I was driving on Highway 19 in Lake County today, between Tavares and Groveland. There were several tracts which have been cleared of trees and brush, that were unmolested last week. There were several more that are obviously being prepared for the same transition.
It’s not just in Lake County. It’s happening all over Florida. It’s not something new. But, the pace has accelerated.
Of course, people should be allowed to buy and sell property as they choose. People should be allowed to move where they choose. But, it’s important for the development to be paced so that infrastructure keeps up with population.
I’ve lived in Lake County for eight years. It seems like Highway 50 traffic has doubled over that time.
30 years ago, I lived in Loudon County, Virginia, which was the fastest growing county in the country at the time. They could not build schools fast enough. Loudoun County is unrecognizable now. 40 years ago, I was one of the construction workers who helped in the early stages of building subdivisions on rural properties. I did the same in Montgomery County, Maryland.
I grew up in Arlington Virginia. By 1980, there was not a single buildable tract left. In the 60s and 70s, I lived next to the largest undeveloped tract in the county – 20 acres. At age 16, I was one of the activists who helped encourage local government to buy that tract and converted into a park. It remains so today.
In the 1960s, my family drove to Florida for a 10 day holiday. There were orange trees and alligators everywhere. Not so now. In the eight years I’ve been in Lake County, I’ve watched hundreds of acres of orange trees be leveled for the construction of cookie cutter houses. Florida has changed. Lake County is changing fast. Even though I’m a recent arrival to Florida, it makes me sad to see the rate at which undeveloped land is being wiped out.
I think that we, citizens of Lake County, should impress on our City Councils and County Commission, the importance of preserving at least some of the rural and undeveloped nature of Lake County.