ORLANDO, Fla. – A major Central Florida landowner said Monday it is seeking to annex 52,450 acres of property into the city of Orlando, saying it will work with the city to “envision a framework for smart growth in future decades.”
Farmland Reserve, Inc., which is an investment arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, said it has filed a proposal to annex part of its Deseret Ranch property into the city.
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The company said it has completed what are known as “sector plans” for property it owns in Osceola County but has not made progress on planning with Orange County.
“Annexation of our Deseret Ranch property into Orlando allows us to look ahead to the next 70 years and beyond, to establish a long-term vision for this land as an integral, unified planning area to prepare for the future of a growing region, with conserving natural resources always as the first consideration in our planning,” Doug Rose, president of Farmland Reserve, said in a prepared statement.
Rose also said that putting the “property under a single municipal government will avoid the piecemeal planning of the past.”
The announcement said Deseret Ranch produces citrus and timber, has a cattle operation and leases land for solar-energy production.
The city of Orlando released the following statement about the proposal.
“Like with prior voluntary annexations, the City did not seek out this proposed annexation. Under Florida law, landowners and residents have the right to petition cities for annexation. Owners and residents may do this for a variety of reasons – better public services, more reliable government partnerships, less bureaucracy, more forthright and transparent government, more sustainable patterns of development, or the simple sense of place and pride that comes with being part of a community.
“One of the unintended consequences of the County’s decision to proceed with a functional ban on voluntary annexations is that landowners and residents are now confronted with expediting planning efforts that they may have undertaken over the next several years into the next couple of months to avail themselves of rights that the proposed annexation charter amendment may foreclose.
“We would prefer not to have these decisions made in such compressed timeframes, but given the circumstances imposed by the County and our obligation to protect the best interest of our taxpayers and residents, we must review these applications and make a decision on them before a County charter amendment might go into effect.
“As far as the next steps, the city received an initial application from Farmland Reserve for voluntary annexation into the city on Friday, August 23, 2024. There is still a formal review process, as this is the initial step whereby Farmland Reserve has indicated their desire to be annexed into the city.
“The initial application will be reviewed by city staff for completeness. After review, an Annexation Petition would be brought forward to city council for consideration, which may include other required annexation ordinance(s) or hearing(s).
“The current city acreage is approximately 87,888.”
Meanwhile, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings also issued a statement.
“First, let me begin by saying that I have the greatest admiration for Farmland Reserve and the management team of Deseret Ranch. Orange County has enjoyed a lengthy harmonious relationship with the leadership of the organization for decades. Deseret Ranch has been responsible landowners during that time and Orange County has worked with them for the last decade or so in perfecting their 70-plus year vision plan on responsible and sustainable growth.
“Central Florida and Orange County have been experiencing record growth in the past several decades that has placed an enormous amount of pressure on our ecological, environmental, transportation and other systems. This has made it difficult to maintain the high quality of life for many of our residents, which has necessitated Orange County to create new plans that will provide adequate protections for maintaining our high standards of living.
“As such, the County has sought to directly give our electorate the opportunity to vote on a balanced annexation philosophy between Orange County and its municipalities. This vote is planned for the November 5 elections as an amendment to Orange County’s Charter as a ballot initiative. We recognize that this may cause some property owners concern if the ballot initiative passes by the voters. However, I want our residents to know that if property owners have the right balance in protecting the environment and responsibly managing growth in a sustainable way that works for everyone, they should not fear Orange County’s vision for growth management.
“Orange County looks forward to working with our municipalities and property owners in the coming months and years as we grow better together!”