Page 2 - Split Oak News Today

Defenders of Split Oak Forest insist Orange County can’t agree to anything that harms the conservation land — arguing that should nix a plan for a toll road to slice across 60 acres of the preserve in neighboring Osceola County. More than two dozen Split Oak defenders, some holding signs that read “Save Split Oak” or “Land Swap = Trickery,” urged the board to fight the road and reject a ...

For local environmentalists and growth-management advocates, last week was a tumble of triumphs: The Orange County Commission’s wee-hours rejection of the latest attempt to plunk hundreds of homes on former ranchland in the basin of the sensitive, imperiled Econlockhatchee River. News that the state is closing in on the purchase and preservation of another ranch on the Seminole County portion ...

There was a time when Split Oak Forest would have been considered nothing special. Back then, Florida was sparsely populated by humans but teeming with an astounding abundance of wildlife roaming hundreds of millions of forested acres, more than 11,000 miles of pristine waterways and an uncountable number of lakes and springs. With every year, more humans arrived — first in a trickle, but ...

Orlando’s airport is trying to nullify protections for a large expanse of environmentally sensitive land its managers long ago promised to safeguard “forever.” The 1,100-acre tract that includes Mud Lake and wetlands is tightly surrounded by high profile and surging development. Airport officials claim its ecoystem value has been degraded, that it poses a risk to aircraft and that federal ...

A state wildlife panel on Tuesday faced newly emboldened opponents of a planned toll road through Split Oak Forest, and opted to postpone a vote that just weeks ago seemed likely to endorse the forest route. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission decided instead to let its executive director continue to negotiate with Osceola and Orange counties, who share ownership of the ...

Environmental advocates packed a meeting in Orlando Tuesday to tell Florida's Fish and Wildlife Commission they are strongly opposed to a extending a toll road through the Split Oak Forest.

A proposed land swap could extend a highway through part of the Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area in Osceola County.

Today we’re gonna cover several topics — throuples, lawsuits over football and the political takeover of a theme park — you know, everyday Florida stuff. But first I want to start by simplifying something that may seem more complicated than it actually is: Split Oak Forest. You’ve probably read a lot about the proposal to run a toll road through an environmental preserve, including comments ...

Orange County commissioners have flipped on their original support of a toll road that will potentially cut through the Split Oak Forest.

Environmental advocates are planning to once again speak out against a project to extend a toll road through a protected forest in Orange and Osceola counties.