An investment arm of the Mormon church applied immediately to seize 52, 450 hectares of ranchland to the city of , Orlando, Florida, a large addition that would enhance the actual size of the city by nearly 60 percent.
The land-owning institution, known as Farmland Reserve, says it has no immediate plans to develop the property, which will be annexed as the” East Orlando Deseret Ranch Planning Area”.
According to a media release from Farmland Reserve this morning,” Designers for the city and Farmland Reserve may work together to create a platform for smart development in upcoming years.”
As the , Orlando Sentinel , previously reported, maneuvering toward bringing the acreage into , Orlando , began in recent weeks to get ahead of limitations the voters may impose in November, when a measure giving , Orange County , new power to block annexations is on the ballot.
The long-term plan of , The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , calls for a half-million people on its total of 300, 000 acres across , Osceola,  , Orange , and , Brevard County , by 2080.
That’s about the population of , Seminole County, inhabiting what are now mostly undeveloped lands used primarily for cattle, sod and citrus farming.
The , Orlando , annexation would significantly alter the city’s map, extending its recent eastward march nearly to the St. John’s River and the , Brevard County , line. As of 2022, Orlando’s jurisdiction included about 76, 000 acres, and annexations since then have pushed it to at least 90, 000 acres.
___
© 2024 Orlando Sentinel
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
