The owners of hundreds of acres of pristine ranchland — where former state Rep. Chris Dorworth tried to build controversial megadevelopment River Cross in 2018 — are asking Seminole to buy the property for conservation.
“It would be a milestone for Seminole County to protect this property,” said Charles Lee, director of advocacy for Audubon Florida.
The Clayton family has long owned the 669 acres officially known as Hi-Oaks Ranch but sometimes listed as High Oaks. The land is tucked between Econlockhatchee River and County Road 419 — just north of the Orange County line.
“We love the land and the animals,” said Jonathan Clayton, who is helping coordinate the sale of his family’s property. “But we love people more. And we’d like to see the property benefit people.”
The family submitted an application to a county advisory board asking Seminole to purchase the land under the Seminole Forever program, which helps preserve land from development
What the family might charge for the property and whether the county could afford it is not yet clear. The purchase price on the failed 2018 deal was $35.5 million. read more