GOTHA, Fla. — Orange County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a newly updated wetland conservation areas ordinance.

The ordinance aims to strengthen the protection of valuable wetlands and surface waters by balancing natural resource protections and property rights.

According to the county, the original ordinance was created 35 years ago and hadn’t been modified much since then. But now, after two years of studies and discussions, that is all changing.

The update adds new mitigation site monitoring requirements, clearer code language and streamlines the permitting process, making it more consistent.

Experts say wetlands, which act like sponges, capture rain water and prevent runoff.

A study from by Orange County shows they’ve lost about 4% of wetland acreage since 1990.

That is a concern for developer David Boers, who has lived in Gotha his whole life. He’s watched Orange County build up all around his horse farm.

Boers said he’s most excited about the 100-foot buffer requirement for future projects, and the extra staff to review where the wetlands start and end.

“It is a little bit more restrictive, but we have seen the past pattern not working,” he said. “The Orange County that I grew up in and I saw back in 1987 is completely different than the Orange County that I see today, so we had to change and we had to adapt.”

Over the years, Boers said he has paid close attention to development, since his property backs up to what he calls environmentally sensitive land that he’s watched get smaller.

“It’s kind of like one of the last spots that you have some open land, some space," he said. "You just don’t see that anymore. All new developments are packed in.

"They’ve encroached and taken a lot of the wetlands throughout this area away. You just have a lot less volume of storm water storage that these wetlands do for us and the surrounding properties.”

Because of that, he says flooding has become a major issue for the area.

“I had a really good neighbor that had to move out and he had to find a new residence because his entire property down here flooded,” said Boers. 

He said that’s why he was vocal in his support of updating the wetland conservation ordinance.  

“This was something that needed to get changed,” said Boer. “I think everybody in Orange County wins on this one”

Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson spearheaded the effort and said the wetlands ordinance update is an important piece of legislation. 

The ordinance will officially go into effect on June 1, 2024.