LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Lake County officials have reached a purchase agreement for land needed to repair Britt Road, a crucial thoroughfare that has remained closed since Hurricane Milton struck in October 2024.
Commissioner Leslie Campione announced the breakthrough this week, marking a significant step toward repairing the road.
“Initially the landowner wasn’t necessarily willing to work with us, and we knew we needed additional property to do this correctly,” Campione said.
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Campione said the land acquisition is essential for the repairs required due to the extensive damage caused by the hurricane.
“If we try to just repair the footprint of the road itself, because there’s such a steep ravine, it’s really impossible to do what needs to be done,” Campione explained.
The closure has significantly affected local traffic patterns, forcing residents to find alternative routes.
Barbara Dini, a regular Britt Road user, said the detour adds approximately 15 minutes to her commute when she’s trying to get to State Road 429.
“You never know when something like this can happen, but the fact that it took almost a year to get things going was amazing to me,” Dini said. “It’s a lot longer to go down to 437 and backtrack. It’s unbelievable.”
But the purchase isn’t finalized just yet. Right now, the county is in its due diligence period and then the purchase will go back to the county for a vote.
As far as when the road would be completed should the purchase go through, Campione said that’s a tough one.
“There’s a lot of variables,” Campione said. “It has to go through permitting. Hopefully, that will be a straightforward process. Then it’s just a matter of getting the contractor out there and getting the work done,” she said.
Campione is hoping the due diligence phase of this process will last 30 to 60 days.