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Se BULLETIN 393, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
HOW THE WORK WAS MANAGED. 
The board of county commissioners has sole jurisdiction over the 
construction and maintenance of public roads, including those built 
under the bond issues, and consists of five members, of whom one is 
elected for each of the five districts. They are elected for 2-year terms 
and receive $4 per day for time actually employed, not to exceed 
$200 per annum. They are allowed mileage extra. 
The clerk of the circuit court acts as clerk and accountant to the 
board of supervisors. The clerk’s compensation is derived from fees 
and he receives no extra compensation from the board. 
An engineer was employed by the county commissioners, under 
whose immediate supervision all bond-built roads were constructed. 
The engineer receitved $10 per day for time actually employed, and 
expenses. During the construction period he received approxi- 
mately $5,000, not including transportation. 
The county engineer now employed by the county commissioners 
for general road and bridge work receives a salary of $150 per month 
and the use of an automobile. For the Venice-Sarasota district an 
engineering firm has been employed to do all engineering work. 
Compensation will be 4 per cent of the total expenditure of $250,000. 
The roads to be improved were selected by the board of county 
commissioners prior to the bond election. The bond issue called for 
the construction of 64.4 miles of road, which was done under contract 
let by the board. The total mileage constructed was 63.65 or 11 per- 
cent of the total of 575 miles in the county. The accompanying map 
(Pl. XX XV) shows the roads constructed under the first bond issue 
‘and those proposed for construction with bond funds subsequently 
provided. 
The mileage and character of surface constructed under the 
original bond issue were as follows: Marl and rock, 15.187; marl 
rock with bituminous binder, 17.050; marl and shell, 9.850; shell, 
14.171; brick, 1.00; graded, 6.40; making a total of 63.658 miles 
constructed. (See Pl. XXXVI, figs. 2 and 3.) 
These roads were completed during 1913. The local materials 
available for road work are soft limestone and flint rock, marl, and 
shells. The shells are obtained from mounds in various parts of the 
county, and the other materials are fairly well distributed. These 
materials are suitable for roads of light traffic, but considerable 
expense will be entailed in keepmg the roads in good condition 
because of the automobile traffic and the heavy tonnage of fruits 
and vegetables which pass over them. The expense of shipping in 
more durable materials led the county authorities to build the roads 
of local materials and to depend upon bituminous applications to 
preserve their surfaces. 
