GROVELAND, Fla. – Plans for an outdoor firearms training range on 54 acres near Crawford Road are facing strong resistance from residents in a rural Lake County community. A petition opposing the proposed project has collected nearly 500 signatures.
The land is currently designated for agricultural use. Under a proposed conditional use permit, the property owner is asking for authorization to convert it into an outdoor shooting range.
Nearby residents have raised concerns about potential gunfire, increased traffic and the site’s proximity to the Green Swamp, a protected conservation region that plays an important role in Florida’s aquifer system.
“It’s just a rural community,” said Jenny Goss, who launched the petition. “Our kids are riding bikes down the road. We don’t need hundreds of cars coming through here on top of all of the conservation stuff.”
People living near the proposed range describe the area as peaceful and primarily residential. They say its narrow roads would not be equipped to handle a significant rise in vehicle traffic.
Goss said the possible consequences could reach far beyond the homes closest to the property.
“It would impact everybody really in Florida because of the aquifer,” she said. “This is a very protected area because of that. Also, as far as this community, it would affect us because the roadways, our roads are tiny. You can see they’re not in great shape.”
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Del Ramsey, who lives within walking distance of the proposed site, said her family is concerned about how regular operations could affect their daily lives and the character of the community.
“I’ve been out here for 70 years and never had anything like this,” Ramsey said. “We have hunters that use their guns out here. Maybe an hour tops and everything. This is going to be every day, seven days a week. And when you hear the noise that I have to listen to, it’s not right.”
Goss said she has contacted Lake County officials to present the concerns voiced by residents.
The station also requested comment from Wicked Arsenal, the company behind the application, but no response had been received.
The Lake County Planning and Zoning Board is scheduled to consider the proposed outdoor firearms range at its upcoming meeting Wednesday.
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