By Christine Moore, Orange County District 2 Commissioner

Earlier in November – with assistance from Clerk of Court Tiffany Moore Russell’s volunteers and the L.A.N.E.S. young ladies – we picked up trash at the intersection of Old Dixie Highway and N. Maine Avenue. This area has been troubled for decades. These issues include severe blight, traffic and safety concerns, poor quality housing, and illegal dumping.  

I’m always amazed by how much I learn by walking and picking up trash. Infrastructure concerns became more apparent. Homeless county services and sheriff enforcement are needed.  

FDOT needs to work on a solution for the frequently-flooding Hawthorne Pond. The owners of the two corner lots need to fence in their properties and post “no trespassing” signage.  

The city and county jurisdictions are terribly inefficient along Old Dixie. I’m proposing a swap of county and city roadway segments from Plymouth Sorrento Road all the way to Park Avenue.  

Those interested in helping should join my new “people group” People of Northern Apopka (PONA) Monthly meetings will invite city and county staff members. The inaugural PONA monthly meeting will take place Tuesday, Jan. 13. Special guests will include code enforcement officers and staff members from the county homeless services department. 

Here are some solutions that developed after the clean-up: 

• The community should regularly pick up trash 

• The property owners must fence in vacant land and post “no trespassing” signs 

• The N. Maine residents must properly dispose of trash and stop parking on the right of way 

• The county should add speed humps on N. Maine, develop a crosswalk, and install intersection signalization 

• The city should install streetlights from Boy Scout Road to Hawthorne Avenue 

• Homeless Services must send teams regularly to offer services 

Now with a plan developed, my staff and I will turn in the above requests. Once a few of the infrastructure improvements are completed, I will write to the property owners and renters to do their part. 

I already organized a few gentlemen to trim up the trees, mow down weeds, and remove debris. This will be a challenge to maintain until the infrastructure improvements are made. In fact, as the men were finished cleaning up dead tree limbs and palm fronds, a person arrived and dumped more tires. I hope you give it a good year to see solid improvement. 

I have been doing this kind of work for about five years now. If you need to see end results, check out previous Corridor of the Year entries, such as Sheeler Road, Clarcona Road south of GH Washington, Wekiva Springs Road, Votaw Road, and Old Dixie Highway near Dayspring Church.  

I hope you consider joining the new Northern Apopka team. Call 407.836.5850 for more information.