By Reggie Connell, Managing Editor
There are apparently new developments in the proposed land swap between the Rock Springs Ridge Homeowners Association Board (owners of the 51-acre gopher tortoise conservation area on Kelly Park Road) and the Golf Group (owners of the RSR gold course lands), according to an email sent by Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson.
Nelson sent an email to multiple addresses, including Rock Springs Ridge residents, but he did not inform the city commissioners about the meeting or the details of the update.
In the email, Nelson writes:
"Subject: RE: Rock Springs Ridge Golf Course Purchase Proposal
"I would like to get everyone together tomorrow at 5:30 AT City Hall to give you the specifics of the “deal” between the Golf Group and the HOA. I just want to make sure everyone has the facts as they stand today. If you would like to invite one additional person that would be fine but I don’t want a huge crowd, it will make it unwieldy."
Thanks and I look forward to a productive meeting.
Please RSVP to Stacy.
Bryan"
The email comes on the heels of the December 7th City Council meeting where Commissioner Nick Nesta asked Nelson to update the Council on his December 6th meeting with city officials, the RSR HOA Board, and members of The Golf Group at City Hall. A meeting that Nelson did not inform the commissioners about in advance or during the meeting until asked.
"We're trying to put it together," Nelson told the commissioners at the meeting. "We are getting close to some kind of agreement where the developer, or excuse me, the golf course owner with the (RSR) HOA, putting together an agreement, and we should have something to look at... maybe by the end of the year. So basically, nothing's really changed. It's just how we do it. It's the 51 acres that they'll develop in a swap for the golf course land. I think there's some money to change hands going toward the HOA. What we're trying to do is come up with a conservation easement over some of the golf course lands to mitigate the turtles that are on the 51 acres."
The Apopka Voice contacted all four commissioners about the meeting. Commissioner Kyle Becker, Nesta and Commissioner Diane Velazquez confirmed not being notified. Commissioner Alexander Smith did not respond to a text by the time this article was published.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more details are known.
