ORLANDO, Fla. — A decision on the voluntary annexation by Orlando of 52,454 acres in Orange County has been pushed to the day before the election, Nov. 4.

City of Orlando staff requested additional time to continue to work on the annexation agreement before moving forward.

The property known as Deseret Ranch in southeast Orange County is mostly undeveloped farmland owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

Annexation of the land could increase the size of Orlando by 60%.

In public comments at Monday’s city council meeting, all speakers opposed the annexation.

Since the ordinance has been advertised and interested parties may want to testify, city officials said they will need to officially open a public hearing, so they voted to continue the item next month, just before the election.

“We had the president of the firefighters’ union say they’re already subsidizing emergency service from the county because the city cannot currently handle the load of emergency calls,” one woman said during public comment.

Others who spoke at the meeting said the city should put off that decision until after the election, so people will be able to provide their opinions on the annexations.

On the November ballot, Orange County voters will cast their ballots on a proposed charter amendment that would establish a process for voluntary municipal annexations and land use in rural areas.

“One of the unintended consequences of the county’s decision to proceed with a functional ban on voluntary annexations is that landowners and residents are now confronted with expediting planning efforts that they may have undertaken over the next several years into the next couple of months to avail themselves of rights that the proposed annexation charter amendment may preclude,” a city spokesperson said in a statement. “ We would prefer not to have these decisions made in such compressed time frames, but given the circumstances imposed by the county and our obligation to protect the best interest of our taxpayers and residents, we must review these applications and make a decision on them before a county charter amendment might go into effect.”

In late August, Deseret Ranch’s parent company, Farmland Reserve, petitioned the city of Orlando to voluntarily annex approximately 52,450 acres of its Deseret Ranch property in Orange County.

Farmland Reserve officials said putting the Deseret Ranch property under a single municipal government would avoid “piecemeal planning of the past.”

“What is so concerning about this is that it’s through St. Johns River Basin,” said Kelly Semrad, vice chair for Save Orange County and a candidate for District 5 Orange County commissioner. “This is the last of Mother Nature, wetlands and storm management system for the east, so when we talk about filling in a wetland, the water has to go somewhere, and it’s going to flood the people out, resulting in increased cost of living with flood insurance and property insurance.”

Spectrum News reached out to her opponent, Steve Leary, for his view on the topic but has not received a reply yet.

In its statement on Monday, the city of Orlando said, “Currently, the land is designated for agricultural use, and city planners will work with the landowners to develop a multiyear growth strategy that includes environmental protections for wetlands and wildlife.”

The city also said it did not seek out the proposed annexation, and that development will support the need for additional housing as the region grows.

“Our county will add more than 700,000 new residents by 2050, and an estimated 1,000 people are moving to Central Florida every week,” the city’s statement said. “New housing developments are needed to help accommodate the growth. The city has made a large investment in infrastructure in southeast Orlando, and we want to ensure quality development projects are planned to complement that.”

Orange County Commissioner Emily Bonilla spoke in opposition to the annexation at Monday’s meeting, saying the city should respect the democratic process.

The city said the developer’s agreement will include that no development shall occur on the land until at least 2040, and it will include protection for wetlands and wildlife. 

Orange County sent Spectrum News the letter it sent to the city in September, expressing the county’s opposition to the annexation.

Overall, the city reported that the first reading on the proposed annexation went before city council on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. 

The second reading had been scheduled for Monday, but it was moved to the council agenda for Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. The developer’s agreement will be available for the second meeting, city officials said.

If the annexation is approved, the land would become part of the city of Orlando.