Green Swamp Workshop

What: Lake County is hosting a Green Swamp Land Use Workshop
When: Tuesday, June 11 at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Lake County Administration Building, 315 W. Main St., Tavares. Board Chambers, on the second floor

Please mark your calendar.

The Oklawaha Valley Audubon Conservation Committee implores all of our members to either attend the workshop or reach out to one or more of the commissioners. You may also email comments to the commissioners prior to the meeting via their clerk (jhanson@lakecountyfl.gov) and ask her to distribute them. It is important that the Commissioners hear from everyone with an opinion on this topic, even if that statement is that we agree (or don’t agree) with x, y, or z.

Commissioner Contact Information:
Breeden, Wendy            WBreeden@lakecountyfl.gov
Josh Blake                     JBlake@lakecountyfl.gov
Leslie Campione            LCampione@lakecountyfl.gov
Sean Parks                    SParks@lakecountyfl.gov
Tim Sullivan                   TSullivan@lakecountyfl.gov

This is a very important workshop.  We believe that development in the Green Swamp and other environmentally sensitive areas needs to be addressed and further restricted to protect these resources for Lake County, the state, and future generations.  OVAS’s Conservation Committee developed position papers with some talking points on 3 of our 4 areas of focus:

(1) water quality, quantity, and aquifer recharge as impacted by development, stormwater runoff, and waste disposal  – see the attached paper about septic tanks
(2) wetland credits – see attached paper
(3) open space – see attached paper
(4) landscaping with native plants – this will be addressed by a Karina Veaudry, a landscape architect speaking for the Florida Native Plant Society; for information on policies for sustainable landscape practices and site development please see https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_a90394950 (these topics are near the bottom of the list on the webpage).

The attached papers are to help you formulate your comments.  Feel free to read from any of these or use any text needed for your comments to the Commissioners.

The current Lake County Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) provides protection objectives and regulatory guidelines for development in Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern (GSACSC). The Comp Plan can be accessed at https://www.lakecountyfl.gov/pdfs/2025/2030_comp_plan.pdf  (section on the GSACSC begins on page 98). We are attaching excerpts from the Comp Plan as they relate to the Green Swamp and Open Space, with a comparison to relevant language for the Wekiva area.

During this public workshop, staff will give a presentation on various issues that the board has previously discussed publicly including:

1. possible transfer of development rights,
2. allowed uses within open space,
3. septic tank provisions, and
4. low impact development guidelines.

This workshop will provide residents and stakeholders with an opportunity to express their views concerning the social, economic, and environmental impacts of future land use in the Green Swamp. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and to offer input to staff and county commissioners.

If you can, please join the Oklawaha Valley Audubon Conservation Committee at the meeting, or reach out to one or more of the commissioners.  You may also email comments to the commission prior to the meeting via their clerk (jhanson@lakecountyfl.gov) and ask her to distribute your comments to the commissioners. The attached papers are to help you in formulating your comments.

If you are not able to attend, please click here to view the meeting live online:

We hope to see you there!

OVAS Conservation Committee
Sherry Chester, Susan Fetter, and Lavon Silvernell

Attachments
Please click a link below to view the chosen document.

1. Comp Plan Excerpts relevant to the Green Swamp and or Open Space with comparison to language related to Wekiva