Fruitland Park commissioners have voted to annex the 45-acre Windy Acres Farm property on County Road 466A about 200 yards east of the Villages of Fruitland Park.
The annexation ordinance, which requires two readings, will come before the commission again on March 26 and approval is expected.
Windy Acres owner Bill Galbreath requested the annexation. His parents acquired the property in the 1950s with one of the last homestead land grants in Lake County.
For the past eight years, Windy Acres arena has hosted the annual Fruitland Park Rodeo. Professional bull riders will headline this year’s Rodeo starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 11. Last year, tickets were $10.
The city’s annexation ordinance will also rezone the Galbreath family’s property from primarily Agricultural to General Commercial, significantly increasing the potential for future development. A $500,000 project to build high-capacity water and sewer lines along 466A — paid for by The Villages to serve the Villages of Fruitland Park — will magnify that potential.
But that’s not Galbreath’s immediate concern. Galbreath said last summer he wants to annex into the city in order to avoid costly requirements imposed by Lake County.
Two weeks after the Fruitland Park Rodeo, more than 1,500 Leesburg BikeFest fans will camp at Windy Acres for three to four days. Revenues from the event cover much of Windy Acres’ annual operating budget. And Galbreath needs a permit—from Lake County or Fruitland Park—to host the events.
In other words, Bikefest campers help pay for the Fruitland Park Rodeo, which drew about 1,200 people last year.
Thankfully for Galbreath—and the city—Fruitland Park’s historically rural Land Development Regulations (LDRs) are a bit less onerous than the county’s.
Community Development Director Charlie Rector told commissioners the county wants the Galbreath family to make costly improvements to the property, which has long served as a rustic reminder of simpler times and rural values at this end of Lake County.
“The county wants them to make vast improvements, they want more of a permanent facility,” Rector told commissioners.
Typically, municipal governing boards approve annexations that broaden a city’s property tax base without straining the budget with only cursory discussion. Planning and zoning boards tend to weed out the riskiest proposals, but Thursday night commissioners closely questioned the Windy Acres deal. Windy Acres events draw crowds, and that means traffic and noise.
After nearly half an hour of discussion Thursday night, Commissioner Rick Ranize zeroed in on the commission’s primary concern. He nodded toward Galbreath in the audience.
“Mr. Galbreath, will you be willing to offset the fees for police and fire protection?” Ranize asked.
“We can,” Galbreath said.
Commissioners then agreed to specify costs and public safety restrictions when Windy Acres applies for event permits.
