A war of words broke out on the Central Florida Expressway Authority board at its first meeting since Orange County’s decision to resist the agency’s latest efforts to build a controversial toll road through the Split Oak Forest.

Christopher Maier, an appointee of Gov. Ron DeSantis, said at Thursday’s meeting it was “frustrating” for the county to refuse to sell the road agency additional environmentally sensitive land it now says it needs for the Osceola Parkway extension.

“I think it’s a bit frivolous and costly to come after us at this point,” Maier said. “I think it’s a slippery slope and I’m very disappointed in the actions of our county commission.”

The Orange County Commission decided on a 4-3 vote last month to continue its long fight against the Split Oak cut-through, approved by the state in 2024, even though its attorneys have said there is no longer a realistic hope of stopping the road. Specifically, the county rejected CFX’s $2.39 million offer for 24.5 acres of county-owned land adjacent to Split Oak Forest it deems “necessary” for the toll road.

The land includes a piece of the 232-acre Eagles Roost Park, bought with taxpayer funds and home to the wildlife refuge Back to Nature. CFX is now expected to sue to get the land through eminent domain proceedings, although it has not yet voted to do so and Thursday’s discussion ended with no decision.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, who represents the county on the CFX board, defended his commission’s resistance as the will of the people — even though Demings himself was one of the three commission members to vote against fighting CFX.

“I’m a little troubled by your comments,” Demings said to Maier. “While I don’t always agree with 100% of the members of our Board of County Commissioners and their beliefs, they are a compassionate group of individuals who believe in the power of the people and not necessarily of the people in power.”

Demings went on to say he didn’t believe the CFX board should “take a position” and “criticize another board who believe, overwhelmingly, that they were doing what was right.”

He also pointed out Maier’s position as a DeSantis pick.

“I was duly elected by the people,” Demings said. “I wasn’t appointed by the governor. My actions are based on what the people in Orange County say.”

In response, Maier argued CFX has given residents multiple opportunities for input over the years. He added that expensive litigation may also impact other necessary projects.

“Lawsuits cost money for both sides,” Maier said. “Every delay that potentially happens on a project, cost of construction goes up. That means it’s going to cost us more to finish this project and that also means that potentially other projects have to be impacted.”

The 14-mile toll road is already in the design process and set to begin construction in early 2027. A 1.3-mile section of the project lies within the protected forest and is set to have three designated wildlife crossing bridges.

It’s part of a larger project called the Southern Beltway, a 60-plus-mile continuous highway loop that would connect Osceola County to other important thoroughfares across the region. CFX argues the project is necessary to take pressure off of traffic-laden Narcoossee Road and accommodate future growth.

“Growth has moved faster than the transportation network,” said Glenn Pressimone, chief of infrastructure at CFX. “This is exactly where State Road 534 plays a role, rather than continuing to push more traffic onto already maxed out arterial roads … it’s about giving the regional system another outlet so local roads can function the way they were intended.”

On Thursday the board also unanimously approved the $200 million-plus, two–lane toll road that will connect State Road 417 and the Orlando Sanford International Airport. The approval included an agreement that Seminole County will contribute $50 million toward the project.