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Seminole County opens first phase of Lake Monroe Trail Loop
Summary
Seminole County officials and partners celebrated the opening of the Lake Monroe Trail Loop’s first phase at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, noting the project began in 2012 and was funded through FDOT’s Local Agency Program and the county’s penny sales tax.
At a ribbon-cutting at Lake Monroe, Seminole County officials and partner agencies opened the first phase of the Lake Monroe Trail Loop, officials said.
Seminole County Chair Andrea Herr, a county commissioner, called the new segment “a critical connection between the Sanford Riverwalk and the rest of the trail,” and said the project links residents to downtown businesses and to neighboring Volusia County. “This is a critical connection between the Sanford Riverwalk and the rest of the trail that takes you all the way into Midway,” Herr said.
Tonia Lawer, introduced at the event as Seminole County’s public works director, said the project was years in the making and that work began in 2012. “We started working on this project in 2012,” Lawer said, and she credited coordination with MetroPlan Orlando, the Florida Department of Transportation and the City of Sanford for moving the project from planning into design, right-of-way and construction. Lawer described phase one as a safe, high-quality 12-foot multiuse trail extending along Mellonville Avenue from East Seminole Boulevard to Celery Avenue and continuing east along Celery Avenue to just east of Swipes Avenue, intended for pedestrians, bicyclists and users of all ages.
Mayor Art Woodruff of the City of Sanford thanked county and state partners and said the trail complements the city’s Riverwalk and supports community events. “We love our Riverwalk,” Woodruff said, noting interest from residents and organizers in marathons and bike rides that would use the new connection.
Jim Stroh, District 5 director of transportation operations for the Florida Department of Transportation, described FDOT’s funding role and the department’s broader commitment to multimodal travel. “This project is such a wonderful example of the results when the local agencies, cities, and counties work together for important projects,” Stroh said, and he noted FDOT support through the Local Agency Program and a shared-use non-motorized trail program funded in part by redistribution of new vehicle tag revenues.
Officials said the project’s construction was supported by a funding partnership between FDOT and Seminole County voters, who approved a penny sales tax. The ceremony concluded with a countdown and the formal ribbon cutting.
Officials present and quoted at the event included Chair Andrea Herr (Seminole County), Tonia Lawer (introduced as Seminole County public works director), Mayor Art Woodruff (City of Sanford) and Jim Stroh (Florida Department of Transportation). The transcript also records a verbal thanks to “County Public Works Director Tony Lowe” during FDOT remarks; the transcript contains both names and they appear to reference county public works staff present at the ceremony.
