Without discussion, Orlando City Council gave final approval Monday to annexing a 6,300-acre piece of Tavistock’s Sunbridge development, brushing aside objections from Orange County and setting up a second giant addition as early as next month.

Before the vote, Jon Weiss, deputy Orange County administrator, reaffirmed county concerns which he outlined in great detail last week in a four-page letter to city officials that included maps and the legal basis for the objections.

He pointed out county staff had spent more than a decade working with the Suburban Land Reserve, the real estate arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, owner of the land that Tavistock plans to develop.

“This project could have been a great opportunity to work together to ensure the best for existing and future residents of both Orange County and the city of Orlando,” Weiss said in brief comments to city council before its vote.

After the council’s unanimous decision, Weiss said county commissioners could still challenge the annexation by following a “governmental conflict-resolution procedure” established in state law in part to settle annexation disagreements, though he stopped short of saying the county will do that.

Commissioners have 30 days to initiate the procedure which could lead to a joint session of the two boards.

Orlando’s Sunbridge annexation moves ahead, defying Orange County’s objection

 

A second, slightly smaller annexation of additional Sunbridge land is expected to be considered later, with hearings planned for April 22 and May 13. The two annexations would account for roughly 11,600 acres – similar in size to Lake Nona, which the city annexed in 1994 and was also developed by Tavistock.

Sunbridge, however, includes even more land in Osceola County, bringing the total for the development to about 27,000 acres. Most of the development has previously been approved; the issue in the annexation controversy is who will control it. State law favors cities over counties in such disputes.

Orlando’s annexation also includes the Stanton Energy Center, a plant that provides electrical power to the Orlando Utilities Commission, which is owned by the city, and a business park known as the International Corporate Park.

With 3.1 million square feet of industrial use, it accounts for a taxable value of $276 million.

In his letter, Weiss noted development is expected to occur in the same manner as approved by the county.

In November 2016, Orange County commissioners approved a development program for Sunbridge to allow 7,370 homes, 5.4 million square feet of office space, 2.9 million square feet of industrial uses and 880,00 square feet of retail space.

Doug Zabin, president of the Orlando Professional Firefighters Union, who also addressed the city council, said the Sunbridge annexation brings to light the vast capital needs of the Fire Department over the next five to 10 years.

He said the city will need seven to eight fire stations plus a training center, estimating the cost at $100 million.

The capital costs do not include new trucks, equipment or additional firefighters.

shudak@orlandosentinel.com