WINDERMERE, Fla. – Zoning commissioners are expected to hear passionate public comments on Friday about a proposed new high school in western Orange County.
[PHOTOS: Proposed high school in Orange County]
Orange County Public Schools wants to build the high school on land it purchased, which is located on the northeast corner of State Road 535 and Ficquette Road in Windermere.
The land is zoned for residential housing right now, and school leaders want the county to change the zoning to allow a school.
School leaders say the new high school, which could be open in time for the start of the 2017 school year, is desperately needed to reduce a growing overcrowding situation at West Orange High School, which is six miles away from the proposed site.
A large group of parents are in favor of the new school, and they plan to attend Friday's meeting at the Orange County administrative building in Orlando.
Some nearby residents are opposed to the new school, citing the bright lights of a football stadium and the increased traffic. They also say the county would be violating a comprehensive plan agreed to in 1991, which limits what can be built in the area.
Watch Local 6 for more on this story.