A S.R. 417 hotel or Winter Springs’ newest park? Jetta Point fight coming Tuesday

The Seminole County Commission on Tuesday could clear the way to sell the 46-acre Jetta Point property at the intersection of State Road 417 and State Road 434 in Winter Springs. 

Oviedo Community News first reported in 2025 that the county was close to getting state approval to sell the 46-acre Jetta Point Property. Originally, Jetta Point was planned as a sports complex, similar to Boombah Sports Complex in Sanford. 

After neighbors came out against the project, the county changed plans. Instead of keeping conservation easements on Jetta Point, the county got permission from the state for a key swap: Transfer the conservation protections at Jetta Point over to the defunct Rolling Hills Golf Course, which was proposed to become homes. 

The county also put $1.5 million aside for environmental remediation at Rolling Hills The county broke ground on the Rolling Hills project earlier this year to turn it into a park.  

County Commissioner Bob Dallari said the item Tuesday will only move protections over to Rolling Hills. The county hasn’t decided what to do with Jetta Point yet. 

“We’re not doing anything with the property,” Dallari said. “Right now, with the economy doing the way it is and Amendment 3 on the table, let’s wait and see what happens in November.”

Technically, moving the restrictions from Jetta Point to Rolling Hills would allow the county to put Jetta Point on the market. But Dallari said that’s not what’s being voted on. 

“That’s not the agenda item,” Dallari said. “We need to have an agenda item.

A change.org petition with about 2,000 signatures is asking the County Commission to keep Jetta Point as a greenspace. Winter Springs Resident Elliot Griffin started the petition, saying environmental preservation is the mission of local government. 

“Jetta Point Park is home to a pair of bald eagles and their only nest site,” Griffin wrote. “Instead of paving over paradise, let us come together to protect and enhance our natural spaces. There are numerous low-impact ways we can utilize Jetta Point Park that align with our shared passion for conservation. Options such as a dog park, hiking or biking trails, community gardens or a bat house can provide recreational opportunities while preserving the park’s natural beauty.”

According to a letter sent by Assistant County Manager Kristian Swenson to Griffin, it appears that once the restrictions are lifted, the property would be readied for sale.

“Since 2016, the Board of County Commissioners has discussed the disposition of the Jetta Point parcel at least nine times and has consistently directed that the property be prepared for sale,” Swenson wrote. “The board’s stated intent has been to use proceeds from any future sale to reimburse the Environmental Lands (Natural Lands) Fund for the original Jetta Point purchase price and to apply remaining proceeds toward improvements at Rolling Hills Park.”

Dallari has previously talked about the site being sold to a hotelier in the future.  There currently is no hotel in the Oviedo or Winter Springs area. 

“Some people have asked us if we’re willing to sell the property to a hotelier,” Dallari said in a previous interview. “And our response is that it’s too early, because the restrictions are still on the property, and until the restrictions get removed and get relocated over to Rolling Hills, it’s really a moot point, because the restrictions are still there.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, the commission will vote to accept a new agreement from the Florida Communities Trust, which removes the protections on Jetta Point Park and applies them to Rolling Hills. 

“These documents officially remove all FCT grant obligations from Jetta Point and transferred them to Rolling Hills,” staff wrote in a memo, which you can read here.

Check here to contact Seminole County elected officials about the site. Jetta Point is Winter Springs zoned property that’s owned by the county. Check here to contact Winter Springs elected officials; the property has a future land use of commercial. You can also tell Oviedo Community News what you’d like to see on the site here.  

Abe Aboraya is a Report for America corps member.