LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – People who live off of Sawgrass Bay Boulevard in Clermont are planning a protest over the planned connector road between Lake and Orange counties.

Back in August, the Lake County Commission approved a bid for the roundabout project on their side of the road, but people are wondering what’s happening on the Orange County side.

Marcus Vivone said the connector road was a huge reason why he bought his home in the Serenoa Lakes neighborhood.

“It’s like there is a huge lack of integration,” Vivone said. “It’s like fragmented realities. Each one will tell a different story, and it seems that these stories are not matching.”

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Daniel Cigreo also lives in the Serenoa Lakes Neighborhood and worries about the safety issues that come with not having this connector road.

He said in some cases; they’ve been blocked inside their neighborhood.

“Last year, three times, accidents on 27 blocked us for four hours, we have senior living, we have children in this neighborhood, and we don’t have any outlet,” Cigreo said.

The connector road would also help with people’s commute times.

Debbie Running is a retiree who would have liked to pick up a part time job at the theme parks, but the drive time turned her away.

“I thought maybe I’d get a little job at Disney, but I’m not going to get a job at Disney and have to drive all the way out there,” Running said. “I’ll use all my earnings in gas and mileage on my car.”

Now neighbors are planning a protest to make their feelings about the road abundantly clear.

“We don’t need a large avenue with four lanes, 8 lanes, we just need what was promised to neighbors on this neighborhood,” Vivone said.

We reached out to Orange County and asked them several questions about the project and its timeline. For the full Q&A, see below.

Emily: I just wanted to reach out this morning and touch base and request any timelines or statements from the county on this project.

• Orange County: The existing executed road agreement between Orange County and the participating property owners holds the current timeline for construction of improvements to Flemings Road and County Road 545 (Avalon Road). The road construction plans are essentially complete, Orange County is working with the participating property owners to receive parcels held by them and the County needs cash from the participating property owners deposited in the escrow account to purchase properties not controlled by them. The agreement calls for a construction start of the road project on or before July 1, 2025, and if all the necessary properties and cash are not placed in escrow then there are remedies in the agreement that the County can exercise to complete the project.

Emily: Has Orange County began work on its side of the project?

• Orange County: The road production phases are outlined in the agreement. This includes completing the roadway study, the design and permitting, right-of-way acquisition and construction. The study was completed, the design is essentially complete and the right-of-way process is in progress. As mentioned above we need to have all the properties necessary for the construction of the road in hand prior to commencing construction.

Emily: Who is the owner of the land where the project is supposed to take place?

• Orange County: The participating property owners and the parcels they represent are listed in the agreement.

Emily: Has the county been in contact with the owner of the land to get an update on the project’s timeline?

• Orange County: Orange County is in constant communication with the participating property owner’s representative, and he is also the escrow agent. We have made ourselves available to meet with the participating property owners whenever they need us.

Emily: Is there any possibility this project could not be completed?

• Orange County: The existing agreement contemplates the completion of the Flemings Road and Avalon Road projects and there are remedies that give the County options to complete them as well.  Avalon Road and the connection to Lake County are essential corridors for the regional mobility of west Orange and east Lake Counties.

To see the full agreement for the project, click here.

To see the first amendment to the agreement, click here.