ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County officials have struck a deal to stop Orlando from annexing 52,000+ acres of land in southeast Orange County.
Orlando’s city council is expected to meet on Monday, Nov. 4 for a public hearing regarding annexing a piece of the Deseret Ranch property.
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However, a memo obtained by News 6 shows the county has struck a deal for an interlocal agreement over the property, and if county commissioners approve the deal at their meeting on Oct. 29, Orlando will cancel the public hearing.
The memo from Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings says he asked the county staff to find a deal that would “provide a balanced and meaningful approach to development in the eastern portion of the county.”
According to the agreement, the city will cancel its attempt to annex the Deseret Ranch property if the county agrees to drop its opposition to the city annexing the proposed 6,200-acre Sunbridge subdivision, located in the area of State Road 528 and Innovation Way. The city must comply with the development plan the county commission previously approved for the subdivision.
The county also agrees to allocate $626 million in Tourist Development Taxes for upgrades to the Kia Center and Camping World Stadium.
Finally, the county will also lease the dormitory part of the Work Release Center on Kaley Avenue to the city to be used as a “low barrier homeless shelter” for all homeless people countywide. The lease will equal $1 a year for a seven-year period, starting in 2025. The city will agree to fully fund all costs for any upgrades or renovations to the building, but the county and the city will split the costs for operations and maintenance.
All conditions of the interlocal agreement must be agreed to for the plan to go through.
“This collaboration reflects our commitment to working together for the benefit of all residents, ensuring that we prioritize sustainable growth and mutual respect,” Demings said in a statement to News 6.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer’s office also submitted a statement to News 6:
“Mayor Dyer believes this interlocal agreement is an important step forward that exemplifies the city and county’s long-standing partnership and collaboration in addressing the region’s most pressing needs, whether addressing homelessness through coordinated regional efforts, using Tourist Development Tax (TDT) funds to enhance and invest in key community venues that attract visitors from around the world while creating job opportunities and supporting local businesses, or managing the rapid growth and development impacting housing availability, sustainability, and public safety.”
The Mormon Church owns the 52,000 acres in east Orange County and is asking for the annexation. The property runs between Lake Nona and the Brevard County line. Part of the land is in the Deseret Ranch property, which is hundreds of thousands of acres in Orange and Osceola counties.
The church wants the land annexed because there are stricter rules for developers in Orange County than under the city of Orlando.
Those rules may even get stricter if voters approve two Orange County Charter Amendments on Nov. 5. One would establish a rural boundary in east Orange County, and another would make it harder for the city to annex land from unincorporated areas of the county.
Activists in September urged the city not to annex the property, saying that city taxpayers would end up paying for the infrastructure needed for any developments built out there. They are also concerned annexing the undeveloped land would lead to development that would damage conservation areas and the environment.
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