Government & Education news

FDOT continues safety and traffic improvements at edge of Mount Dora

8/1/2025

Construction is now underway at the interchange of U.S. Highway 441 and Old Highway 441, where the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is making operational and safety upgrades as part of a larger resurfacing project in north Orange County.
FDOT officials said all traffic movements will be maintained throughout construction, but motorists should expect temporary lane closures and closely follow posted signage as new lanes are added. The work is taking place south of downtown Mount Dora and is expected to impact both residents and visitors in the area.

A key element of the project includes correcting the current skewed alignment at the U.S. 441 and County Road 500A (Old Hwy 441) intersection. The realignment will create a standard T-intersection to improve visibility, reduce confusion, and enhance safety for turning vehicles—especially those turning left from northbound U.S. 441.

The project also introduces a range of pedestrian and bicycle enhancements. Bicycle keyholes will be added at right-turn lanes to provide safer transitions for cyclists. Pedestrian improvements include high-visibility crosswalks, upgraded lighting, pedestrian refuge islands, new signals at Stoneybrook Hills Parkway, and sidewalk connections to nearby LakeXpress transit stops.

From Sunday, July 27 through Friday, August 1, drivers can expect alternating single-lane closures in both directions of U.S. 441 between Wadsworth Road and Sacred Oak Drive. The closures will shift between inside and outside lanes as crews widen medians and perform drainage work.

FDOT is urging all roadway users to travel with caution and observe safety signage throughout the construction period.
For more project updates, visit FDOT’s project site.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit Mount Dora Buzz's website, its Instagram and Facebook page. Download the area's free mobile app for info on the go. For local food recommendations, follow Mount Dora Foodie's Facebook and its official Instagram account.

July 30th, 2025

7/30/2025

0 Comments

A Mount Dora advisory board to discuss Donnelly Park changes during July 24 public meeting

7/23/2025

5 Comments

ABOVE: The concept plan for Donnelly Park changes to include. Note: event tents are not permanent structures. See more renderings and site plan belowl

During a July 1 Mount Dora City Council meeting, significant changes were proposed to the city’s central park at the corner of Donnelly Street and Fifth Avenue. The plan includes a covered stage with grass and concrete terracing for seating, multiple concrete walkways, a 10-foot-wide vehicle lane for loading and unloading during special events, a shaded space for VIP seating, multiple small retention ponds, and other elements. To offset the large amount of added impervious concrete, multiple small retention ponds were also included in the design to aid in managing stormwater runoff. Although not included in the concept design, the retention ponds (labeled “rain gardens” in the drawing) may pose a safety concern to children and could require safety fencing. (see proposed site plan below)

The proposed project will be discussed again at the July 24 meeting of Mount Dora Parks & Recreation Advisory Board which will allow time for public comments on the designs.

For decades the grassy hill in Mount Dora’s picturesque central park has been a popular downtown amenity for kids to run, play, and roll down the hill. The new design concept significantly reduces the park’s green space which effectively transitions the family-friendly park into an event and pickleball venue which serves a different demographic.

The proposed hardscaping and pathways in the concept design are intended to address existing accessibility and maintenance challenges in the park, according to Mount Dora Director of Public Information, Misty Sommer. However, the park is currently ADA compliant since two of its sides are currently accessible.

Donnelly Park sits directly across the street from Mount Dora Music Hall which has a 605-seat auditorium for various events, and is also approximately four short blocks from Elizabeth Evans Park, another event venue which has a bandshell and can seat 3,000, according to the City. Additionally, Sunset Park, which is predominantly cement and other hardscaping, is another downtown special event venue, and is approximately 2 blocks away from Donnelly Park.

The project is a priority of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, according to Sommer. The committee gave their approval to the concept design on May 27, 2025. During that meeting Shonk advised the committee the park "needs to be a central park for special events." It’s unclear who made that specific determination.  At the meeting, the board was directed by staff to pick one of two design concepts or combine the elements. They weren't give the option to vote down both design concepts.

The concept design the board chose was then presented to Mount Dora City Council on July 1, by Mount Dora Parks & Recreation Director Troy Shonk. In a memo to the advisory board for the upcoming meeting, Shonk stated the concept had been approved, however the City Council did not vote on it or approve it. Mount Dora Mayor James Homich expressed strong opposition to the design and its decrease in green space and family-friendliness.

The park’s proposed changes also were identified as priorities in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, according to Sommer. However, the concept design conflicts with the goal of preserving and increasing the City’s green space.

City staff consulted with at least two private stakeholders on the design, and Shonk gained their approval. However, advance buy-in and input from the city’s main stakeholders, its residents, had not been sought.

Unless the Mount Dora Parks & Recreation Advisory Board decides to go a different direction, the next step is the presentation and voting on full engineering and design plans by the board and City Council. The cost of engineering and final plans will be in addition to the $16,400 for the initial design concepts. Once the engineering plans are finalized, estimating the cost of the project can ensue and a source for funding can be sought.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, July 24, at 5:30 p.m. at Mount Dora City Hall at 510 N. Baker Street. The public is welcome to attend and may speak on the topic or listen for more information.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit Mount Dora Buzz's website, its Instagram and Facebook page. Download the area's free mobile app for info on the go. For local food recommendations, follow Mount Dora Foodie's Facebook and its official Instagram account.

5 Comments

MOUNT DORA UPDATE: Recap of Feb. 18 City Council meeting

2/19/2025

0 Comments

By Marc Crail
District 4 City Council Representative

I've selected several items from our February 18th meeting agenda that I think will be of interest to you. As usual, I am reporting to you as one individual council member and not on behalf of city council as a whole. Thanks for your continuing interest in the goings on of the city we all love.

As you may already be aware, the First United Methodist Church and the City have had a cooperative parking lot sharing agreement going back decades. In return for allowing downtown visitors to park in the church's 124 space lot during non-church hours, the City maintains the parking lot. There is no "rental" fee involved, only maintenance. Today we approved $135,000 to repair a retention wall on one side of the lot. Downtown Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) funds will be spent, not General Fund money. Keep that lot in mind next time you are wondering where to park downtown. Everyone concerned appreciates this parking lot sharing agreement. It's only a couple of blocks from downtown shopping and dining and it's free for you to use!

At long last, construction of a 31,100 square foot Community Resource and Recreation Center on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and North Simpson Street will begin later this year. The need for this kind of facility dates back 50 years. The "not to exceed" cost is $15 million. The firm of Charles Perry Partners Inc. was selected to do the project. Northeast CRA funds will be used to pay for construction.

On the odor front, now that it appears that the source of the bad smell is NOT our Waste Water #2 plant, we are focused on identifying the source or sources of the noxious smell. We hope to cost share on a 50/50 basis with Lake County on this effort. Each entity will pay $135,000. County Commissioners are due to vote to approve their participation at their next meeting and if they approve, we have agreed to participate. This study should be complete by mid-June.

Keeping in mind that I'm expressing my personal opinion, I have been very disappointed in the lack of financial contributions and technical expertise from FDEP. It seems to me that FDEP should be a better partner. This is precisely what they should doing. Mount Dora residents pay state taxes to fund FDEP and we are not getting any bang for our tax bucks. I hope State official will get onboard soon and own up to their responsibilities.

As usual there is both progress and frustration in this report. Everything costs more and takes longer than it should but, we are making progress. One good example is the recent completion of the temporary walkway along the north end of Donnelly St. The safety of our citizens and visitors must be first and foremost. I appreciate the hard work of our city staff.

Our quote of the day comes from civil rights pioneer, Fredrick Douglas. "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

By Marc Crail
District 4 City Council Representative

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit the area's website and download the area's free mobile app. Follow Mount Dora Buzz's Facebook and Instagram for more local info.

0 Comments

NEW UPDATE: Recap of January 7 Mount Dora City Council meeting

1/9/2025

By Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council District 4 Representative

I've selected several items of interest from City Council's January 7, 2025 meeting to share with you. Please understand that I'm reporting to you as one member of City Council and not in any official capacity on behalf of the Council.

A food drive to benefit Lake Cares Food Pantry is coming up on January 25. It's a friendly competition with our neighboring cities for a very good cause. You can drop off canned goods, etc, at either of our fire stations anytime between now and 1/27. Thanks in advance for your help!

There was an update on the Donnelly Street temporary sidewalk construction. Beginning this Thursday, 1/8, expect one lane to be closed while the contractor is working on the temporary walkway. We anticipate completion in about two weeks. As a side note, we still haven't received notification that our grant proposal for the "permanent" sidewalk has been approved although it still seems likely.

We also got updated on the noxious odor issue. We received a preliminary report a few days ago from the company that has been monitoring the smell for six months. Here are the highlights greatly simplified. Hydrogen Sulfide that results in a strong rotten egg smell appears to be lower inside our Wastewater Plant 2 than it is in other surrounding areas. It is 0.1 parts per million at intake which is extremely low. This seems to confirm that our wastewater treatment plant isn't the source of the bad smell. If that is the case, the next step will be to zero in on the actual odor source. We have hired Halff, an environmental engineering firm, to figure out where the smell is emanating from.

City staff, council members and affected residents are all frustrated and desperate to find solutions asap. The fact is that this is very complex and a quick fix isn't likely but we are committed to continuing to do all we can as quickly as we can. We are hoping to get Lake County, Orange County and the FDEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) involved to help share data and the costs involved with solving our mutual problem.

We adopted a resolution to apply for a Federal RAISE Grant for the proposed Wekiva Bike/Hike Trail. We have applied for similar grants previously but this time CSX Railway Company has signed on and their cooperation could be a game changer.

A Parking Workshop meeting will be held on Monday 1/13 at 6:00 p.m. Community members are invited to attend but generally during workshop meetings, public comments are not allowed.

Thank you for your interest in the goings-on in Mount Dora government. It is my privilege to serve as your District 4 representative.

Our quote for today comes by way of Gotta Giggle Memes & Funnier. "The difference between me and Superman is... he has super vision and I require supervision". I think they've nailed it!

By Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council District 4 Representative

Mount Dora City Council update: Recap of December 17 meeting

12/18/2024

0 Comments

By Marc Crail, City Council Representative for District 4

I've selected several items from the December 17th. Mount Dora City Council agenda to share with you. Please keep in mind that I'm reporting to you as one individual and not in any official capacity.

Our police department has hired a crime analyst whose job it is to collect data that helps the department deploy officers and other resources based on the areas of town and times of day where and when crimes occur. She presented data that showed decreases in violent crimes in several categories. With just two weeks to go in 2024, the statistics are definitely trending in the right direction. In the upcoming months she plans to post this data on the city website.

The City Manager and his public safety team are expecting to receive a quote for construction of a temporary asphalt sidewalk on the east side of the Donnelly Street. This is a public safety concern. As soon as the quote is received and analyzed by our staff, we will get that project underway. In the long term, we hope to get final approval of our grant application that will cover the lion's share of the permanent sidewalk on the west side of the street very soon but that construction will take several months.

Another public safety priority is dealing with the noxious odor situation. As soon as we get the latest data report, council will meet to review that data and begin next steps to mitigate the problem. Residents and council members are rightfully frustrated and eager to resolve this issue.

We heard some good news on the long awaited Wekiva Rail-Trail Extension. The CSX railroad has relented and is now willing to sell the railroad property. We voted unanimously to sign a memorandum of understanding agreement to proceed with negotiations. We are now working with the Trust for Public Land, an organization that has long experience with similar projects. Our partner, Lake County voted to move ahead at their meeting on Monday and Tavares City Council is expected to approve their participation at their meeting on Wednesday. Fingers crossed!

There is also progress on some other projects around the city. The new playground at Gilbert Park is looking beautiful.

Construction is well underway for converting the tennis court in Donnelly Park to pickelball courts. Construction of a new basketball courts at Summerview Park is finished. The tree planting campaign continues. You can check out the newly planted oak trees at Frank Brown Sports Park.

Our quote for today comes from author, Ernest Hemingway who said; "It takes two years to learn to speak and sixty to learn to keep quiet."

Thanks for allowing me to serve as your District 4 City Council Representative. Enjoy your family and friends during this holiday season.

Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council District 4 Representative

0 Comments

MOUNT DORA UPDATE: Recap of September 17 City Council meeting

9/17/2024

By Marc Crail
Mount Dora Vice-mayor and District 4 Representative

I've selected several important items for our September 17th City Council meetings to report on. Please keep in mind that I'm not sending this on behalf of City Council in any official capacity. It comes from me alone.

We learned that a traffic light will be installed by FDOT within the next several months at the intersection of SR 44B and Way Cross Road near Lowes. This isn't a Mount Dora project but many Mount Dora residents will benefit from it.

City Council approved a plan to design sidewalk extensions and traffic calming near the intersection of Lakeshore Dr./Heim Rd. and Sylvan Dr. This will be a city project. It is needed because Lakeshore Dr. is a heavily cut-through route causing safety issues.

I've written several times about the budget building process for FY 2024-25 that your City Council has been working on for months now. As anticipated, we were able to balance the City's budget with a millage rate of 6.3 mills. This is less than the maximum millage rate we saw on our TRIM notices that we got in the mail several weeks ago. It is 11.22% over the roll-back rate of 5.6642 mills. We unanimously voted to approve this final resolution.

After evaluating our City Manager, Vince Sandersfeld's performance, council members voted 4 to 2 to give him a raise of 3.5%. We all agreed that his performance has been excellent and we appreciate his first class work since he took over as our Interim City manager in late January. Some council members favored a larger salary increase of 8%, but the majority thought that given our financial circumstances we should give the manager a more modest raise.

Now that the recent water main break caused by a contractor's negligence has been repaired, I want to assure our residents that the contractor will be billed for the full cost of the repair work.

Our quote for today comes from President Theodore Roosevelt. "This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in."

Thanks for your continued interest in our city!

By Marc Crail
Mount Dora Vice-mayor and District 4 Representative

Mount Dora launches free shuttles beginning October 4

9/16/2024

Parking in Mount Dora may be a bit easier beginning October 4, after the city launches a free, on-demand parking shuttle program with two electric vehicles which will run from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. There will be no service on the other weekdays.

There are no shuttle routes or schedules, but passengers can download the Ride Freebee app on their cell phone to request a pick-up or drop-off anywhere within the service area (see the orange area in the map). If anyone does not have a smartphone, they can call 855-918-3733 for assistance.

Enter any of these addresses in your GPS for the free parking lots close to downtown. During special events and festivals, many of these lots are not available, but many private lots do provide parking for a fee.

DOWNTOWN PARKING LOTS

City Hall
510 N. Baker Street

First United Methodist Church
428 E. 5th Avenue

Parking Garage
250 N. Donnelly Street

Tremain Street Parking Lot
225 N. Tremain Street

3rd & Baker Grass Parking Lot
210 E. 3rd Avenue

3rd & Donnelly Parking Lot
300 N. Donnelly Street

4th & Baker Parking Lot
400 N. Baker Street

4th & Alexander Parking (Renaissance) Lot
400 Alexander Street

5th & Baker Parking Lot
481 N. Baker Street

UPTOWN & BOATING PARKING LOTS

Highland & Liberty Parking Lot
853 Liberty Avenue

First Baptist Church
1000 E. 1st Avenue

Boat Ramp/Lighthouse Parking Lot
417 S. Tremain Street

Palm Island Parking Lot
411 S.Tremain Street

Gilbert Park
310 S. Tremain Street

There are still calls from the public for a parking garage, but the lack of a large and available space downtown and traffic issues virtually preclude the practicality of constructing a parking garage within convenient walking distance to downtown.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit Mount Dora Buzz's website, its Instagram and Facebook page. Download the area's free mobile app for info on the go. For local food recommendations, follow Mount Dora Foodie's Facebook and its official Instagram account.

New "Mount Dora North" development proposed in Lake County

9/1/2024

A significant new development is proposed for Lake County on Round Lake Road across from Round Lake Charter School and north of State Road 46. The proposed 260-acre project has 3,242 residential units at an average density of 12.45 dwelling units (DU) per acre. (See conceptual plan below)

For comparison, nearby Sullivan Ranch is 299 acres with 692 residences with density of 2.31 DU per acre.

The 10-parcel project will have a public hearing at the Lake County Planning & Zoning Board on Wednesday, September 4, and the Lake County Commission on Tuesday, October 1.

The capacity for City of Mount Dora water and waste-treatment utilities to service the large development and others in the pipeline has been a concern of residents already dealing with the recurring smell of sewage in the eastern area of Mount Dora. The City of Mount Dora's public information officer (PIO) would not answer whether the City supports the Lake County project as currently proposed, or if it has waste-water treatment capacity at the controversial plant which currently serves that area and has been the alleged source of a noxious odor for years.

The City, via its PIO, also opted not to answer whether it would have a representative at the upcoming Lake County zoning hearing. According to Lake County’s rezoning staff’s 36-page report, the county’s final ordinance was provided to the City of Mount Dora staff for comments on June 25, 2024, yet the City made none.

The September 4 and October 1 public hearings are to consider the Richland Developer Florida Inc’s. (Richland) request to rezone the parcels from agricultural and rural residential districts to a Planned Unit Development (PUD), which includes higher density residential and a mixed-use employment center. Currently the parcels are single-family homes and agricultural pastures.

The proposed Mount Dora North project is one of two developments which encompasses 593 acres and also includes the Mount Dora South development. The majority of the North and South project is within the Wolf Branch Innovation District (WBID). In total, 3,746 residences are proposed, along with over 12 million square-feet of non-residential space intended for office, commercial and light industrial-flex uses. The residential densities for the combined Mount Dora North and South projects range from 4 dwelling units (DU) per acre to 18 DU per acre and the dwelling types include single-family homes, townhomes and low-rise residential. Both of the proposed developments are on the September 4 agenda.

RVi Planning & Landscape Architecture, Richland’s consultant, submitted a summary and narrative on the development which stated Mount Dora North would result in a projected 30,232 trips daily, with 2,360 of those occurring in peak morning hours, and 2,462 occurring in peak evening hours. The developer would pay the required roadway impact fees for the development.

Lake County’s Planning and Zoning Board meeting will be held on September 4 at the Lake County Commission Chamber at 315 W. Main Street in Tavares at 9 a.m. and is open to the public. The October 1 public hearing is scheduled at the same location.

mount_dora_north_county_staff_36-page_report.pdf
File Size:	8547 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

ABOVE: Conceptual plan of proposed Mount Dora North development with key on right. (Click on image to enlarge.)

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit Mount Dora Buzz's website, its Instagram and Facebook page. Download the area's free mobile app for info on the go. For local food recommendations, follow Mount Dora Foodie's Facebook and its official Instagram account.

Important Questions & Answers for Lake County voters

9/1/2024

This year’s general election takes place on November 5. Changes have been made to voting in Florida and Lake County, so Mount Dora Buzz compiled the top 10 things you need to know to ensure your vote counts in November.

1. What is the new process for voting by mail? How do voters request a vote-by-mail ballot?
Vote-by-Mail requests expire every 2 years, every even-numbered year.
Voters may request a Vote-by-Mail ballot by:

Calling Lake County Supervisor of Elections office at 352-343-9734.
Completing an online request at their official website at https://www.lakevotes.gov/Voter-Information/Vote-By-Mail .
Printing and completing a Vote-by-Mail Request Form and returning it to the Lake County Supervisor of Elections office at 1898 E. Burleigh Boulevard in Tavares. Vote-by-Mail Request Forms are available on LakeVotes.gov or at Lake County Supervisor of Elections office at 1898 E. Burleigh Boulevard in Tavares or at any Lake County Library location.

Voters can visit the Vote-by-Mail tab at the official website at https://www.lakevotes.gov/Voter-Information/Vote-By-Mail for more information.

2. What's the deadline to mail in a Vote-by-Mail ballot?
The United States Postal Service recommends five to seven days to return a Vote-by-Mail ballot by mail.

Secure Ballot Intake Stations are available for voters to return a voted Vote-by-Mail ballot to any one of 12 Early Voting locations during Early Voting. Early Voting dates and hours of operation for the General Election are:
October 21st through Nov. 2nd from 10 a.m to 6 p.m.

Vote-by-Mail ballots MUST be received at Lake County Supervisor of Elections office at 1898 E. Burleigh Boulevard in Tavares no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day.

3. Were any voters removed from the voter rolls since the last general election? If so, how do voters check to see if they are still shown as valid voters?
Yes. Voters may call the office of the Supervisor of Elections at 352-343-9734 or visit its official website, LakeVotes.gov, select the Voter Information button, select Look up My Voter Information, and complete the Voter Information Lookup Form.
The link is https://www.lakevotes.gov/Voting/Voter-Information .

4. How do voters confirm their signatures? What is the deadline to update a signature?
Signatures change due to a variety of reasons. Lake County Supervisor of Elections encourages voters to update their signature on a consistent basis. Age, illness, injury and more can impact signatures.
Should a voter wish to view their signature on file, a visit to the Supervisor’s office at 1898 E. Burleigh Boulevard in Tavares would be required.

5. Are there any new Florida voting requirements that voters should be aware of?
Lake County Supervisor of Election’s official website, LakeVotes.gov has a plethora of voter information available. Voters who are heading to their polling location for in-person voting need to bring a valid and current photo ID with signature. Examples of what is acceptable can be found at LakeVotes.gov in its digital Voter Guide.

6. Can people register to vote online? If so, what is the link?
Yes, voters can absolutely register online. The links to register in Lake County and Florida are:

7. What is the deadline to register before the November 5, 2024 election?
The deadline for new voter registrations is October 7, 2024.

8. Have there been any precinct changes since the last general election?No. However, voters are encouraged to review the location of their precinct prior to heading out for in-person voting. Voters can find their precinct:

On their Voter Information card.
By visiting the website LakeVotes.gov, select the Voter Information button, select Find my Precinct.
By calling the Supervisor’s office at 352-343-9734.

9. When does early in-person voting begin and end in Lake County?
October 21st to November 2nd from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

10. How transparent is the process in Lake County?
Anyone curious about the inner workings of Lake County Elections can schedule a 90-minute tour of the facility. The tour is guided by Supervisor Hays or another team member. This is a great way to experience how elections are administered by the office. Voters may sign up for a tour by visiting https://www.lakevotes.gov/Educational-Resources/Facility-Tours .