LAKE WALES, Fla. — As community concerns grow over a potential parkway being built near Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, one local rancher shares similar fears for his land.
Since Ellery Farmer could remember, his life has been devoted to his family’s ranch.
“My entire adult life, even as a child, I’ve known agriculture,” said Farmer.
Farmer’s grandparents originally purchased 10 acres of land alongside Lake Wales Ridge in 1969. The land was later passed down to the generation before him. Then Farmer stepped in and expanded the ranch in hopes of one day handing it off to his daughter, but he says those plans are in jeopardy due to Florida Turnpike Enterprise’s proposed parkway.
“The proposed B and C routes are just out there where that lone pine tree is that cuts right through there, through the edge of the tree line,” Farmer said, pointing to a section of his land. “Their footprint, they say, is 310 feet wide, but it cuts us off from the bulk of our pasture and calculates out to a quarter of the property that we own, which absolutely puts us out of business.”
Farmer says he first learned about Florida Turnpike’s plans to create a new toll road in a letter from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The road would connect I-4 with a future Poinciana Connector, State Route 538 – better known as the Poinciana Parkway.
Study Area
While the agency is considering four possible routes, Farmer says he’s been looking for ways to prevent the two that would impact his land. Unfortunately, he says FDOT will be able to claim eminent domain.
“And then the Ridge will be nothing but pictures on a wall somewhere,” he said. “And there’s wildlife here that lives nowhere else in the world but on the Lake Wales Ridge. If they build an interstate for 28 miles up the ridge, it’ll be gone. It’ll be done, and we’ll be done.”
Along with losing income, Farmer says his family will lose decades of hard work. That includes his home, which he built with his own two hands.
“I have friends who spent three years of their lives helping me build a house, and in order to have those kinds of friends, it takes an entire lifetime to find them. So, if they put that road in right there, which is in my backyard, that house is not tenable. It’s no longer the goal,” Farmer said.
Before the project even reaches that point, Farmer is calling on FDOT officials to find an alternative route.
“And I don’t have any more right than anybody else to be here, to own what I own. I just happened to be here first. And I’m just asking to leave us alone,” he said. “Leave the ridge alone. Curve it just a little bit and help us save the tiny bit that’s left.”
In a statement from Florida Turnpike Enterprise, spokesperson Yasir Mercado said:
“We would like to emphasize that we are actively considering all comments received throughout the Alternative Corridors Evaluation (ACE). The alternatives will be modified based on feedback, and the final selected corridor could be a combination of the four alternatives currently under evaluation.
We anticipate presenting a selected corridor for additional public input this May and encourage continued public participation. Our goal is to balance transportation needs with minimizing impacts to residents, businesses, and property owners.”
