Mercy Drive, Wekiva River River hope the court sides with them
There will be a David vs. Goliath environmental showdown
Thursday at the Orange County Courthouse.
Residents in the Mercy Drive area and environmentalists on
one side will face off against Orlando City Hall and a developer on the other
side.
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| Evergreen Park across from construction site |
Residents in the Evergreen Park community and
environmentalists say the massive Princeton Oaks warehouse development under
construction on W.D. Judge Drive will harm the health of residents and the pristine Wekiva
River.
The construction project, which is currently underway was
approved by the Orlando City Commission even though that wooded is the source
of water feeding into the Wekiva and the land is supposed to be protected by
state law, according to Dr. W. Jones, an environmental scientist who lives in
Evergreen Park.
Dr. Jones said her neighbors and environmentalists want the
construction removed and the site returned to its natural condition as a habit
for wild animals and headwaters for the Wekiva.
Click here to
see what she said.
While they face an uphill battle, it’s not unheard of
having development removed to restore wild lands.
The Cross Florida Barge Canal in
north Florida is an example of a major construction project that was ended for
environmental reasons and the land was restored to its natural condition.
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| Cross Florida Barge Canal |
If the neighbors and environmentalists fail, the warehouse
facility will bring noise and 700 tractor trailer rigs daily to W.D. Judge Drive where
everyday dozens of children must cross the street to visit the Northwest Community Center.
We must remember, David won. That is our goal here. When I served on the Orange County Commission, we stopped this project. They failed to get approval at the County. So they annexed into the City of Orlando. Mayor Dyer and Orlando City Commissioners approved it. This appears to be in violation of Orange County regulations, which supercede City of Orlando ordinance on issues related to environmental protection regulations. This is what the courts will decide. If the Judge follows the precise letter of the law, David wins once more.
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