LAKE COUNTY, Fla.  — With more people moving to the Sunshine State, Central Florida is growing, and new housing developments pop up all around the region.

In Lake County, many of its rural areas are turning into residential and retail spots.

Lifelong county resident Brittany Lerch is working to protect the county amid the development.

When she’s not at council meetings, she’s at home and cooking dinner for her family.

She told Spectrum News 13 the rural way of living is for her.

"People are moving here because it’s beautiful. It’s one of a kind,” Lerch said. “There’s no place like this in Florida. We’ve got to figure out a way for these rural communities to have a say in what’s going on."

Lerch lives in unincorporated Lake County, which means no city representation. She chose the area specifically because she likes the county’s comprehensive growth plan better than that of nearby towns. However, city governments tried annexing parts of the county for its development plans.

"There needs to be a way to manage all of this growth,” Lerch said. “The ISBAs (interlocal service boundary agreements) were never created to basically be a land grab of annexation between towns."

While Lerch does not have a vote in city plans, she said she believes annexation projects will adversely affect residents in unincorporated Lake County. That’s why she started a group called “Protect Rural.” It’s made up of other nearby like-minded residents.

"We definitely feel like we don’t have a voice in this fight because we aren’t voters in these towns," Lerch said.

Lerch said she isn’t anti-development. She said she just wants to make sure the infrastructure and resources are planned prior to the approval of major development projects. She said she’d also like to see a nice transition from rural areas to higher-density spots, so everyone gets their preferred way of living.

"I understand what development can do to a landscape,” Lerch said. “I just don’t want that to happen to all of Lake County. I want us to be able to protect and preserve some of these beautiful places so that future generations can enjoy them."

As Lerch's community grows, so will the group. She said she hopes Lake County leaders and residents can work together to create a balance in development.