Rural residents gear up for another battle to stop development

Rural residents living on Edwards Road in Lady Lake are gearing up for another battle to stop development in their backyards.

The residents have their sights set on a project to be presented at 9 a.m. Wednesday Oct. 2 before the Lake County Planning and Zoning Board in Tavares.

In 2022, the Edwards Road residents lobbied hard against a plan to build more than 100 densely packed homes on land currently zoned as agricultural. The fierce opposition persuaded Nitai Capital Partners to withdraw the plan from consideration by the Town of Lady Lake.

Now a new development is being pitched to the Lake County Planning and Zoning Board.

“As a small community on Edwards Road, surrounded by family-run agricultural properties, we are committed to preserving our way of life,” said resident Virginia Reich.

She is busy organizing opposition to the proposed 31-acre development.

“This is not about enhancing our community; it is about profit. We must now stand together against this development to prevent the congestion, destruction of wildlife habitats, and loss of trees that this development would bring,” Reich said. “Moreover, it would strain our already challenged hospitals and emergency services, impacting the medical care we rely on daily. Overdevelopment benefits only the developers, not our community.”