MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Lael Lennon lives in The Trails at Panther Ridge, a sprawling equestrian community in East Manatee County. To the 17-year-old, it’s been nothing but great.
“When I grew up in this area — when I was little — I can remember riding my horses around and riding bikes with my friends,” she said.
However, she and her mother, Danielle Lennon, feel like their rural paradise is under attack as East Manatee grows quickly. They feel the newest potential growth spurt would threaten their lifestyle.
“It’s no different if I want to live on a golf course; if I want to go live on the water, I’ve chosen a certain lifestyle, and the county seems that that’s not okay,” Danielle said.
In a Thursday land use meeting, the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners might approve plans for a massive new neighborhood called Taylor Ranch. Built on a 2,300-acre property south of State Road 64 and Lake Manatee State Park, it would include 4,500 homes.
Neighbors like Mimi Swan worry the property will threaten the area’s wildlife, worsen traffic, and put a strain on the area’s water supply since the development is located near two important water bodies.
“It will ruin everything about what we love — why we moved out here,” said Swan, the president of the East Manatee Preservation Group.
Neighbors like Mark VanDeRee, with the Waterline Road Preservation Group, also worry that approving Taylor Ranch will start an unstoppable trend.
“If not stopped, it’ll change this area exponentially,” he said.
The neighborhood would be built beyond the county’s development boundary, which is known as the Future Development Area Boundary (FDAB).
The FDAB includes the more rural, agricultural eastern edge of the county. The boundary was established to keep most development west of the line until at least 2040. However, thanks to a policy adopted in 2021 that allows for some exceptions to the FDAB rule, if approved, Taylor Ranch would be built just east of the line.
VanDeRee believes if Taylor Ranch is allowed, it will open the floodgate for more development east of the line. Another large development, which would be built just east of the potential Taylor Ranch site, is already in the work.
“They can basically cascade all the way to the county lines — all the way to Hardee and DeSoto,” he said of potential developers.
So, he and the other neighbors hope commissioners vote against Taylor Ranch and the trend it might set.
“Not from a standpoint of we don’t want development,” explained Swan. “That’s not what we’re saying. We’re saying if you have to develop, please develop in a way that’s sustainable and works with this area.”
In a meeting last October, a consultant for the developer, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc. — the parent company of Lakewood Ranch — assured members of the public that Taylor Ranch would not have a negative impact on its surroundings, said it would be appropriately buffered, and said it will fit seamlessly with the high-quality community that is Lakewood Ranch.
Still, neighbors like Danielle Lennon have their doubts.
She fears the development would put horseback riders in her neighborhood dangerously close to the increased traffic a development would generate.
“Horses are 1,100-1,200 pounds. You hit one of those with your car, you’re going to be injured or killed,” said Lennon.
Lennon, the Vice President of The Trails at Panther Ridge Homeowners Association, said her neighborhood will sue if the county approves the development.
“It’s not just our community but the surrounding communities that aren’t HOAs,” she said. “They’re just individual homeowners that feel the same way — that want to enjoy their property and not have 6,000 houses in their backyard.”
