SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A group of Seminole County residents are speaking out against proposed developments near Chuluota Road.
The plans for the development include about 600 homes, 500 apartments and 1.5 million square feet in retail space near County Road 419, according to a map of the proposal provided by the River Cross developer to Seminole County for review.
Members of the group "Save Rural Seminole County" said that it's concerned with not only the wildlife in the area, but also traffic backups. The group also claims that a voter approved referendum from 2004 already promises to keep the area undeveloped.
"Even though a vote did take place, and a majority of voters did vote for that, at the end of the day a 3-2 vote of the county commission can approve development," said H. Alexander Duncan with Save Rural Seminole County. "Any development, especially like this is going to affect the wildlife and the ecosystems negatively. And we definitely don't want that."
According to the proposal, more road construction would be required to make a path into the new neighborhood.
"This is more than just a development. You might try to make it sound like just a development, but this is destructive in a lot of ways than adding homes," Duncan said.
Seminole County planning and zoning is set to review the proposal on July 11.