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Toll road rerouted to protect endangered plant
FOX 13's Carla Bayron shares the latest after the state altered proposed plans for a tollway in northeastern Polk County as the new road could threaten a rare plant that only grows in that area.
HAINES CITY, Fla. - The Florida Department of Transportation altered its proposed corridor plans for a tollway in northeastern Polk County; however, plant conservation advocates are still worried it would threaten a rare species' habitat.
The backstory:
The Blushing Scrub Balm is an endangered mint that only grows in the Lake Marion Creek Wildlife Management Area in Polk County and nowhere else in the world.
The new Central Polk Parkway East route would begin at U.S. 27 and connect directly to I-4 and S.R. 429 via the future Poinciana Connector (S.R. 538).
The recently refined Corridor F won't be constructed through the plant's habitat; however, it would go near it, which Gene Kelly, the president of the Florida Native Plant Society, said would make it difficult for wildlife land managers to do prescribed burns on the site to maintain the population.
"There's just no way land managers can contemplate doing a burn if the wind shifts and comes from the east and puts smoke on the road," said Kelly.
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Kelly said the scrub is significant in terms of its plant biodiversity and can't be easily moved because it has exact habitat requirements.
"If you want the animals, you need the plants," said Kelly. "This is only one plant species, but it's the only place it occurs, and if we want to preserve this state's biological heritage, its full range of biodiversity, we have a species here that's totally unique."
What they're saying:
FDOT officials said the highway is necessary to ease congestion and traffic on U.S. 27 and local roads as the county continues to grow. But, Kelly said he doesn't believe there's adequate justification to build the road and stands behind a no-build option.
"If the public and residents of the area are more sensitive to this species than DOT is, then maybe DOT just needs to listen," he said.
What's next:
FDOT will be holding a virtual public meeting on the project on December 15 at 6 p.m. as well as an in-person meeting from 4:30-7 p.m. on December 17 at the Tom Fellows Community Center, located at 207 North Boulevard West in Davenport.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered during an interview with Gene Kelly, the president of the Florida Native Plant Society.