The Winter Park City Commission is considering purchasing land that would add to the city’s natural park space. They are looking at a 55.6-acre parcel of wetland around Hunter Creek. The property in question is made up of seven parcels just north of Howell Branch Road. The majority of the land is within Winter Park city limits.

The city commissioners are slated to make an ultimate decision at their next meeting on August 14th. Two separate entities currently own the property. Last year, a state grant was put towards the purchase. The total price of the land is $305,000 and about half of that would be covered by the grant.

That significant sum of state money intensified the city’s efforts to buy wetland that they have been targeting for over a decade. City Manager Randy Knight views pairing the wetland with the neighboring Public Works Compound and gun range as a natural fit.

Citizens would have the opportunity to kayak without trespassing all the way to Lake Waumpi. Buying the land also allows the city to control invasive species along the creek and keep water flowing.

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