2027 to summer 2029. The work program lists the work mix as drainage improvements and notes that the roadway floods in front of businesses because of inadequate outfall.

Why the Relocation Line Matters

A relocation phase signals that FDOT expects to pay relocation costs on this item, not just to buy strips of frontage. FDOT’s July 2025 adopted program showed $190,657 for relocation in fiscal year 2026. The July 2026 program shows $189,857 in fiscal year 2027, a year later at nearly the same amount. The 2025 program also carried about $3.15 million of fiscal year 2026 purchase money, so some parcels may already have been acquired.

If you own, lease, or run a business in a building on this stretch, talk to a Florida eminent domain lawyer before you sign anything FDOT sends you.

What Are Relocation Benefits, and Who Decides Them?

Relocation benefits are payments to people and businesses FDOT displaces, separate from the property price. FDOT administers them under the federal Uniform Relocation Act rules at 49 C.F.R. Part 24, and the agency decides the claim, not a jury.

That split matters. Under section 73.071, the jury determines solely the amount of compensation: the value of the property taken and, in a partial taking, damages to the remainder, including qualifying business damages. Apart from mobile home removal costs, relocation runs through FDOT’s administrative process, as we explain for relocation benefits along US 301 in Sumter County.

Because FDOT decides the claim first, the documentation you submit to FDOT carries most of the weight.

What Can a Displaced Lake City Business Claim?

Subject to FDOT’s eligibility determination, a displaced business, farm, or nonprofit may claim:

• Actual, reasonable moving expenses that FDOT determines are reasonable and necessary, with no overall dollar cap, available to owners and tenants alike.
• Search expenses for finding a replacement site, up to $5,000.
• Reestablishment expenses for a small business, farm, or nonprofit, up to $33,200.
• A fixed payment in lieu of moving and reestablishment payments, not less than $1,000 nor more than $53,200. For a business, it equals average annual net earnings: one-half of net earnings before income taxes during the two taxable years immediately before the year of displacement.

Equipment is a common fight: whether an installed item is a fixture decides which pot of money covers it. Tenants also hold compensation rights of their own, separate from the landlord’s.

What Can a Displaced Lake City Homeowner or Renter Claim?

Residential occupants have their own schedule. A homeowner who owned and occupied the home for at least 90 days before FDOT began negotiations may receive a replacement housing payment of up to $41,200. A tenant who lawfully occupied the unit for at least 90 days before negotiations began may receive rental assistance of up to $9,570. When comparable housing is not available within those limits, the last resort housing rules let FDOT pay more. Eligible occupants also receive moving expense payments.

Except in unusual circumstances, such as a danger to health or safety, no lawful occupant can be required to move without at least 90 days’ advance written notice of the earliest date they may have to go.

What Deadlines Control Your Claims?

Each clock starts with an event in your own case, not a calendar date. The first two govern the condemnation claim; the third governs relocation.

1. The 30-day presuit period. Under section 73.015(1)(b), the owner must be given at least 30 days after receiving FDOT’s notice, or after it is returned undeliverable, to respond to the offer before FDOT files suit.
2. The 180-day business damage offer. Under section 73.015(2)(c), a business that intends to claim business damages must submit a good faith written offer within 180 days after receiving FDOT’s business notice, or after it is returned undeliverable, or a later date the parties agree to. Absent a good faith justification, the court must strike the claim; with one, it shall grant up to 180 more days.
3. The 18-month relocation claim deadline. Relocation claims must be filed within 18 months after the date of displacement, or for owners, the date of displacement or final payment for the property, whichever is later. FDOT may waive it for good cause.

If FDOT denies or shortchanges a relocation claim, you may appeal in writing, and FDOT must allow at least 60 days after its written determination.

Can a Business Recover More Than Relocation Costs?

Sometimes. In a partial taking, a qualifying business may also claim business damages under section 73.071. The business must be of more than five years’ standing, owned by the party whose land is taken, and located on adjoining land that party owns or holds. The measure is the probable damage that the denial of the use of the property taken may reasonably cause, and the claim must be pleaded in your written defenses.

See who qualifies for business damages. Payments with the same purpose and effect cannot be collected twice, so the relocation claim and any business damage claim need to be built together.

Raised medians and driveway changes deserve a close look. Under Florida law, a median change that only alters traffic flow is generally not compensable by itself, while losing parking or access on your land can drive remainder damages. See what happens to access, parking, and other business-critical features. Construction staging can also bring temporary construction easements, which are compensable interests of their own.

Who Pays for the Lawyer?

For the condemnation claim, sections 73.091 and 73.092 require the condemning authority to pay the owner’s reasonable costs and a statutory attorney’s fee generally based on the benefits achieved over FDOT’s last written offer made before the owner hired counsel. Do not assume the same fee shifting for an administrative relocation claim. See what landowners need to know before accepting an offer. If FDOT files suit, expect the quick-take process under chapter 74 and a push to challenge the state’s appraisal for common deficiencies.

What Should Branford Highway Owners Do Now?

1. Save every envelope. Presuit clocks run from receipt of FDOT’s notice, or the date it is returned undeliverable.
2. Request the appraisal in writing. FDOT must provide the appraisal report its offer is based on within 15 business days of your request.
3. Photograph what would have to move. Equipment, signage, inventory, and fixtures.
4. Keep every receipt. Relocation is paid against documentation.
5. Do not sign a relocation claim, right of entry, or purchase agreement without review.

How Jimerson Birr Helps Lake City Owners

Jimerson Birr represents Florida property and business owners in condemnation matters brought by the state, counties, municipalities, and utilities. We research corridor projects at the work program item level and publish what we find, so you walk into the first meeting knowing how your project is funded and scheduled.

That work includes major FDOT projects in North Florida, Main Street in Jacksonville, and relocation-heavy corridors like Kings Highway in Fort Pierce and US 1 in Vero Beach. It sits within our real estate development and construction practice, with more on our real estate development, sales, and leasing blog.

If a letter about Branford Highway has reached your mailbox, contact Jimerson Birr before you respond, and we will walk through it with you.