Seminole unveils $91M plan for new trails, pathways
List recommends adding another 147 miles of pedestrian paths at a cost of nearly $92 million
Seminole officials often say their county may not have the big-name theme parks with thrilling rides or the miles of sandy beaches to attract visitors like its neighbors Orange and Brevard counties.
But they will tout the nearly 200 miles of recreational trails and pathways that cut through neighborhoods and crisscross the entire county, giving bikers, runners and walkers a stress-free way to travel without worrying about cars.
Now, Seminole recreation staff are putting together a trails master plan — a sort of wish list — that recommends adding another 147 miles of pedestrian paths at a cost of nearly $92 million.
Among the recommendations in the preliminary report is building a new, roughly 12-mile trail that through the center of Seminole, traveling from Big Tree Park in Longwood, through Red Bug Lake Park near Winter Springs and connecting with the Cross Seminole Trail in Orange County.
It also includes building a two-mile trail in the historic Midway community near Sanford, along with filling in miles of gaps in the long-neglected, unpaved Flagler Trail that plows through rural east Seminole.
“We want to make sure that we are doing everything we can so that our citizens have the best trails,” Commissioner Bob Dallari said. “It’s all about getting outdoors and enjoying nature and our natural lands. That’s what
Seminole is known for. It’s one of the reasons people move here. And our trails also increase our property values.”
County staff are scheduled to present a formal master plan for trails to Seminole commissioners in late April. Commissioners will then evaluate the report and decide which projects to move forward on.
Richard Durr, Seminole’s leisure services director, said Seminole’s trail network has
attracted visitors from around the state in recent years, and is now part of Florida’s larger intrastate trail system.
He pointed to the Coast to Coast Trail — a 250-mile paved trail across Florida, linking St. Petersburg and Titusville — that will connect with Seminole’s trail system. When completed, the trail would allow a Seminole resident to use their bicycle from their home to travel to either of Florida’s coasts.
“As we continue to talk to folks every day, they tell us they love their trail system,” Durr said. “Everyone else [around the state] is racing to catch up to us, at this point.”
Among the other recommendations in the master plan: A pair of trailheads on the Seminole Wekiva Trail; tunnels underneath state roads 436 and 434 in Altamonte Springs; and a trailhead on the Cross Seminole Trail at the St. Johns River near the Volusia County line.
The plan also proposes filling missing gaps and redirecting a large portion of the Flagler Trail through rural east Seminole. The mostly unpaved Flagler Trail — which stretches between east of County Road 419, near the Orange County line, to the Lake Harney
Wilderness Area — was built along an abandoned railroad line for the Florida East Coast Railway decades ago.
The long neglected Flagler Trail and other unpaved trails in east Seminole would be ideal as equestrian paths for horse owners, Commissioner Jay Zembower said. However, many of those trails need to be improved, he said.
“We really need a take a good lake at our eastern trails, because there is infrastructure that has been planted on the trails,” he said. “There are mailboxes. There are
COURTESY PHOTO homeowners who planted trees. There are all kinds of things in those trails that we really need to be looking at and putting those property owners on notice… Equestrians won’t use the trails, if they can’t easily and safely access them.”
Chuluota resident Vicki Nelson said she supports Seminole’s plans for improving trails in east Seminole.
“Over the years, as Seminole developed around us, we have witnessed a tremendous increase in joggers, walkers, nature photographers,” she said. “This is a natural area that attracts residents… And we consider this an enhancement to the rural lifestyle out here.”
The Midway community, just north of the Orlando Sanford International Airport, may soon see a new trail loop around a large pond west of Brisson Avenue.
Midway — a historic community first settled by migrant farm workers in the late 1800s — has about 1,500 residents, many of whom have lived there for decades. New residential subdivisions have sprouted up in the surrounding area in recent years.
Longtime resident Emory Green Jr. said the new trail — just north of Midway Elementary and Millennium Middle schools — would provide the Midway community with a place for family recreation.
“The population is literally booming here, not only with the commercial growth but also the residential growth,” he said. “This will give us the opportunity to truly to commemorate and highlight the great history of this great migrant city. This will be a great addition for the community, as well as Seminole County.”
Seminole Commissioner Andria Herr said she was “delighted” a new trail is being proposed for Midway.
The plan also recommends adding nearly 89 miles of 10-foot wide pathways along roads across the county at a cost $56.6 million. Along with constructing 45 miles of 8-foot wide sidewalks for nearly $27 million.
Durr said it’s important the county maintain and support the trails’ tree canopies by replacing old trees with new ones. Otherwise, trail users will feel like “they are walking across a desert” without the tree shade.
“It makes the trails desirable for people to use,” he said.