OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The Osceola Board of County Commissioners meeting Monday afternoon was well attended as much of the public comment revolved around a proposed development and the ongoing traffic issues residents say they face due to growth in the area.
Monique Costantino is an Osceola County resident and said she's been holding up signs for a week outside of the St. Cloud Police Department that read, "traffic is terrible, stop building."
“Right now we’re dealing with two-lane roads with these huge housing developments, it’s dangerous and it increases the time that we residents have to sit in traffic, and that costs us money directly out of our pocket," Costantino said.
Costantino said she is protesting growth and development in the area if it doesn’t have the infrastructure and roadways to support it.
During the commissioners’ meeting, other residents commented on how the proposed 320-home development on Pine Grove Road could worsen traffic.
Resident Tela Durinick said with 320 homes proposed if each house had two cars, that would be 640 cars coming from that development project.
Commissioners ultimately denied the proposal for the Pine Grove Subdivision, which was planned for less than a mile north of East Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway.
The developers behind the Pine Grove Subdivision project said they are committed to installing traffic signals in certain areas to help with congestion.
The board voted to deny the current proposal three to two.