The debate about a planned toll road in what many consider sensitive land in both Orange and Osceola counties for wildlife is over for now.

What You Need To Know

  • The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 6-1 this week to allow a toll road to be built through part of Split Oak Forest
  • The Central Florida Expressway Authority can now move forward with plans to build the road across publicly owned lands
  • Some conservationists say urban sprawl will endanger wildlife in the area, like the gopher tortoises

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 6-1 this week to lift protections for the Split Oak Forest and allow a toll road to be built through it. With the approval, the Central Florida Expressway Authority can now move forward on the project.

Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental area is jointly owned by Orange and Osceola counties, and is managed under an agreement by the FWC. Orange and Osceola counties partnered together in the 1990s to place protections on Split Oak, but the proposed development has landed them on opposite sides. 

In 2020, Orange County voted for a charter amendment that called for continued protection of the forest. Orange County leaders supported the voters’ decision and adopted the amendment.

However, Osceola County officials took the charter amendment to court, hoping to void the decision and move forward with the toll road. 

The Expressway Authority and the Florida Communities Trust’s Governing Board have already voted unanimously to approve funding, and request that the project to move forward. 

In 2023, the FWC agreed to participate in negotiations for the proposed toll road. Development is already taking place outside of the forest, and direct effects would largely take place in the southern part of the forest, which lies within Osceola County.

Some conservationists, who are trying to protect wildlife in the area and preserve the land, see the decision as a mistake.

Katrina Shadix, with the nonprofit Bear Warriors United, said the decision is a mistake for wildlife that live in the area.

“Construction kills wildlife, and the loss of habitat,” said Shadix.

Shadix, who has been passionate about stopping the toll road project, believes wildlife will suffer if the highway is built, as she points to a gopher tortoise crossing the road less than a mile from where the expressway would be built.

“This is a very common sight," she said. "And this is one of the concerns we have if the land gets destroyed."

Shadix also pointed to the nearby Back to Nature Wildlife refuge, which is located less than a mile from the proposed road project. She said the refuge took in 468 animals last month alone, and believes urban sprawl will add to those numbers.

“Not only the 60 acres that will be destroyed, and the additional 100 acres that will be impacted," she said. "But this is opening the floodgates to urban sprawl, homes that will further displace and kill our wildlife."

While Shadix is disappointed with Wednesday’s vote, she was happy that the deal included a 1,500-acre land donation. 

A statement, the Central Florida Expressway Authority applauded the FWC's decision:

“FWC’s decision to release the Split Oak easement marks a major milestone for the planned SR 534 Expressway Project (known as the Osceola Parkway Extension). The next step is for the CFX board to consider the terms of this agreement at the upcoming May board meeting. If approved, we anticipate initiating design work on this section of SR 534 in late 2024.”