The fight is back on, and we need your voice once again.

For years, the Kathleen community has united to protect our rural lifestyle, our environment, and our safety from predatory overdevelopment. Twice we have stood before the Polk County Board of County Commissioners, and twice we have won.

Yet, the developer has returned for a third attempt, currently pushing a new proposal for a high-density, 150-home subdivision on 117 acres along Deeson Road.

Changing a few numbers on a spreadsheet does not change the physical reality of this land. We must remind the Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners that they have already established a definitive precedent: high-density urban footprints are permanently incompatible with the Deeson Road corridor.

The Timeline of Our Fight 

1st Attempt = Denied with Prejudice
July 2022
The developer attempted to force a 242-home subdivision onto the property. The Polk County Commissioners vote 4-1 to deny the proposal with prejudice, explicitly citing severe flooding risks and complete incompatibility with the surrounding rural area.

2nd Attempt = Denied with Prejudice
August 2023
The developer returns with a slightly reduced 147-home proposal, trying to bypass previous rulings. Thanks to massive community mobilization and petitions, the neighborhood successfully holds the line, forcing another rejection because the fundamental flaws of the land remained completely unchanged.

3rd Attempt (Current)
The developer is back again with a 150-home development plan. They are trying to wear our community down by forcing us to fight the exact same battle for a third time, hoping we won't show up.

Why the Commission's Rulings Still Hold True
The Board of County Commissioners previously recognized the deep flaws of this project. Their own recorded words from the dais stand as a permanent record of why this development must be rejected:

On Flooding & Environmental Risk:

• "It is a very wet piece of property." – Commissioner Wilson
• "This development looks good on paper but... this is poor property." – Commissioner Combee
• "Drainage issues will always be a problem." – Commissioner Combee
• "Who would be responsible if surrounding residents sue because their properties are flooded?" – Commissioner Braswell
• "They have had a lot of developments approved that looked good on paper but now they are dealing with flooding issues." – Commissioner Braswell 

On Neighborhood Incompatibility:

• "This is nothing like what is in this area." – Commissioner Wilson
  "It is not compatible." – Commissioner Braswell 
  "It is not compatible with the surrounding area." – Commissioner Santiago

The Unchanged Realities of Deeson Road

Radical Incompatibility: The surrounding properties are rural, designated for agricultural/residential (A/RR) use (one home per five acres), built for farms, livestock, and open spaces. Packing 150 suburban lots into this area is an urban intrusion into a protected rural ecosystem. 

Extreme Density: The developer wants to cluster tiny, cookie-cutter lots into a dense footprint. Minor adjustments do not change the fact that this density is entirely alien to Kathleen.

The Kathleen Drainage Basin & Flooding: The site sits square within a critical flood plain along Blackwater Creek. The land build-up required to construct 150 homes will inevitably displace millions of gallons of stormwater, directly threatening to flood adjacent properties and existing rural homes.

We have proven twice before that when Kathleen stands together, the county listens. Let's make it three for three. Sign this petition today to demand that the Polk County Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners honor their past precedents, respect the zoning laws, and DENY THIS DEVELOPMENT !