Largo Residents Oppose Referendum 2 “The Preserve”

Largo residents are opposed to Referendum 2, which will allow the City of Largo to sell 87 acres of land to Porter Development to build a massive sports complex and lagoon.

Porter Development cannot assure voters they can deliver on their cartoon mock-up promises. They don’t know what will take to mitigate the former landfill. They don’t know if the City will sell all or part of the land, or what restrictions they will be given. The developer has never completed a project of this size or scope.

No due diligence was done on the part of City of Largo officials regarding the environmental impact of this proposed project. The Largo Central Park Nature Preserve WILL be affected. The developer plans on using the existing entrance to the park and widening roads to access his project, destroying the wildlife and ecosystems in that area.

Bald eagles frequent the surrounding areas. The Largo Nature Preserve is home to the Grasshopper Sparrow, which is endangered, along with the American Kestrel and Short Tailed Hawk, which are listed as at-risk.

Voters are being mislead by the project name of “The Preserve.” The only land they are proposing to leave open can’t be built on, as it is either wetlands or Duke Energy easement. The developer has no environmental clearance to improve the existing wetlands, as he’s stating they will do. The rest of the land will be destroyed.

Largo voters should do their due diligence to research the reality of this project and the destruction it will impose.