{"id":60381,"date":"2025-12-28T17:49:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T22:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=60381"},"modified":"2025-12-28T17:49:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T22:49:19","slug":"florida-approves-2-5-billion-toll-road-through-protected-wildlife-corridor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2025\/12\/28\/florida-approves-2-5-billion-toll-road-through-protected-wildlife-corridor\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Approves $2.5 Billion Toll Road Through Protected Wildlife Corridor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Poinciana Gets Relief at a Cost<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On December 11, 2025, Florida officials approved a toll road that had been rejected, studied, debated, and blocked for seven years.

The Southport Connector will cut 15 miles through some of the most environmentally sensitive land in Central Florida, running alongside a preserve that protects the headwaters of the Everglades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people who live in Poinciana say they have no choice. The conservationists who manage the land next door say there\u2019s no happy ending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poinciana Has America\u2019s Worst Commute<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2025 study found that Poinciana residents have the worst commute in the entire country.

The average trip to work or school takes 51 minutes each way, adding up to more than eight hours every week stuck in traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some residents say a 30-minute drive can turn into two hours. The congestion has gotten 25% worse since 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traffic on Cypress Parkway operates at what engineers call Level of Service F, meaning long delays and backups throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

90,000 People With One Way Out<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 90,000 people now live in Poinciana, and there\u2019s essentially one way in and one way out. Residents describe driving to doctor\u2019s appointments as a daily struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The community straddles Osceola and Polk Counties, tucked between wetlands and preserves with limited road options.

Osceola County is one of the fastest growing counties in the country, and it has some of the worst commute times to go along with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More cars arrive every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Road CFX Rejected in 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not the first time officials considered the Southport Connector.

In 2018, the Central Florida Expressway Authority abandoned the project because projected toll revenue covered only 17% to 29% of construction costs.

The agency requires projects to cover at least 50% of their costs through tolls before moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board decided to revisit the project periodically as conditions in surrounding communities changed. Seven years later, conditions changed enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toll Revenue Still Falls Short<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The math has not improved much since 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite projected toll revenue of $740 million, the Southport Connector will still cover only 29% of the $2. 54 billion cost, well below the agency\u2019s 50% threshold.

Osceola County Commissioner Brandon Arrington said he wants to keep working with staff to find partnerships and phasing opportunities to improve that percentage.

The board approved the project anyway, voting unanimously on December 11.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Route Cuts Through Wildlife Corridor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The expressway will run through a critical portion of the Florida Wildlife Corridor, an 18-million-acre expanse of state land that provides habitat for many fragile plants and animals.

The corridor is the only remaining intact wildlife passage east of the Mississippi that still supports native Florida panthers.

Jason Lauritsen of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation says fragmentation like this causes wildlife populations to become isolated, leading to less diversity over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disney Wilderness Preserve at Risk<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Disney Wilderness Preserve is an 11,500-acre nature reserve near Kissimmee, created through an agreement between The Walt Disney Company, The Nature Conservancy, and the state of Florida.

Disney purchased over 8,000 acres of wetlands from a cattle rancher in the 1990s to offset environmental impacts from its theme parks and hotels.

The preserve sits at the headwaters of the greater Everglades watershed and provides habitat for Florida panthers and black bears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new road will border its edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prescribed Burns Cut by 34%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nature Conservancy manages the Disney Preserve and relies on controlled fires to keep the ecosystem healthy.

Janet Bowman, senior policy analyst with The Nature Conservancy, said the road will have a detrimental impact on prescribed burns across 3,500 acres of the preserve, reducing the window for burns by about 34%.

Woodpeckers that call the preserve home require a specific type of longleaf pine forest that needs regular fire to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smoke and highways do not mix well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elevated Sections for Wildlife<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials say parts of the road will be built elevated above Cypress Parkway, which will allow animals to pass underneath.

The Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation has suggested the expressway be elevated even through undeveloped areas to reduce vehicle collisions with wildlife, especially endangered Florida panthers.

Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks said the plan protects the wildlife corridor and encouraged continued work with conservation professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

17,000 More Homes Already Approved<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The road is not just about current traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developers have already approved 17,000 new homes east of the Southport Connector in a master-planned community called Waterlin.

Conservation experts worry the road will accelerate urbanization in an area that was supposed to stay rural.

Charles Lee, director of advocacy at Audubon of Florida, said there is really no happy ending, only what he would describe as a modest lessening of impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osceola County Could Double by 2040<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osceola County was expected to reach 410,000 residents in 2025, but it has already hit 468,000 and could double by 2040.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Central Florida continues its rapid expansion, with Osceola County growing 19.7% in recent years. Traffic increased by 25% along Cypress Parkway from 2019 to 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are 1,700 miles of designated paddling trails. Osceola County alone is reviewing plans to build 11,000 more homes east of Lake Toho in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visiting the Florida Wildlife Corridor, Florida<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Florida Wildlife Corridor that this toll road will cut through spans nearly 18 million acres across the state, from the Everglades to the Panhandle.

About 10 million acres are already protected conservation lands, and the corridor contains 6,300 miles of trails, including 1,100 miles of the Florida National Scenic Trail.

Public access points include state parks, national forests, and wildlife management areas throughout Florida. The Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation website offers maps and trail guides.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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