Sawgrass Bay and Flemings Road History
- Rachel Williams
- May 28
- 13 min read
Updated: Aug 14
Disclaimer: All opinions stated in this article are the author's alone. They do not reflect Connect 2025 as a group.
The history of the connection between Sawgrass Bay Boulevard and Flemings Road is complex and lengthy, and it's important to understand the various parties involved in order to move forward with our goals of opening the road now. This post provides a comprehensive overview of the origins of the connection and most recent updates. I encourage all members to read through this post to gain a clear understanding of the connection.
Horizon West's Origins
Horizon West, located in southwest Orange County, Florida, is a master-planned community that emerged from a collaborative effort between local citrus growers and county officials in the early 1990s. The area, once dominated by citrus groves, faced significant challenges due to devastating freezes in the 1980s, particularly the Christmas Day freeze in 1989, which severely impacted the citrus industry.
In response to these challenges, property owners and county leaders initiated a process to transform the land into a sustainable, well-organized community. This led to the development of the Horizon West concept, which was officially adopted in 1995. The plan emphasized the creation of distinct, mixed-use villages surrounded by greenbelts, aiming to prevent urban sprawl and promote a high quality of life. Horizon West was designed to create self-sustaining villages that mixed commercial and residential using the principles of New Urbanism and Garden Cities.
The community is structured around several villages, including Bridgewater, Lakeside, Hickory Nut, Ovation, and Seidel, each designed to be self-sufficient with residential areas, schools, parks, and commercial centers. A central Town Center, known as Hamlin, serves as the hub for larger-scale commercial and entertainment venues.
Upon completion, Horizon West will be comprised of nearly 42,000 residential units within the five villages, each centered around an elementary school to foster a sense of community in each village.
Village I: Ovation
The last of the Horizon West villages to be developed is Village I, or Ovation. This village is the final and southernmost village and borders the western entrance to Walt Disney World that extends from south of roughly Water Springs Boulevard (Village H - Hickory Nut) to the southern end of Hartzog Road. Current plans include neighborhood schools, mixed-use commercial and residential centers, village and estate homes, multifamily homes, and a park. Village I will be centered around the western entrance to Western Way and will extend to the Flamingo Crossings Town Center.
The master-planned village would include several residential areas, such as Northlake, Encore, Serenade, Accolades, Lake Star, Osprey Ranch, Harvest, Westhaven, and Winding Bay. The village will be anchored by the Ovation Village Center on the corner of Western Way and Flemings Road (the southern side of Flemings Road). The town center will feature commercial development, village centers, neighborhood shops, and the village office. On the northern side of Flemings Road will be an elementary school and public park. Please note that as of May 2025, Orange County has paused all plans for new school construction, so there is some uncertainty surrounding the future of the elementary school planned for Village I.
Horizon West Village I Road Network Agreement
Orange County utilizes Road Network Agreements (RNA) as formal arrangements between the county government and private developers or landowners. These agreements outline responsibilities for funding, designing, permitting, and constructing roadway infrastructure necessary to support new developments. They often include provisions for dedicating land for public use and allow developers to earn road impact fee credits by making improvements to existing roads or dedicating right-of-way to expand the road network.
The Village I Horizon West Road Network Agreement specifically pertains to the Ovation area (Village I) in southwest Orange County. Approved by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners on January 28, 2020, this agreement involves multiple stakeholders (twelve "signatory owners"), including Orange County, various development firms, and private landowners. The agreement focuses on the expansion of six road segments: Segments 1-4 on Avalon Road and Segments 5 and 6 on Flemings Road.
The developers involved in Segments 5 and 6 (Flemings Road) are the following: M/I Homes of Orlando, LLC; Spring Grove, LLC; Titan-Liberty Lake Underhill Joint Venture (a general partnership with 50% undivided interest each for Village I 545, LLC, and Titan & Village I 545 as tenants in common).
The general scope of the agreement calls for the widening of Avalon Road generally north of Water Spring Boulevard south to the connection at Hartzog Road from two to four lanes. The improvements will be completed in segments (Segments 1 through 4). Construction on Avalon will commence on the northern side running south towards Hartzog Road, unless the required Rights of Way and easements are not conveyed to the county in a timely manner for construction, in which case the segments will be completed south to north (Segment 4 near Hartzog north to Segment 1 near Water Springs Boulevard).
Improvements to Flemings Road from Avalon Road westerly to the Lake County line will be completed in Road Segment 5 and Road Segment 6. The Constructing Owners (developers) have the discretion to timely construct the Flemings Road segments in the order of their preference. Road Segments 5 and/or 6 can be commenced by the developers prior to the commencement or completion of the Avalon Road segments. The default plan, however, was to start with Road Segment 5 (Avalon Road side) and continue from the east to the western Road Segment 6 (Lake County side), or alternatively, Road Segment 5 and Road Segment 6 can be completed all at the same time in a linear fashion from east to west.
The original language regarding the improvements to Flemings Road in the agreement is as follows:
6. Improvements to Flemings Road (Road Segments 5 and 6). Flemings Road is currently an "alternative surface" roadway that is substandard for local and regional traffic. It principally serves as access to citrus groves, and to Phases 1 and 2 of the "Jaffers" subdivision, consisting of 139 single-family lots. Flemings Road is shown on the Village I SAP [note: SAP is Special Area Plan - a planning tool used by the county to guide the development of large, master-planned communities in a way that coordinates land use, transportation, infrastructure, and environmental preservation] as a 2-lane undivided facility. This roadway is identified as an Adequate Public Facility ("APF") road, internal to Village I, and did not initially provide a connection to Lake County or serve development outside of Village I. The County subsequently identified Flemings Road as an important interconnection and future collector facility as part of an interlocal agreement with Lake County, approved by the Board on July 11, 2017 (the "Interlocal Agreement").
Consistent with the Interlocal Agreement, the County desires the Village I Constructing Owners to design and construct Flemings Road as a 4-lane divided facility, which is intended to both serve Village I traffic, and to promote future east-west regional traffic flows expected with the Lake County "Sawgrass Bay Boulevard" project and recent development approvals by Lake County. The County, the Project Engineer, and the owners of the land adjacent to Road Segment 6 shall coordinate with Lake County with respect to the alignment of Road Segment 6 to assure the eventual proper inter-connection with Sawgrass Bay Boulevard.
The agreement also outlined a timeline of construction, with the connection of Flemings Road to Lake County via the construction of Road Segment 6 occurring no later than January 1, 2026 (but may occur at any earlier date than that). If construction of Road Segment 6 does not start on or before July 1, 2025, sufficient funds for the construction of Road Segment 6 and all necessary Rights-of-Way and easements must be placed into escrow by the developers on or before July 10, 2025. The repercussions on the signatory owners (developers) of not commencing construction by July 1, 2025, or placing money into escrow by July 10, 2025, will be a denial of any further allocation of "Trips" to the signatory owners (essentially meaning that they will no longer be able to build homes in the County).
Interlocal Agreement Between Lake and Orange Counties
On July 11, 2017, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved the Interlocal Agreement Between Lake County and Orange County Relating to Future Public Roadways. This agreement was a collaborative statement of intent to establish new roadways and improve existing roadways in order to accommodate increased traffic demands from growth in both counties and Central Florida as a whole.
Three "connection points" between the counties were identified in the agreement: Wellness Way to New Independence Parkway, Schofield Road, and Sawgrass Bay Boulevard to Flemings Road. The connection of Schofield Road between Lake County and Orange County was completed in late 2023. The previously unpaved stretch of road became a fully paved 6.5-mile east-west connector. The Wellness Way to New Independence Parkway is currently underway, and in March of 2025, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved the Amended and Restated Silverleaf Road Network Agreement, which earmarked $5 million of county funds to fast-track the construction of the New Independence extension.
Sawgrass Bay Boulevard Extension Project
Separate to the Village I Horizon West Road Network Agreement was Lake County's own Roadway Improvement Agreement. The Roadway Improvement Agreement Between Lake County, Florida and Avalon Groves, LLC Regarding Sawgrass Bay Boulevard Extension Project was signed in 2016 and outlined the planned extension of Sawgrass Bay Boulevard to the Lake-Orange County lines.
The agreement was executed between Avalon Groves, LLC and Lake County, FL where the developer (Avalon Groves) would be responsible for arranging the preparation of plans and specifications for certain improvements to the Sawgrass Bay Extension through the Avalon Groves property to the westerly property line (the Lake/Orange County line).
The Avalon Groves Community Development District (CDD), established in April 2016 by Lake County Ordinance 2016-16, is a special-purpose government entity responsible for financing and managing infrastructure within the Avalon Groves community. The CDD financed the construction of certain improvements, infrastructure, and facilities through the sale of tax-exempt bonds. While the Roadway Improvement Agreement was between Lake County and Avalon Groves LLC (the developer), the Avalon Groves CDD's financial activities, including bond issuances, supported infrastructure projects within the community. This suggests that the CDD played a role in funding or facilitating the Sawgrass Bay Boulevard extension, although specific details of the CDD's financial contributions to this particular project need further review (an email request has been sent to the CDD administrators to inquire about whether the CDD fully or partially funded the Sawgrass Bay extension, and this blog post will be updated when the information request is returned).
The extension of Sawgrass Bay Boulevard was completed in May 2025, with the road widening to four-lanes at the Alton at Serenoa apartments and the road ending in a roundabout, one of which exits leads to Flemings Road. At this point, the road is connected, but access is blocked by a concrete barrier roughly 1/2 mile past the roundabout.
Community Frustration
Residents of Sawgrass Bay Boulevard have expressed frustration and disappointment that the connection has not yet been completed, with many residents claiming that realtors and developers' salespeople stated that the road would be built as early as 2013.
While the only official timeline given by Orange County had consistently been the January 1, 2026, construction completion date outlined in the Village I Horizon West Road Network Agreement, many residents have claimed that the main reason for purchasing their home off of Sawgrass Bay Boulevard was the promise of the connection to Orange County. Developers, including Pulte Homes, and realtors have used the promise of a future connection as marketing materials, and salespeople working for the developers continuously assured buyers that the road would be connected in the immediate future.
The constantly shifting date cited by salespeople and developers (and then repeated via word-of-mouth by residents) has created frustration and a lack of confidence that the connection will be completed. This has been exacerbated by residents feeling that Orange County officials were being ambiguous in their responses and using technical jargon and legalese that obfuscates the narrative for anyone trying to educate themselves.
Second Amendment to the Road Network Agreement
Confidence in Orange County's commitment to completing the connection has been further shaken by the the Second Amendment to the Village I Horizon West Road Network Agreement. The amendment, which had been in the works since 2022 according to former Orange County Roadway Agreement Committee Chairman Jon Weiss (as stated in the minutes of the April 9, 2025, Roadway Agreement Committee meeting), will delay the construction completion date from January 1, 2026, to November 30, 2026. This frustration with this nearly year-long delay is further exacerbated by some of the language used in the meeting, in which the following was stated regarding the proposed November 30, 2026, construction completion date:
Ms. M. Cummings proposed designating Mr. Kunkel as the Delegation of Authority in order to modify the Construction Schedule without transmitting a Third Amendment to the to the Board. Mr. Mai advised the "good faith efforts" language referenced in Section 3.1(c) is soft enough language to provide for an extension without another amendment to the Agreement [emphasis mine].
The amendment also provided for a construction commencement date of May 31, 2025, for the Flemings Road segments. While this date would not mean construction equipment would necessarily be on the road at that date, it did mean that plans would be finalized and a pre-construction meeting would be held between the County and the developers.
From the meeting minutes, the plan that would need to occur in order to proceed with the agreement are as follows:
ROW (right-of-way) of Controlled Lands and Uncontrolled Lands conveyed or scheduled for BCC
Approval of the Second Amendment
An agreed upon construction contract
Disney Easement agreed upon and scheduled for the BCC
The most recent map showing Right-of-Way in the Village I area was provided by County officials in April 2025. In a separate email in May, an official indicated that Old Melbourne Highway LLC accepted the County's offer for ROW purchase. The County is still working with Disney/Reedy Creek for their property interest at the adjacent to Avalon Road and Western Way.
However, according to Paul Rosenthal, a legal representative of Village I Owners, at the April 9, 2025, RAC meeting, the developers believe that the Disney Pond Easement is not needed to commence construction. The County's legal representative in their Real Estate Management office, Mindy Cummings responded that the County has concerns with the Disney Pond Easement, and Joe Kunkel, Orange County Public Works Director, stated that the County will require a schedule or an agreed CFTOD Drainage Agreement going to the Board before they are willing to schedule the pre-construction meeting with the Developers (which is required to commence construction on Road Segments 5 and 6).
The Second Amendment was approved by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners during their bi-weekly meeting on June 17, 2025. In email correspondence with Orange County officials, they indicated that although the amendment would be presented to the board after the construction commencement date, there would not necessarily need to be any changes to the proposed dates in the amendment because of the "good faith effort" language cited in the quote above.
As of August 2025, ROW for the Disney pond easement has still not been conveyed or scheduled for the Orange County Board of County Commissioners. Thus, developers have still not been able to commence construction. Because the county will not allow developers to commence construction until the Disney pond easement is conveyed or scheduled, the November 30, 2026, completion date is seemingly unlikely, as both the County and the developers have stated an 18 month turnaround is needed to substantially complete construction barring any unanticipated issues. Because of the "good faith effort" language in the roadway agreement, so long as the developers make every effort to complete the road on time, there will be no legal recourse for the County to pursue if the November 30, 2026, date is not met, since the Disney pond easement ROW is outside of developers' control.
Flemings Road Survey
As indicated in the Orange County Roadway Agreement Committee's April 9, 2025, meeting minutes, Joe Kunkel (OC Public Works Director) indicated that there have been internal discussions regarding opening Flemings Road during construction. However, David Brown, a representative of signatory owners, expressed concerns with the Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) concept of opening the road and prefers that Flemings Road remain closed during construction of the four-lanes for a more efficient and quicker delivery.
Despite objections by the developers, the County continued to explore the option of opening the road in its current state. A part of this exploration was a road survey completed to determine if Flemings Road could withstand traffic. A revised report was completed by an external firm on May 13, 2025 (NOTE: the original report was dated May 2, 2025, but we do not yet have a copy of this report; I have requested the original and will update this blog post upon receipt).
The survey tested two separate scenarios, both with estimated Average Annual Daily Traffic of approximately 15,000 vehicles:
Scenario 1: a conservative traffic projection of 15,000 vehicles per day with 10.93% trucks, the west section has the structural capacity to support traffic for approximately one year.
Scenario 2: a conservative traffic projection of 15,000 vehicles per day with minimal truck traffic (1%), both sections have sufficient structural capacity to accommodate projected traffic volumes for more than ten years.
Despite Connect 2025's efforts to open the road only to local traffic during the expansion into four-lanes, the County decided against opening the road in its current state. Important to note is that both Lake County and Orange County have means to mitigate truck pass-through traffic, including signs, removing the route from Google Maps, Apple Maps, and other consumer-GPS services, and having a police presence to deter rule-breakers.
Current Goals
After the success of the March 2025 protest, Connect 2025 is now focused on opening the road in it's current state. Given the findings of the aforementioned report, it is clear that Flemings Road can sustain local traffic while the road is being expanded. And given Orange County's delay of the expansion of Flemings by nearly a year, along with their reticence to allow developers to commence construction prior to being granted ROW to the Disney Pond Easement, we are more determined than ever to persuade Orange County to open the road now.
There are a plethora of reasons the road needs to be opened - access to lifesaving health care, emergency evacuation routes, support for small businesses, access to Orlando, including the airport and jobs, and a better quality of life. But more than anything, Orange County is blocking access to affordable housing for the workers who support the tourism, healthcare, education, and service industries. Horizon West is prohibitively expensive for many service workers, including the nurses who treat you at hospitals, the Disney Cast Members who greet you with magic, the teachers who educate your children, the maintenance workers who make your aircraft safe, and many more.
While we understand that developers do not want to complicate construction or add expenses by opening the road now, we are nevertheless in an unprecedented cost of living crisis. Rent and housing prices are untenable for many people, and easy access to the Sawgrass Bay-area of southern Lake County will allow service workers to be able to save hundreds on rent, to not have to room four people to a two-bedroom apartment, to not have to spend hours in their cars after spending all day in 100 degree Florida heat.
With that being said, we hope you'll join our cause. This website will be regularly updated with newly planned events and ways you can help. We are a great community who comes together to help each other out, and every day, our community members, comprised of essential workers who provide critical services to help Orange County function, commute daily to the other side of the barrier - spending many extra hours on the road. Together, we can show Orange County the very people they are harming by keeping the already-completed road closed.