Lake County accepts land for wildlife in Wellness Way
Jan.20: The Lake County Commission voted unanimously to accept about 39 acres for wildlife conservation from a property developer in the Wellness Way economic development area in Clermont.
Pulte Home Company, LLC, is donating land known as the Schofield Wildlife Corridor as a condition of rezoning approved in December 2023. Under county law, the wildlife conservation area must be given free of cost and remain in its natural state.
Commissioners accepted a dedication deed from Pulte pending a legal review of numerous title encumbrances and acceptable results of a survey and environmental testing.
They indicated they intend to transfer the land to the state of Florida for long-term maintenance. The managing agency has not been determined, but Commissioner Sean Parks suggested it could be the St. Johns River Water Management District, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, or the state park system.
Parks said the land is a “pinch point” in the Florida Wildlife Corridor and that “the idea has always been to get the land first, then transfer it over.” He said it will be a passive area, except for a walking trail parallel to S.R. 516.
Wellness Way is a strategic corridor for economic development covering more than 15,500 acres south of S.R. 50 and east of U.S. 27 in southeast Lake County. A product of long-term collaboration between the county and the city of Clermont, the Wellness Way Area Plan is designed to manage rapid growth and attract high wage jobs.
Commissioners also voted to extend an interlocal agreement struck with the city of Clermont in 2019 for consulting services supporting Wellness Way through Sept. 30, 2030, at a cost of $35,000 per year. Levey Consulting, LLC provides project administration, project implementation, and outreach and marketing services.
