SPRING HILL — A plan to rezone part of the Sand Hill Scout Reservation has sparked an outcry from residents, fueled in part by a notice that drastically understated how much land is involved.
Letters that Coastal Engineering mailed ahead of a July 14 public information workshop at the reservation listed the property to be rezoned as 52 acres. The actual size is 604 acres, a discrepancy a Coastal representative called a mistake.
The applicant, the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council Inc. of Scouting America, is seeking a comprehensive plan change from recreational to planned development district. The site sits on the south side of Cortez Boulevard, across from the Cortez Oaks subdivision.
News of the error has spread quickly on social media, especially a Facebook page called “Save Sand Hill Scout Reservation.” The page features a map of the reservation with land already sold outlined in red and land proposed for sale outlined in blue. A related website, savesandhill.com, has also gone up.
The rezoning application is under review by the state and eventually will go to the Hernando County Commission for a vote.
Image courtesy of SAVE SAND HILL SCOUT RESERVATION
HT-SANDHILLLAND1-07292026 – A map on the “Save Sand Hill Scout Reservation” Facebook page shows land already sold outlined in red and land proposed for sale outlined in blue.
Photos by VINCENT F. SAFUTO/Hernando Today
Use file photos of sign and previous protests.
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