FERNDALE, Fla. – On the western shore of Lake Apopka sits a vast oasis of rolling pastureland and protected natural resources.
The community of Ferndale, home to just over 600 people, is a virtually untouched mecca of old Florida, but locals are starting to feel and see something they’ve been working to prevent for generations.
“The growth is happening so fast that it’s spinning everybody’s heads,” Lynn Riffle said. “We have 40 acres that back up to the preserve that we don’t want to see anything happen to.”
News 6 met up with Riffle on a 245-acre family-owned property she calls the heart of Ferndale, where ongoing development in nearby Minneola has changed the landscape and ambiance.
“We see Minneola coming in with four to six homes per acre and zero lot lines,” Riffle said. “This is not what this area ever intended for, and we want to keep it that way.”
That’s why she and others are passionate about extending an Interlocal Service Boundary Agreement between Minneola, Montverde, Clermont and Lake County that protects Ferndale from annexation and property development. It’s been in place since 2010 but expires in 2030.
“I’m going to be very frank and direct,” Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks said. “I don’t understand why anybody wouldn’t support extending the agreement for another 13 years because this has always been planned to be rural.”
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
Ferndale sits in District 2 of Lake County, which Parks represents.
“I’m very concerned about what we’re hearing now about potential development threats coming in and totally changing the character and quality of life of this beautiful area,” Parks added.
Montverde Mayor Joe Wynkoop also supports extending the agreement because Ferndale borders his town.
“The people of Montverde don’t want anything to change,” Wynkoop said. “We’re very strict about two homes per acre.”
News 6 reached out to Minneola Mayor Pat Kelley to see whether he supports extending the agreement, which was brought up at a city council meeting last month.
“Unfortunately, since the first reading of the extension, our city attorney has been contacted by counsel for a large landowner,” Kelley said in a text message. “They are currently trying to sort out their concerns. Because of this, the final reading has been tabled to give time so they can be addressed before it comes back.”
Kelley added there’s still time to get everything sorted out since there are seven years left on the existing agreement.
Riffle, though, wants something signed sooner rather than later based on how quickly things are changing in the areas surrounding Ferndale.
“In my eyes it’s off limits,” she said. “I’ll do everything I can and voice as much as I can to keep it that way.”
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: