In the last year alone the Town Of Lady Lake has approved hundreds of acres of agricultural land for the development of single family homes to meet the unforeseen need of workforce demands. The latest addition is a 31 acre parcel on Edwards road surrounded by small agriculturally zoned and operated Mom and Pop farms. The proposal is to cram another 144 homes into this newly acquired out of town owned development and pave the portion of dirt road wholly surrounded by rural residents and agriculturally zoned properties. Lady Lake is a retirement community and this particular area of town is already well developed any workforce shortage would still be driving 30 minutes or more to support other areas outside Spanish Springs in The Villages. There are only 2 day care facilities operating for thousands of residents in Lady Lake. There is no pediatric hospital or floors inside the town of Lady Lake. There are no Pediatric Dentists or Pediatrics Ophthalmologists inside Lady Lake. Public and private transportation such as taxi cabs, busses, Ubers, Lyfts are limited and unable to meet the needs of such a large expansion of growth inside the town. The negative impacts of growth include, overcrowding, crime, traffic, pollution and when development fails it may result in decay, a phenomenon many of us have witnessed elsewhere in the country whereby a portion of a city falls into disrepair.  We will all undoubtedly begin to feel the effects as a result of too much growth too fast without the infrastructure necessary to support young working families. According to the United States Postal Office and Census Bureau there are already over 4,000 apartments and single family residences open and ready for occupation inside Lady Lake. The need to control growth inside the town is paramount. Unlike larger towns in the surrounding area Lady Lake does not have the availability of services and entertainment single families are looking for such as museums, trampoline parks, skating rinks, clothing stores geared toward children, theater troupes, martial arts instruction or a plethora of kid friendly restaurants. Families that work in Lady Lake tend to commute and do so for the education advantages and career opportunities available but choose to live outside Lady Lake where such services are available for their young families. The development of Edwards road will negatively impact and potentially endanger livestock, farm operations and all the surrounding residents. Increasing not just traffic demands but the demand for limited resources such as shopping, emergency medical wait times, services and leisurely activities. Please sign this petition and send a message to the Town Of Lady Lake that development needs to be stopped. The Town of Lady Lake has the ability to change ordinances and restrict annexations and growth along with the responsibility to act in the best interest of the citizens of Lady Lake not the interest of developers who develop our rural lands and then leave the care and management of these areas to the town. Our small retirement community needs to remain small, our values need to remain intact. Protect our small farms.

“People in small towns, much more than in cities, share a destiny.”

- Richard Russo.