Giant Sandpile Must Go By March 31

Commissioners Make Changes to Lake Hideaway Development Plans

WEEKI WACHEE – The construction of a lagoon community has left many neighboring homeowners with repair bills and a slew of other complaints.
On Dec. 17, the Board of County Commissioners revisited the Lake Hideaway Master Plan and they handed down new rules regarding fencing and the giant sand pile that currently abuts nearby homes.

Commissioner Brian Hawkins noted that with the lagoon already vested in the property, the council did not “have the authority” to devest the lagoon, as many unhappy neighboring homeowners have called for. As a result, the commissioners were focused on how they might ameliorate citizens’ complaints with specific issues surrounding construction.

The building of the new lagoon community in the Weeki Wachee area has certainly faced its fair share of criticisms and complications. Citizens have dealt with damage to their properties and noise concerns during and after construction, among others.

In response to all complaints, Metro Development’s Justin O’Brien said, “[I] went out of my way to meet with them four or five times. I walked the site with them. They invited me into their homes, we had candid discussions […]”

The four major issues that locals wanted to have solved were the lagoon location, development impacts, the neighborhood buffer area, and the massive sand pile that abuts the locals’ houses.

Regarding impacts, Woodland Waters resident Jim Silvera had a tree that fell down onto his property from the construction, and O’Brien had a check sent to him for the damages. Silvera thanked Justin “for the time and effort that he’s put into talking with us,” and several property owners felt similarly.

The lagoon’s location is unable to be moved from its projected placement due to several factors including the current spot resting in the lowest lying part of the property. Also, if Metro were to move the lagoon, it would unfortunately get too close to other nearby neighborhoods that border the other sides of the development.

With Senior Planner Omar De Pablo noting that the lagoon will be designated as a mixed-use development and people from within and without are set to visit this attraction, there were some noise concerns.

Due to the low-lying nature of the lagoon and the houses that are set to be built between the lagoon and Woodland Waters, Coastal Engineering President Cliff Manuel assured the board that sound would be further dampened.

“The lagoon was discussed to meet the recreational needs of the community itself but also be operated to allow outside patrons […] will require reservation,” De Pablo stated. “The lagoon would be open to the residents at a particular time and to visitors another time.”

While the buffer zone originally called for an eight-foot chain link fence with “plantings that meet 80 percent opacity,” O’Brien noted that Metro has instead agreed to build an eight-foot tall SimTek composite fence, which will look more appealing and achieve 100 percent opacity.

While this concession is a positive development for the locals, what promises could satisfy the public regarding the sand pile? Metro had already committed to having the dirt removed by Thanksgiving and then revised the date to January, which they will also be unable to meet.

“The sand pile that is there […] it is twice the size of my home,” said fellow Woodland Waters resident Jeannie Galvo. “It is way above my house […] My whole yard, my basketball court, my home, my lanai, my pool had about half an inch of sand in it […] I’ve had to replace my pool equipment and rewire things out there.”

That is where the board stepped in. After much deliberation and hearing citizens’ comments, the board voted 4-1 that an eight-foot-tall fence must be erected in the buffer zone and the sand pile must be removed by March 31, 2025.

Commissioner Ryan Amsler would ultimately be the lone dissenting vote. “I just care about the people that live here,” he said. “Looking at this project, I don’t think it’s in the right position yet. I would say make it a kiddy pool and we can approve that.”