County accepts settlement on Treasure Trove permit challenge after residents urge stricter stormwater standards
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Summary
After lengthy testimony from residents and engineers about potential runoff impacts on low‑lying manufactured-home neighborhoods and wetlands, the Lake County Commission voted to accept a settlement with the Treasure Trove developer securing pipe upgrades, swales and a 100‑year on‑site pre/post volumetric requirement while pursuing separate rule‑change work.
Lake County commissioners voted on Nov. 18 to accept a settlement intended to resolve the county’s permit challenge to the Treasure Trove development in the Leesburg area, securing additional drainage and pond commitments from the developer while county staff continue pursuing broader rule changes.
Rachel Bartolowitz, representing the county attorney’s office, described the settlement’s key items: an enlarged on‑site pond designed to pre/post volumetrically match the 100‑year storm, off‑site swales and pipe upgrades to divert additional flows, and right‑of‑way improvements along County Road 44 and Treasure Island Road. The county’s recommendation was to accept the settlement to obtain these concessions rather than risk getting nothing at a contested Department of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) proceeding.
Residents from Treasure Island Road and surrounding neighborhoods opposed the original permit and urged the board to seek stronger standards from the St. Johns River Water Management District. Ray Hayden, Lisa Hayden and other neighbors described nearby manufactured homes, a group home for disabled adults, and essential workers who could be put at risk if runoff management fails. “These changes would help not only with Treasure Trove but with every future development in Lake County,” Ray Hayden said, urging use of a county Chapter 120 petition to request stronger stormwater criteria.
County engineering staff and third‑party consultant Devo engineering reviewed designs and acknowledged off‑site runoff issues. Staff noted the developer agreed to additional items beyond current minimum county code, including the 100‑year on‑site volumetric pre/post control — a concession the county characterized as significant.
Commissioners debated litigation versus settlement: some favored continuing the DOAH challenge to press for broader regulatory changes; others favored settling to secure tangible on‑the‑ground protections for residents and public infrastructure now. The board approved the settlement and asked staff to bring back a separate proposal to pursue rule changes with the water management district focused on modernizing criteria and protecting vulnerable corridors.
What happens next: The county will implement the settlement terms through the right‑of‑way and permitting processes and the county attorney will pursue a separate rule‑change petition aimed at St. Johns River Water Management District standards.
