![\"Kennedy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d64991c0-57a6-4a97-9fce-a416cb389aaa_1773345650.file.png\")
<\/a>LONGWOOD, Fla. \u2014<\/p>\nA proposed development in Longwood could replace 52 acres of protected wetlands at the end of Meadowbend Drive with 95 homes, sparking concerns about flooding, traffic, and wildlife preservation. <\/p>\n
Sean Boyle, a 16-year resident of the subdivision, described the area as rich in wildlife. <\/p>\n
“There are Florida panthers back there,” Boyle said. “We have wild deer, we’ve got turkey.” <\/p>\n
Currently, the land is protected, but during a Monday night meeting, Longwood commissioners voted 3-2 to potentially change its status. Developers hope to build single-family detached homes around a lake, which would overtake the wetlands. <\/p>\n
Matthew McMillan, city commissioner for district three, explained the type of housing proposed. <\/p>\n
“More of your regular residential, single-family detached homes as opposed to the rural estates which we mentioned, which is more of the four-acre lots where, what it is currently back there,” McMillan said. <\/p>\n
Commissioner Matt Morgan opposed the motion, expressing concerns about preserving natural habitats. <\/p>\n
“We have certain habitats that need to remain uninterrupted because they’re all gone by the wayside,” Morgan said. <\/p>\n
Residents of the Meadowlands subdivision are worried about flooding and emergency vehicle access if the development moves forward. <\/p>\n
“That road floods every time we get more than 2 or 3 inches of rain. These 50 acres, when it is developed, will absolutely cause downstream flooding,” Boyle said. <\/p>\n
He also highlighted the potential impact on traffic. <\/p>\n
“That will generate somewhere around 500 trips a day on these little one-lane roads,” Boyle said. <\/p>\n
Boyle stressed the importance of raising public awareness about the issue. <\/p>\n
“This is a war on what we have remaining as far as the natural state of Seminole County and frankly, the developers are winning,” Boyle said. <\/p>\n
Commissioner McMillan said that the city plans to request a land use change, which will then be presented to the Seminole County Commission for a final decision. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wetlands to homes: Longwood residents raise concerns over potential development LONGWOOD, Fla. \u2014 A proposed development in Longwood…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":363914,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[139,141,140],"class_list":["post-363913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=363913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/363913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=363913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=363913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=363913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}