The St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) continues to advance toward restoring Lake Apopka North Shore by treating about 1,500 acres of it for invasive species this year and making infrastructure repairs on the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive. 

Other efforts the district made this year in restoring the North Shore include planting 8,500 native grass plugs in the northwestern restoration area known as “Little Italy” and opening the West Marsh – situated west of the Apopka-Beauclair Canal in Lake County – for recreation and hunting. 

On Tuesday, the SJRWMD hosted the Central Recreation Public Meeting at the District’s Apopka Service Center on South Binion Road, where officials highlighted improvements and ongoing projects in the area.  

At the meeting, Ben Gugliotti, the southwest region land manager, discussed the management of 24,000 acres, primarily Lake Apopka North Shore and Lake Harris Bayou, a waterway that is part of the Harris Chain of Lakes in Lake County.  

Gugliotti said hiking and biking traffic at the Wildlife Drive had gone from 21,000 visitors in 2024 to around 17,000 this year.  

“It’s still pretty good, consistent,” he said.  

Vehicle traffic to the Wildlife Drive has increased this year, totaling 161,235 visitors over the first nine months of 2025.

Construction projects on the Wildlife Drive included repaving and repairing the 11-mile road three times, installing 5,600 feet of geotextile for shoreline stabilization, and replacing the hurricane-damaged roof of the historic Pump House with a metal one.  

SJRWMD has teamed up with several volunteer organizations to maintain the North Shore.  

The Florida Native Plant Society helps the district transplant rare and endangered plants to the North Shore.  

The Orange Audubon Society assists Wildlife Drive visitors on Saturdays and Sundays by providing information and ensuring that all the vehicles leave the drive by 5 p.m., when all vehicles must exit.  

Starting at Lust Road and ending on Jones Avenue in Orange County, the Wildlife Drive is an 11-mile, one-way drive where visitors can enjoy the North Shore habitat. The drive is open to vehicular traffic from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays.  

“We have volunteers come out on Thursday evenings to shut the internal gates, just so people don’t get lost and go off the drive where they’re not supposed to,” Gugliotti told meeting attendees. “Volunteers also clean the kiosks and restock brochures throughout the property, and then they also maintain the bird and pollinator garden, which is the area behind the ambassador pavilion on the Wildlife Drive. So, we really do appreciate their help and support.” 

The Central Recreation Public Meeting provided an overview of recreation on district lands, followed by district managers giving land management updates for the north central, southwest and south-central region, followed by public comment.   

Since the 1980s, restoration efforts have been in progress to restore the Lake Apopka North Shore and transform the now-defunct farmlands into wetlands. The pollution caused there was by the former muck farms as well as local sewage discharge from cities and wastewater from citrus processing plants. 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that pedestrian traffic is down and vehicle traffic is up this year.