Osceola County leaders, eager to see a toll road built through Split Oak Forest, have proposed a strategy that could squelch Orange County’s opposition to a route cutting through the protected, environmentally sensitive acreage.

A 25-page staff memo prepared for Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and county commission colleagues outlined Osceola County’s new — but previously unpublicized — proposal, which envisions Osceola accepting and managing a development partnership’s offer of 1,550 acres of forest, wetlands and former pasture in exchange for approving the Split Oak route.

Intended as an update for commissioners, the memo recapped developments in the complex Split Oak saga — from an April 2022 decision by the Florida Communities Trust (FCT) in favor of the toll road to last month’s meeting of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) where nearly 70 people spoke against it. The new road, linking Orange and Osceola Counties, would open vast portions of Osceola to development.

“In essence, this proposal by Osceola County, if approved by their Board, would remove Orange County from any decisions or direct involvement in any future action by FCT or FWC involving the proposed donated land and the remainder of the process,” concluded memo author Renée Parker, a manager in the Orange County Environmental Protection Division. Osceola County staff informed their Orange County counterparts of the new proposal in mid-December.

But Chuck O’Neal of Speak Up, Wekiva, a Split Oak defender, disagreed with Parker’s conclusion after reviewing the memo.

“This is not completely out of the hands of Orange County,” he said.

Valerie Anderson, who leads the Friends of Split Oak Forest, said she was unsure whether Osceola County  could bypass Orange County’s opposition as the memo seems to suggest. “But, of course, I’m concerned,” she said.

Osceola County leaders did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Tavistock Development Co. and Deseret Ranches, the region’s largest land-owner, are pushing the road and dangled an additional 1,550 protected acres abutting Split Oak’s eastern boundary as an enticement to the counties to release a conservation easement through the southern tip of the forest. That easement now stands in the way of the Central Florida Expressway Authority’s preferred route for a $1 billion extension of the Osceola Parkway.

Wildlife commission decides to keep Split Oak road option alive

Osceola County has agreed but the Orange County commission, once in support of the toll road, flipped its position in November and withdrew support. Some board members cited fierce public opposition to the highway intrusion.

The state wildlife agency put off a decision on the easement at its Dec. 5 meeting, with some of its members citing the proposed land donation as a significant enticement.

“If this is a net conservation gain, it’s something that we have an obligation to look at,” said wildlife commissioner Gary Nicklaus, son of the legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus.

Wildlife commissioners voted unanimously to let Roger Young, FWC executive director, lead talks with the counties.

Young has not yet held those negotiations, FWC spokesperson Ryan Sheets said Thursday.

The agency also has not yet set a date for bringing the issue back to wildlife commissioners.

The 1,689-acre Split Oak Forest, about 25 miles southeast of Orlando, is jointly owned by the two counties and managed by FWC under an agreement. It was acquired in part with funds from the discontinued FWC Gopher Tortoise Mitigation Park Program.

Osceola County Commission Chairman Brandon Arrington, speaking for his board at the FWC meeting, said the preferred route would not cross any part of the forest in Orange County and save dozens of families from being relocated.

More than 1,000 people signed a Florida Wildlife Federation petition opposing removal of the forest protection.

“To some, this may be perceived as a local issue. It is not a local issue,” said Sarah Gledhill, president and CEO of the advocacy group, told wildlife commissioners. “This is certainly an issue of statewide significant significance. If you approve the release of the conservation easement, lands across the state currently encumbered by perpetual easement can be transferred for uses incompatible with conservation, recreation and wildlife.”

shudak@orlandosentinel.com