ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County commissioners have voted unanimously in favor of a ballot measure for voters to weigh in on rural boundaries. 

It now must head to the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office for final approval.

The rural boundary measure seeks to protect rural land and regulate any new commercial and residential development in Orange County.

If passed in November, any city that wants to increase the density or intensity outside of an urban area will need a supermajority vote to do so.

This comes less than a week after several mayors and city officials from cities in Orange County sent a letter in opposition to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings on the proposed rural boundary amendment and an annexation clause granting the county veto power over an attempt to annex land.

More than eighty people, most of which were Orange County residents and community advocates, spoke to commissioners during the public comment section.

It was a long awaited moment for Orange County residents and ‘Save Orange County’ community advocates who made their way to the Administration Center in numbers.

Although residents were thrilled to hear that the motion was passed, many say that the work is nowhere near done.

‘Save Orange County’ organization board member Tom Narut has been living on the west side of the Econlockhatchee River for over 27 years.

When he first moved in, he says all there was at the time was a “dirt road.”

He says, now, his property will be on the drawing line of this newly voted in rural boundary.

He’s among many Orange County citizens who share the same goal, which is to protect their homes from additional commercial and residential development.

“(I can) still be a part of some services that are more convenient not far away but you have the rural side of the county in our backyard,” said Narut.

It’s a lifestyle that he and many others who vouched for the rural boundary amendment want to preserve.

East Orange County resident, Jimmy Hester, who is raising his children to be 4th generation farmers, shares a similar view.

“I can continue to pass down what my grandfather, what my father passed down. I can pass down to my kids,” said Hester. “They’ll have the quality life of rural area to raise their families and to continue living on a farm.”

He called Tuesday’s vote an answer to a prayer.

But he and other community advocates like Narut agree that although it was comforting to see the motion pass unanimously, the real battle is to get the annexation clause on the November ballot.

“It creates a couple extra hurdles that they [developers] need to jump through,” said Narut. “Hurdles just equate to costs, 'I need more studies, more engineering studies, more design plans, more engineers involved, I’ve got to spend more time downtown.'”

City officials such as Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson say they’re not happy with the clause granting the county veto power over attempts to annex land.

“We were concerned that the cities weren’t being included in those discussions, it was just being driven by Orange County alone. We’d like to have a seat at the table,” said Nelson. “Let’s say somebody that’s right outside the city of Apopka wants to annex in, the county then would have we think undue control over whether that person or company could annex in the city of Apopka.”

A final vote to determine whether the annexation clause will make it on the November ballot will take place at the Orange County Administration Center on Aug. 13.