OKEECHOBEE – At their Sept. 28 meeting, Okeechobee County Commissioners unanimously approved a zoning change for a development of 4,500 dwelling units north of Basswood.

The approval went against the recommendation of the Okeechobee County Planning & Zoning Board.

Joshua Schmuckler, representing the developer, said plans for Dovani Springs call for the project to be developed in phases over a period of 8 years.

He said a four-lane connector road from U.S. 441 to U.S. 98 will be part of the first phase. The road will have a 10-foot median plus a landscaping and sound buffer on either side. Left and right turning lanes will be put in on US 98 and US 441.

A new fire station, to be located off the four-lane collector road, will be fully funded, and paid for by this community, said Joshua. Plans call for two fire truck bays and four ambulance bays. Developers will provide a fire truck and an EMS ambulance, he said.

The development will be a mixture of single and multi-family homes.

The project will include parks and community centers built within the neighborhoods. The community will be characterized by contemporary Southern and Florida architecture, he said.

The multi-family housing units will fit in with the community, with an architectural style that compliments the single family homes, he said. The development will include space for schools, houses of worship and town squares. It will not be a gated community. The commercial areas will be open to anyone.

He said the design will encourage people to walk. Eight sites for schools are spread out throughout the development.

“The project will not be a burden on the county,” Schmuckler said.

A 60-acre commercial area will be along US 441 and could include restaurants, retail, civic, recreational and medical spaces.

He said approximately 27% of the site will be open space, with trails, nature paths, parks, ponds and canals.

On the U.S. 98 side, a 110 acre resort is planned with a 100,000 square foot hotel with a convention center, up to 208 villas and recreation areas.

The development will be on OUA water and sewer, he said.

Commissioner Kelly Owens said she is concerned about the schools. The schools that you are building in there, you would build as capacity requires and they would be private schools,” she said.

“My concern is in the state of Florida there is a voucher program funded at the state level. It will most likely be funded next year, and after that there has not been a real commitment. My concern is in the end this could become a negative impact on the public school system,” she said. “That’s a significant number of students who could divert the school funding from the public schools to the private schools.”

“If the voucher program does disappear, no one is looking to the county to fund those schools,” said Schmuckler.

“My concern is when the state dollars are gone, if the program is in place, any dollars diverted from the public schools will become the responsibility of the local tax payers,” said Owens.
Owens said she is also concerned about the cost of maintaining the new fire station. While the developer is paying for the building, equipment, and trucks, she noted the estimated new revenue from the Fire and EMS assessments will not be sufficient to cover the costs of staffing and maintaining the station.
During the public comments period, Dowling Watford asked to speak as an individual, not in his capacity as mayor.

“That’s a great looking project,” he said, referencing the slide projecting the artist’s renderings of the development. “That may be south Florida architecture – would be great in Port St. Lucie. I wouldn’t consider that central Florida architecture,” he said.

“Okeechobee is known for our rural lifestyle,” he said. “People come here for that/ We’re going to lose that,” said Watford.

“We have 1,000 people moving to Florida per day and we know that is going to continue. How long can we sustain that? At some point we have to say enough is enough,” he continued.

“Y’all remember driving up 27 and seeing all those citrus groves – what do you see now? Rooftops. When you drive through the Villages, if you’re a Florida Cracker and that doesn’t break your heart, I don’t know what will,” he said.

“Growth is coming. I can’t dispute that. But we really need to control that. We can control it by allowing less density As a good Florida Cracker, I can’t allow this to go on without speaking out,” Watford said.

“We’re on a very slippery slope when this project is approved,” he warned. “In a short time, we will have more projects and pretty soon we will look like Dade, Broward, Palm Beach or St. Lucie County. I would beg you to uphold the planning board recommendation.”

Lorna Gordon, who lives near the proposed development site, said she moved to Okeechobee from Broward County for the rural lifestyle.

“Okeechobee people can’t afford that,” she said, referencing the planned development. “We all know that.”

Sara Soti lives on the 20 acres that looks like a notch in the project plan. She said they refused to sell their property to the developer.

She said the plans would put a major roadway on the back side of her property. This area is already prone to flooding, she added.

Jonathan Bean said he is concerned about increased traffic on U.S. 441. “I’m not opposed to development. I am concerned about the incredible changed nature of our community that will come from this.”

“We’re a long ways from this coming to fruition,” said Commissioner Terry Burroughs. Approving the zoning change is just the first step. He said Florida Department of Transportation will address the traffic and bridge issues.

“A lot of people are worried about this looking like Fort Lauderdale but we’re a long way for that,” said Commissioner Frank DeCarlo.

“When a developer is willing to come in and do all this infrastructure, it’s good for Okeechobee,” he added.

“Every time something like this comes up, I always give my regular spiel about private property rights,” said Brad Goodbread.

“I understand not wanting to have certain uses next to your property, but when it comes down to it private property rights is one of my biggest stands,” he said. “If you buy a piece of property, as long as what you do is legal, I’m for you being able to use your property as you see fit.”

Commissioner Owens said a lot of the concerns she has will be brought up as the plans make their way through the approval process.

“Density, sustainability and impact on our resources are concerns,” she said.