Ozone readings across the Orlando region, including at the monitor that covers Seminole County, stayed under the federal limit through this year's peak season, according to an air quality report MetroPlan Orlando shared with its Municipal Advisory Committee on Thursday.
The report matters for road and transit spending. MetroPlan Orlando, the transportation planning agency for Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, notes on its website that metro areas falling short of federal air standards risk losing transportation dollars.
Executive Director Gary Huttmann told WKMG News 6 that a region out of compliance must run a "conformity analysis" on its projects to show they improve air quality, extra work he called "costly and time-consuming."
How the region measures up
The test is a three-year average of each monitor's fourth-highest daily eight-hour ozone reading, which must stay below 70 parts per billion, the agency explains. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection runs the four monitors in the region.
Figures in the report run through Oct. 14:
- Seminole State College, Sanford: fourth-highest reading of 61 ppb this year, recorded May 7; three-year running average of 62, down from 63 in 2025
- Skyview Drive, Orlando: 61 ppb this year; running average 65, the highest of the four sites
- Osceola County Fire Station, Four Corners: 58 ppb; running average 63
- Lake Isle Estates, Winter Park: 58 ppb; running average 63, down from 67, though the report notes a gap in that site's data
The packet also listed fine particle and nitrogen dioxide readings, all under their federal limits.
