WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – A new park is now open for people living in the Summerlake community in West Orange County.
“It’s beautiful and it’s much needed in our area,” Karilyn Staples said.
Staples has been living in the Hamlin area of Winter Garden since 2016 and is happy to have Summerlake Park so close to home.
She said her neighborhood has changed a lot since then.
“Growth is good but it’s also sad seeing all the orange groves leave because we were here when there were orange groves everywhere and now, we have a lot more homes and businesses, which we want our businesses but, yeah, a lot of growth,” Staples said.
Commissioner Nicole Wilson said that given the amount of people moving to Orange County a week, it’s important to invest in green spaces for families.
“It’s built into the plan and part of the things we have to do as leaders is to make sure to prioritize these things. It’s part of the actual planning process to look at a map way, way, ahead of time,” Wilson said.
Summerlake Park is located on Porter Road at Wood Sage Drive not far from State Road 429.
Residents will be able to exercise and use the playground as well as watch Disney fireworks from there since Magic Kingdom is less than 10 miles away.
“As we grow, we want to grow in responsible ways, we are trying to preserve as much green space as we possibly can,” Mayor Jerry Demings said.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: