Neighbors oppose housing plan by former NFL star
Jim Waymer Florida Today Updated June 15, 2026, 7:55 a.m. ET
- Residents on Turtle Mound Road are concerned a proposed development will increase traffic, flooding, and disrupt the area's rural character.
- County staff noted the project could face environmental constraints, including flood zones, wetlands, and aquifer recharge areas.
- The developer, linked to former NFL player Steve Emtman, could build up to 86 homes if the zoning change is approved.
More traffic, flooding and everything else that goes with more homes in less space has Turtle Mound Road residents on defense against future development proposed by a former pro football player turned developer.
On Monday, June 15 the developer will ask Brevard County officials to approve a zoning change that would increase by six times how many homes can be built on a 14-acre site on the west side of Turtle Mound Road and the north side of White Road, about 240 feet north of Aurora Road.
Homeowners want this rezoning sacked before it reaches the endzone. They bought there because they love open fields, fewer honking horns, fender benders and floods.
"We want the space," Dianne Baumert-Moyik, who lives less than a mile from the site in question. "We want the wildlife. We want to protect the environment."
What's the request?
The rezoning request would change the undeveloped property at 1800 Turtle Mound Rd. from a rural, one-home-per-acre designation to a category that allows up to six homes per acre. That could increase the potential from about 14 homes to as many as 86.
Specifically, the applicant wants to change the zoning from RR-1(Rural Residential) to RU-2-6 (Low-Density Multiple Family Residential) on 14.37 acres of undeveloped land. That would mean 86 single-family homes (attached or detached).
Defender Homes Airway Heights LLC wants to build what it describes as a single-family subdivision. That could be a mix of detached and attached homes. But the new zoning category it is requesting also would allow low-density multifamily development.
Steven Emtman is the company’s principal. The former NFL defensive endand No. 1 overall draft pick in 1992 who played for the Indianapolis Colts, became a developer after injuries cut his football career short.
What county planning staff says
To move forward, the project also would require a separate land-use map amendment, increasing the property’s allowed density from “Residential 4” to “Residential 6.”
Opponents of the rezoning garnered some 1,500 signatures against the rezoning in an online petition in less than three days, Baumert-Moyik said. By Friday, the petition had reached 1,772 signatures.
The site property sits in a largely rural residential pocket. Most nearby properties are single-family homes on relatively large lots. The dominant zoning is the same low-density rural category the developer wants to change.
More compact development exists nearby, including a subdivision across Turtle Mound Road. But county planners say higher-density land uses are not the norm immediately around the site.
Planning staff says the proposal could meet traffic capacity, school space and other technical requirements. Traffic on Turtle Mound Road is expected to remain below its maximum capacity even with the added homes.
Staff raised broader questions about compatibility with the neighborhood. Most nearby homes are on acre-plus lots. The property has carried its current low-density land-use designation since Brevard adopted its comprehensive plan in 1988.
Are there any environmental concerns?
A significant portion of the property comes with environmental constraints that could limit how it gets developed.
Much of the land lies in a FEMA-designated flood zone, meaning development will have to account for water storage and avoid worsening flooding on nearby properties.
There likely are some wetlands there, staff says. County rules limit building on wetlands, typically allowing no more than one home per five acres unless impacts are kept under a small percentage of the property.
The land also is in a groundwater "aquifer recharge" area. That can restrict how much of the ground can be covered by roads, roofs or other "impermeable" surfaces.
County staff also flagged potential issues with protected trees and wildlife: threatened gopher tortoises, and part of the site’s inclusion in a so-called Indian River Lagoon "nitrogen-reduction zone," which may require advanced sewer treatment if sewers aren’t available.
Baumert-Moyik wrote a letter to Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey, Vice Mayor Kennedy and Council Member Hanley, asking for their support against the rezoning,
"Our community is not opposed to a proper development as one acre home sites to support our growing Space Coast workforce," Baumert-Moyik wrote. "It is essential that we retain the character and quality of our life here in Lake Washington — that is why we have all chosen to live here (many for several generations)."
Want to go?
Brevard County Planning and Zoning Board/Local Planning Agency will meet at 3 p.m. Monday, June 15, 2026 at in the Commission room of Building C at 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera, Florida. The Board of County Commissioners will consider the request at its meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 09, 2026, in the same Commission room.
Waymer covers environment and government. Contact him at (321) 261-5903 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com. Follow him on X at @JWayEnviro.