EUSTIS, Fla. – The campaign to preserve the Eustis Community Center is moving beyond public remarks at City Hall, as residents organize their own forum to discuss the waterfront property’s future.
People concerned about losing the longtime gathering place will meet Wednesday evening to develop a plan, consider alternatives and seek answers from the city leaders who may ultimately decide the property’s fate.
Their organizing comes as an online petition urging a public vote before public land is sold has collected 1,340 signatures, according to a screenshot reviewed by News 6 on Wednesday, October 14.
With another City Commission meeting set for Thursday, some residents are also asking whether the officials responsible for the decision will attend the forum and hear their concerns directly.
News 6 contacted the City of Eustis to ask whether any commissioners planned to attend Wednesday’s meeting and whether city officials were working with residents to consider possible alternatives.
In a written response received Wednesday afternoon, the city did not name any commissioners who intended to attend or say whether discussions with community organizers were taking place.
Officials instead stressed that the forum was being organized independently of the city government.
“Tonight’s community meeting is independently organized and is not an official City meeting or event. Attendance by individual Commissioners is at their discretion,” the city said.
For residents who have spent weeks addressing the commission, collecting petition signatures and questioning the proposed redevelopment, the gathering offers another chance to push for their voices to be heard.
Residents organize their own meeting to find a way forward
The forum was scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Eustis Community Center, 601 Northshore Drive.
Organizers said the event would allow residents to share ideas, ask questions and decide what action they might take before a final determination is made about the property.
Gail Isaac-Thomas, a lifelong Eustis resident who spoke with News 6 last week about her opposition to losing the center, said community interest has continued to build.
“Yes, a lot of more people have been contacting me regarding this forum, and I’m very excited about the forum tonight,” Isaac-Thomas said in a follow-up interview Wednesday.
She said she emailed invitations to the city commissioners herself but had received only one response by the time of the interview.
“He said that he would try to make it,” she said of the commissioner who replied.
Isaac-Thomas did not identify the commissioner.
She said the goal of Wednesday’s forum was simple: Residents want a larger role in decisions involving a property they have used for generations.
“We’re having something today that they should have had long time ago, and that’s a community meeting,” she said.
Lisa Graves, another Eustis resident, said the meeting was designed to help the community understand what options remain.
“We need to get everybody together to figure out what our next step is,” Graves said.
Those options could include asking commissioners for additional public meetings, pursuing alternatives to the proposed development or discussing how a comparable community facility could be provided if the property is ultimately sold.
Graves said organizers might collect questions from residents to bring before city commissioners at their next meeting.
She emphasized that the community has not settled on a single strategy and hopes Wednesday’s discussion will help determine one.
Petition calling for public vote gains signatures
The push for greater public involvement has also taken the form of an online petition.
According to the official minutes from the September 24 Eustis City Commission meeting, resident James Vigil told commissioners that nearly 1,000 people had signed a petition seeking a public vote before any contract to sell the Community Center property is signed.
By Wednesday, October 14, a screenshot of that same petition reviewed by News 6 displayed 1,340 signatures.
The increase in the displayed total comes as residents continue raising concerns about the possibility of losing a publicly owned waterfront gathering place.
The September figure was an approximate count reported by a resident at a commission meeting, while the October figure comes from the online petition. Neither establishes how many signers are registered voters or live within Eustis city limits.
Some residents believe the public should have an opportunity to vote directly on a potential sale.
Graves said she would like to see a referendum.
“I think the people, the residents, need to vote on that, not the commissioners,” she said.
The city has previously stated that the commission does not have authority to put the proposed sale itself to a referendum.
The city’s charter does contain provisions for voter initiatives and referendums involving ordinances. However, those provisions do not automatically establish a right to vote on an individual property sale, and the applicability of those procedures to this proposal remains a point of disagreement.
For now, the petition is a demonstration of public interest, not a legally binding vote on the property’s future.
Commissioner makes public commitment about a future vote
The October 15 City Commission agenda packet, reviewed by News 6, also includes a significant statement from one commissioner about how the decision should proceed.
According to the official minutes from the September 24 meeting, Commissioner Michael Holland said he would not cast a vote on the Community Center until a public forum had been held involving the City Commission, the Hoffers — the developers associated with the preliminary proposal — and the community.
The minutes also indicate Holland wanted the available options examined publicly before a final vote.
He emphasized that previous direction from commissioners allowing city staff to move forward with discussions did not constitute approval of a transaction.
That commitment is Holland’s individual position and does not establish a requirement adopted by the full commission.
It also raises another question: When will the city organize a forum involving elected officials, developers and residents?
Wednesday’s resident-organized gathering is not necessarily the same type of meeting Holland described.
News 6 asked city officials whether commissioners were planning to attend and whether discussions with residents about potential solutions were underway.
The city did not announce a joint meeting or provide a timeline for those discussions in its response.
What the city told News 6
In its written response Wednesday, the City of Eustis said it recognizes the community’s interest in the property’s future and remains committed to keeping residents informed.
“The City recognizes the community’s interest in the future of the Community Center property and remains committed to transparency throughout the process,” the statement reads.
Officials pointed to a dedicated online information page providing documents, meeting schedules, frequently asked questions and updates about the possible sale and redevelopment.
The city launched the information page earlier this month.
Officials also reiterated that no final decision has been made.
“The City Commission has not made a final decision regarding the property, and the 30-day period for interest parties to submit proposals remains open through October 23, 2026,” the city said.
However, the response did not directly answer News 6’s question about whether city leaders are currently engaged in active discussions with residents or organizers concerning alternative solutions.
It also did not identify specific alternatives being discussed with the community.
Residents can review the city’s official information and updates at eustis.org/Community-Center-FAQs.
Could the Community Center be saved — or replaced?
The debate centers on a proposed redevelopment that could dramatically change the waterfront property.
A preliminary concept known as the Aquilo Waterfront District, submitted by AQ Mixed Use Lake Eustis LLC, envisions a roughly $70 million private development featuring a boutique hotel, apartments, restaurants and other commercial uses.
The proposed development would involve the Community Center property and an adjacent parcel.
Supporters of redevelopment see an opportunity to attract visitors, generate economic activity and bring additional investment into downtown Eustis.
The city’s Downtown Master Plan, approved in 2025, identifies the Community Center property as an important redevelopment opportunity.
But some residents believe those economic goals could be achieved without removing the existing facility.
Isaac-Thomas and other residents have pointed to the former Waterman Hospital property in downtown Eustis as one alternative location worth considering.
“If they build a community center somewhere else, I think that the developers need to move somewhere else, not our community center,” Isaac-Thomas said Wednesday.
Graves also suggested that, if redevelopment eventually moves forward on the Community Center property, the city should consider providing a replacement facility first.
“Build us a new center. There’s plenty of land downtown,” she said. “I think build one first before they get rid of this.”
Still, residents interviewed Wednesday did not all agree on what an acceptable compromise might look like.
Some want the existing building and property preserved. Others are willing to explore potential replacement facilities or different development locations.
Graves also raised the possibility of community fundraising to help offset repair costs, although she acknowledged that no such initiative had been formally organized.
Those differences are among the questions residents hope to discuss at the public forum.
The cost of keeping the building
City officials have identified approximately $700,000 in Community Center maintenance needs over five years.
That amount represents identified maintenance work rather than a final cost estimate for a comprehensive renovation.
The city has previously said a replacement Community Center could cost approximately $4 million to $5 million, based on preliminary discussions.
No permanent replacement facility has been approved or funded.
In Wednesday’s interview, Isaac-Thomas questioned how the building reached the point of needing hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance.
“What we don’t understand is how in the world, over the years, the commissioners, knowing this is a public building, allowed the building to get in the condition that it costs over $700,000 to repair,” she said.
She also said she wants to see a detailed explanation of the work needed.
The Community Center remains in use. According to city information previously reviewed by News 6, the facility hosted 179 events last year, including private gatherings and public activities.
City officials have said other existing facilities, including the Senior Center, could potentially accommodate many of those events if redevelopment proceeds.
But residents have questioned whether those alternatives would offer comparable space, amenities and access to the waterfront.
The property also serves as a polling place
There is another public use for the Community Center that could be affected by redevelopment: voting.
During the October 1 City Commission meeting, Isaac-Thomas raised concerns about precincts using the building and what would happen to voters if it were no longer available.
Lake County’s precinct directory identifies the Eustis Community Building at 601 Northshore Drive as the polling location for Precinct 325.
Isaac-Thomas told commissioners that two voting precincts use the facility. News 6 could independently identify Precinct 325 in the published directory but has not confirmed a second precinct at the location.
A redevelopment that removed or changed the facility’s use could require election officials to designate another polling location.
No polling-place relocation has been announced as part of the preliminary development proposal.
Residents have also raised concerns about the neighboring park and the future of public access to the waterfront.
The city has said waterfront access and existing public boat docks would remain available under its redevelopment vision.
Any specific conditions protecting that access would need to be established through the eventual agreement and development approvals.
One resident says she isn’t willing to give up
Estella Mosley, another Eustis resident interviewed by News 6, said she plans to participate in Wednesday’s forum because she wants more opportunities for residents to speak directly with decision-makers.
At regular commission meetings, she said, the time allowed for individual public comments does not provide enough opportunity for an extended discussion about the Community Center.
She hopes the forum will allow residents to share their concerns and explore possible solutions.
Mosley said her preferred outcome would be for the city to repair and preserve the building.
And even if the redevelopment process continues, she said residents should not stop raising their concerns.
“We will not stop until we get what we have here now,” she said.
For Mosley and others, the dispute is not simply about whether a hotel or other development would benefit Eustis.
It’s about whether the city’s future plans can accommodate the people and organizations already relying on the waterfront property.
What happens next?
Several important dates and decisions remain ahead.
Thursday, October 15 — Eustis City Commission meeting
Commissioners are scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 10 N. Grove Street.
The Community Center is not listed as a dedicated discussion or voting item on the published agenda.
However, residents may raise the issue during the meeting’s public-comment portion, and commissioners could address it during their scheduled comments.
A separate workshop scheduled earlier Thursday concerns the city manager position, not the Community Center.
Friday, October 23 — Deadline for additional proposals
The city is accepting other interested parties’ proposals for the Community Center property through October 23.
The preliminary Aquilo Waterfront District proposal will be considered alongside any additional proposals received.
Interested parties may submit proposals to the City of Eustis Purchasing Department at 10 N. Grove Street, third floor, Eustis, FL 32726.
According to the city, any proposed purchase and sale agreement would still need to return to the City Commission for consideration and final approval.
What residents should know
Has the city sold the Community Center? No. No final sale agreement has been approved.
Is the building being demolished? No demolition has been approved as part of the preliminary proposal.
Can people still use or reserve the Community Center? Yes. The city says the building remains in service and existing reservations are continuing as scheduled.
Has a replacement Community Center been approved? No. The city has discussed possible alternatives, but no permanent replacement facility has been approved.
Will commissioners attend the residents’ forum? The city says attendance is up to each commissioner individually. It did not provide News 6 with a confirmed attendance list.
Is the Community Center on Thursday’s commission agenda? Not as a dedicated item. Residents can still address commissioners during the public-comment period.
Where can people find updates? The city maintains an official Community Center information webpage containing documents, public notices, frequently asked questions and updates.
For residents still searching for answers, Wednesday’s forum offers an opportunity to decide what they want to ask of city leaders next.
But the larger decision — whether to preserve the current facility, pursue a different development proposal or move forward with a waterfront redevelopment — remains in the hands of the city commission.
And with the October 23 proposal deadline approaching, the question residents are pressing is no longer just what could happen to the Community Center.
It’s how much influence the community will have before that decision is made.
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