ORLANDO, Fla. — Editor’s note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.
Orange County commissioners have flipped on their original support of a toll road that will potentially cut through the Split Oak Forest.
▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS
Commissioners voted 6-1 on Nov. 28 to oppose the project, a reversal from their 2019 vote in support of the Osceola Parkway Extension. The toll road is proposed to have a 1.3-mile stretch through a portion of the 1,700-acre preserve, which includes acreage in both Orange and Osceola counties.
Emily Bonilla, the commissioner who requested the item return to the board for a vote, mentioned an 86% vote by Orange County residents in November 2020 to protect the forest: “Statistically, there is no elected official that will get 86 percent of the vote to get elected.”
Read: Florida college football player’s cell phone helps to deflect bullet during drive-by shooting
Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journal’s website.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
This browser does not support the video element.