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Orange County EPD outlines 2025 accomplishments, land protections and outreach push
Summary
The Orange County Environmental Protection Division summarized 2025 activity including roughly 500 permits issued, about 13,000 plan reviews, more than 5,200 inspections, volunteer contributions, land acquisitions through the Green Place program, the opening of the Green Eyes reserve and a new conservation website.
An Environmental Protection Division staff member presented the division's 2025 year-in-review, saying the EPD worked to conserve, protect and improve Orange County's environment while expanding outreach and land-protection efforts.
The division reported issuing about 500 permits in 2025, reviewing roughly 13,000 commercial, residential and development plans and conducting more than 5,200 inspections of wetlands, industrial facilities, petroleum storage tanks, private landfills and construction sites. The presenter said these activities aim to prevent spills, protect water resources and maintain environmental standards across both neighborhood stations and larger, high-traffic facilities.
Why it matters: those permitting and inspection numbers represent the division's regulatory and compliance workload and help explain how the county monitors potential environmental hazards and supports local environmental quality.
EPD also highlighted volunteer engagement and land conservation. The presenter said 302 volunteers contributed 2,093 hours on watershed cleanups, habitat restoration, storm-drain labeling, water sampling, trail-building and internships. The Green Place program was credited with acquiring more than 2,233 acres of environmentally sensitive land; program staff evaluated 1,686 parcels, completed 142 appraisals and approved 47 purchase contracts to preserve natural habitats and protect water quality.
The division announced the public opening of the Green Eyes wildlife reserve, noting the event included Mayor Jerry Demings, Commissioners Christine Moore and Nicole Wilson, city officials from Apopka and community members. EPD said the Green Place site (ocfl.net/greenplace) now displays more than 25,000 acres of protected lands across 15 properties, with an interactive map and trail information intended to help residents and visitors find and use conserved lands.
The presenter also pointed to outreach successes: a social media post featuring a field olfactometer (an odor-measuring device) reportedly received more than 1,000,000 views, raising public awareness of odor monitoring. The division listed several honors for 2025, including two recognitions for the natural-resources permitting team related to the wetlands code update, a resilience award from a national counties association, a sustainable-project award for the Lake Gandhi water-quality improvement project and four Sunshine District awards for communications.
The presentation closed with an invitation to learn more or get involved through the county's environment web page (ocfl.net/environment). The division framed the report as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen ecosystems, protect clean water and support recreational access to protected lands.
