The Apopka City Council unanimously voted Wednesday night to reject an interlocal agreement with Orange County that would have transferred jurisdiction of a portion of Golden Gem Road to the city.  

The proposed agreement would have shifted control of about a one-mile stretch on Golden Gem Road from Kelly Park Road to Capital Reef Way from the county to the city.  

Under the proposed agreement, Orange County would have contributed $585,000 toward resurfacing and retained responsibility for the segment south of Capital Reef Way. Those limits matched what the City Council had approved in June 2024 and again in August 2025, after rejecting a county proposal to extend the transfer farther south without county funding participation. 

“I want to start by emphasizing one thing up front: that the approval of this [interlocal agreement] does not authorize construction, nor does it commit funding, and it also doesn’t set any kind of construction timeline for the city,” city planner Jean Sanchez told the City Council. “This action establishes jurisdiction so the city retains control over it.”  

Golden Gem Road is a key corridor for development in the Kelly Park Interchange area, where traffic volumes have increased since the S.R. 429 interchange opened, Sanchez told the City Council.  

The Golden Gem roadway is substandard and would require full reconstruction – not just resurfacing – to meet city standards and accommodate planned growth, Sanchez added.  

Council members raised concerns about assuming control of only part of the roadway. They questioned the logic of improving one segment while the remainder stayed under county control and remained unimproved. 

“My concern is that we’re going to be improving potentially part of the road, so we’re not really fixing the problem because you still have to travel down the road,” Commissioner Nadia Anderson said. “I feel the city and county [should] come together and come up with a plan for this road. Because right now, this is not a real plan.”  

According to Mike Woodward, consultant from Kimley-Horn, it would have cost an estimated $9.5 million or a “rule of thumb” $10 million per mile to rebuild Golden Gem Road to form-based code standards. 

Bringing Golden Gem Road up to city standards would mean widening the road, adding bike lanes, sidewalks, stormwater facilities, and acquiring additional right-of-way from nearby properties, Woodward said.  

Woodward said most property owners were willing to dedicate right-of-way for the Golden Gem Road upgrade. 

Albert McKimmie, a Golden Gem Road resident, opposed the city taking over Golden Gem Road. This could result in the city spending “multiple millions of dollars more” than projected to improve the road, he said.  

He pointed out several things the road needs to be brought up to standard, including the road expansion from 18 feet wide to 26 feet wide.  

If Golden Gem Road were to fall under city jurisdiction without immediate improvements, “you are putting our lives at risk,” he said.