For years, talk about the Osceola Parkway Extension eastward has been a topic of concern for many residents. Questions about where the extension will go, how it will affect current housing, and what natural green spaces will be impacted have Friends of Split Oak Forest and the Lake Mary Jane Alliance petitioning Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) for alternate routes.

On Feb. 15, the second of three public meetings was held at Lake Nona Middle School. Hundreds of residents were present to learn and comment on their position.

There are four corridors being studied, which, if and when complete, would create a “loop” from the new Osceola Parkway Extension east through Tavistock’s proposed 24,000-acre development called Sunbridge, south toward Harmony, north to the Turnpike in St. Cloud, then west to the Poinciana parkway connecting to I-4 and State Road 429 (see diagram). The overall goal is to improve roadway conditions. For those of us who travel Narcoossee Road, we probably all could agree that road conditions have room for improvement.

Friends of Split Oak Forest and the Lake Mary Jane Alliance were present at the Feb. 15 meeting. Located in front of the cafeteria at Lake Nona Middle School, the first group I met was the Friends of Split Oak. In the words of Dave Wegman, vice president of Friends of Split Oak, “Split Oak Forest Wildlife & Environmental Area (WEA) is a mitigation park owned by both Orange and Osceola counties. For more than 20 years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) has managed the area through prescribed burns, removing invasive species, and bringing in relocated gopher tortoises. The area is also home to Florida scrub jays, sandhill cranes, Sherman’s fox squirrels, gopher frogs, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, indigo snakes, and bald eagles.”

Friends of Split Oak oppose any route that would cut through the Split Oak Forest. In the words of president Valerie Anderson, “In Split Oak, there were four controlled burns last year that sent smoke south, north and east. If you put an expressway through Split Oak, you’re eliminating the need for controlled burn days. With a road through Split Oak, you can’t have a southerly wind shift. As the road gets closer and closer, it will lead to degradation of the habitat in the long term.”

Next, I met with Suzanne Arnold, communications chair for the Lake Mary Jane Alliance. Their group works beside the Friends of Split Oak. “I totally respect their position – don’t go through the forest, it’s conservation land and a mitigation area purchased with money used to entomb gopher tortoises. Unfortunately, putting an expressway through a conservation area is not a precedent-setting issue, and it’s important to respect homeowners in surrounding communities as well. If a road must go through, an alternative route has been created that has the least impact to Split Oak and includes additional conservation lands to buffer Split Oak, Moss Park, and Isle of Pines Preserve. In the bigger picture, this would benefit Central Florida.”

Once inside, I met with Mary Brooks, public involvement coordinator. “There are varying studies for each of the proposed corridors. What we have been asking folks to do is give us their school grade for the different alternatives and why. We have people inputting those comment forms and inputting that data as we speak.” At the back of the room, there were computer stations set up as she mentioned.

The public is also welcome to voice concerns at a March 8 hearing. This would be the final cutoff before alternatives are either accepted for more studies or redacted for lack of support. Mary Brooks can be reached at ConceptStudies@CFXway.com.

For more information, please visit:

www.FriendsOfSplitOak.org
www.TheLakeMaryJaneAlliance.com
www.cfxway.com/agency-information/plans-studies/project-studies/osceola-parkway-extension/