Neighbors say they’re concerned about how a proposed golf course would impact the water supply, traffic and fire station access.
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — Neighbors are voicing concerns about a proposed private golf course in Hernando County.
Developers are asking the Planning and Zoning Commission to change the land use from Agricultural to Combined Planned Development to include PDP(REC)/(Recreation), PDP/PSF (Public Service Facility) for a Fire Station and PDP(RR)/(Resort Residential) with Deviations.
This land is 262 acres just west of U.S. 41 on Lake Lindsey Road. There would be a Lake Lindsey Field Club golf course, clubhouse various lodging including cottages for members and their guests to stay. While the project has been scaled down from 120 units to 68 units, neighbors say they’re concerned about the wildlife, water usage and traffic.
Two of the people who are part of a Facebook group with a thousand members who are opposed say they’re worried about how this could change the area.
“The proposed Society Hill Golf Course on Lake Lindsey Road — it raises significant concerns amongst all the citizens and the residents in that area,” Kim Belanger said. “We are very rural out here. We have no running water. We have septic tanks and wells that we’re on. So it’s gonna definitely change the rural character of the neighborhood. But most importantly, we’re looking at the environmental risks from the golf course, the uses of the water usage that could potentially dry the residents wells up in addition to all the pesticides and the herbicides that they put on the golf course to maintain it.”
“There’s only a small section of in Hernando County of the wildlife corridor,” Carol Yakimo-Alevo added.
The Audubon Society and the Florida Native Plant Society have voiced their concerns along with the emails coming in from around the county.
“It’s only open to private people, elite people who join their club, and nobody else can use it. So it really has no benefit for Hernando County residents, and we get all of the bad things from this golf course, the toxicity and all of that,” Yakimo-Alevo said.
They also had some concerns about the developer donating five acres for a fire station on the south side of the property.
“You have to understand that this fire station has pumper trucks again, because there’s no piped water out here. Pumper trucks that would go to something or they have an EMT on for any medical emergencies for anybody, but we were talking about how that could slow the process down. So then why not, you know, donate land, give that back to the county and make the fire station,” Belanger said. “However, they put the fire station directly across from the golf course and it’s kind of like, okay, they’ll have to have a flasher light there probably, because you can’t pull the truck out on a two-lane road. So the location of the fire truck, or the fire station where it’s at now, is a better location than where they would move it up to Lake Lindsay or even on access on 41 would be better.”
10 Tampa Bay News did reach out to the developers to ask how they’re addressing concerns from the community but have not received a response.
If approved at Monday’s zoning meeting, the county commissioners would get to vote on the proposal.