LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A group of neighbors in Lake County is raising concerns about safety, growth, and historic preservation along Number Two Road between Howey-in-the-Hills and Leesburg.
What was once a small farming road is now facing increased traffic as new housing developments are planned nearby.
With more houses expected to be built near Number Two Road, more cars will be using the road. Some say the lanes are so narrow that cars and especially large trucks can barely fit.
“Lanes are narrow, as narrow as 7.5 feet in several different portions,” said Lake County resident, Brittany Lerch. “So a large truck can’t fit on it. Semi-trucks certainly can’t fit on it. School buses can’t fit on it.”
Lerch uses the road daily and said she and her neighbors are concerned about the additional traffic from new developments.
“It’s just, it’s extremely unsafe. And for us that live there, we experience it every single day,” Lerch said.
During Tuesday’s Lake County Commission meeting, commissioners discussed safety improvements and a possible transfer of a portion of Number Two Road—from Silverwood Lane to State Road 19—to the town of Howey-in-the-Hills.
Sandy Russ, a local resident, opposed the idea of transferring the road.
“As rural residents, we need some protection,” Russ said. “And that’s what the Lake County commissioners were supposed to be doing for us. We vote them in. We don’t have any — We have no voting ability for Leesburg or Howey council members or commissioners,” Russ said.
Lake County Commissioner Kirby Smith supported transferring a portion of the road to Howey-In-The-Hills
“I’m of the opinion that we can keep the pressure on Howey and on Leesburg, let them take over the roads, and then we take the money saved from having to maintain the city roads and pour that money back into the stretch of 2.2 miles of road that’s going to remain county and will probably always remain county,” Smith said.
However, Commissioner Leslie Campione pushed back against the transfer.
“One of the worst situations you find yourself in as a commissioner, when you have unincorporated residents that are asking for help and you have literally ceded your control over being able to help with the situation,” Campione said.
The commissioners ultimately voted to hold off on transferring the road for another six months. In the meantime, they approved lowering the speed limit on Number Two Road, installing reflectors in the center lane, and adding curve signs as requested.