SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Leaders in Seminole County are moving forward with a list of properties identified as priorities for "Seminole Forever," a program designed to acquire lands for conservation and green space.
Tuesday, the Board of County Commissioners and county staff discussed several properties that were scored by an application review committee (ARC) earlier this year including:
- Hi-Oaks Ranch: 670 acres
- Lee Ranch: 360 acres
- Buchholz: 33 acres
- De Arcos: 203 acres
- Lessard: 85 acres
- Parker: 8 acres
- Delgado: 39 acres
- Lawlor: 6 acres
- Fisher: 22 acres
- Anderson: 5 acres
See the Seminole Forever property locations below:
ARC evaluated each applicant based on factors including development pressures, ecological value, and potential for recreational opportunities.
Dave Bear, who founded the group “Save Rural Seminole” and is one of the members of the review committee, said every property has pros and cons.
“All of those properties are unique and different,” said Bear. “Some of them are flooded most of the year. And so, you know, there wouldn’t be a lot of hiking where it’s flooded, but it has a whole lot of ecological value to it. You know, some of them are more open, and there’s a certain habitat there and not others. Some of them are wooded, and so they’ll be wonderful for hiking.”
Commissioners approved an ordinance to create the Seminole Forever program in 2023, which commits funding every year into a natural land acquisition program.
“Part of that includes looking at areas where we do need green space,” said Rick Durr, Seminole County’s Parks and Recreation director. “The program asl includes dollars that will go towards maintenance of those sites. So, as we proceed forward, it isn’t just ‘let’s exhaust all the money buying things.’ We need to make sure that we’re budgeting for the future maintenance and development of those sites as well.”
The Hi-Oaks ranch property currently ranks the highest on the list, with a score of 44.5 out of 50. The 670-acre property, close to UCF, sits between the Econlockhatchee River and C.R. 419. It has been the subject of mega developments in years past, including the proposed River Cross development which aimed to build hundreds of homes and apartments, shops, restaurants, and office space.
“That Hi-Oaks property and the Lee property as well really just have great ecological value, both because of what’s on that land but also what they connect to,” Bear said.
It’s also by far the largest and most expensive property on the list, which is why it’s more likely that the land would be purchased through "Florida Forever," the state program that Seminole Forever was modeled after.
The owners of Hi-Oaks and Lee Ranch have both applied to the state’s program for acquisition and long-term management already. The proposed sales price listed in documents included in Tuesday’s agenda suggested $35 million for Hi-Oaks and $8.8 million for Lee Ranch. The Seminole Forever fund has a total of about $12 million.
“We now have direction from our Board that said we would like to engage the state at helping to sponsor and move this project through evaluation of Florida Forever, and we’ve got the ability with our Seminole Forever program to help make that happen for whatever the state needs as an active partner,” said Durr.
On Tuesday, the Board also gave staff direction to move forward with seven total properties: Hi-Oaks, Lee Ranch, Buchholz, de Arcos, Lessard, Parker, Lawlor. The remaining applicants would remain on the list for future consideration.
Durr said they will work with each individual landowner to advance those projects forward.
“Depending on their speed, every single one of these will have to come back to the Board for their approval,” said Durr.
Our News 6 team spoke with Chairman Jay Zembower about how the county is prioritizing conservation as it continues to grow.
“The Hi-Oaks and Lee, they have the development rights to build a certain amount of land, but there’s no infrastructure there to do it,” said Zembower. “So, do we really want three, or four, or 500 homes on septic tank systems when the eastern side of the county is our water recharge area? We have to control and protect the water quality.”
Last year, the 1,300-acre Yarborough Ranch property was successfully purchased by the Florida Forever program for $34.5 million.
“[It] was the fastest Florida Forever project ever taken, and that’s because we went in partnership with the state. We did the due diligence,” said Zembower. “I think there’s a very high chance that the Hi-Oaks and Lee Ranch both could be taken by Florida Forever.”