Lady Lake commissioners have made it clear they won’t follow Sumter County in its desertion of the Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Last month, Sumter County Board Chairman Doug Gilpin and County Administrator Bradley Arnold met with the governor’s staff to request dissolution of the transportation planning agency. Gilpin then proposed that the two counties join MetroPlan Orlando, the metropolitan planning organization for Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.
“If Sumter County wants to go to Orlando, let ‘em go,” said Lady Lake Commissioner Dan Vincent.
“It’s a political power thing.”
Vincent has served on the MPO with Gilpin and Lady Lake Mayor Jim Richards.
Lady Lake commissioners indicated the last thing they would want to do is turn to MetroPlan Orlando.
“Our voice would be so small. We would be drowned out by Orlando,” Richards said.
Commissioners have agreed to keep the current MPO structure as it is.
They indicated that if the MPO is dissolved, the town might explore hooking up with Ocala.
