"You can boat from Tavares to Mount Dora, you can drive a car from Tavares to Mount Dora, why not be able to walk or bike from Tavares to Mount Dora, even into Sorrento, on down to Seminole County," Lake County Commissioner Kirby Smith told WESH in March 2025. He also said what anyone who has tried that ride already knows: "there is no way to really get from Tavares to Downtown Mount Dora via bicycle or walking."
Eighteen months later, that gap is still there. What has changed is the paperwork. Headlines this August said Lake County had approved buying the rail corridor. What commissioners actually approved was the next step toward a purchase. They gave themselves a deadline in spring 2028 and timed the closing to a statewide vote on November 3. When it comes, the trail will meet Mount Dora's existing bike network at Tremain Street, a street many local cyclists already ride.
What the August 11 vote did
The Lake County Commission voted unanimously on August 11, 2026, to move forward with acquiring an unused railroad corridor of about 11 miles owned by CSX Transportation. It connects Sorrento, Mount Dora and Tavares. As reported by the Triangle Sun, the vote lets the county continue due diligence and negotiations through the Trust for Public Land, and to prepare a bond issue to pay for the corridor.
WESH's coverage described the same meeting as approval to buy the stretch for $23.5 million, with the full $50 million bond also approved. The two reports line up once you see the money. The $23.5 million is the county's share. The expected total is higher.
| Piece of the deal | Figure reported after the August 11, 2026 vote |
|---|---|
| Anticipated purchase price | $27 million |
| From the voter-approved public lands bond | Up to $23.5 million |
| From a pending state grant | About $3.5 million |
| Deadline to complete the purchase | Spring 2028 |
| Earliest closing commissioners would accept | After November 3 |
So the corridor is not public land yet. The county is committed to pursuing it and has picked a funding source. It has also left itself room to close on a schedule that fits its budget.
Why the closing waits for November 3
Commissioners told staff to keep the $50 million bond process going but to hold the closing until after November 3. That day, voters statewide will consider a constitutional amendment on homestead property tax exemptions. Commissioners said the measure creates uncertainty for local government budgets and funding. WESH put it as concern about possible shifts in the tax base.
That ballot item is Amendment 3. As described by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, it would raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes. It would also cut the annual assessment cap on non-homestead property from 10% to 5% and limit how local governments use property tax revenue. It needs 60% approval to pass. For the trail, it matters only as timing. The county wants to know what its revenue picture looks like before it spends bond money on a corridor.
The bond itself is not new. Lake County voters approved the $50 million referendum in November 2024 for land preservation, water quality, and parks and trails, and it named potential rail-to-trail projects.
Six years of "almost"
Spring 2028 is a real deadline, and the history makes it worth watching. This corridor has looked close to a deal before.
- April 2020. CSX and Florida Central Railroad both wrote letters supporting the trail idea. CSX owned the land under the tracks, and Florida Central Railroad owned the tracks themselves. CSX said it would discuss a sale to Lake County and named a minimum price of $15 million.
- November 2022. According to Mount Dora Buzz, CSX suddenly said it would no longer sell. It cited a need to keep its regulated corridors for long-term business needs. Planners then looked at alternatives, such as building alongside the rail line or within the Old Highway 441 right-of-way.
- March 2025. CSX signed a letter of intent to sell its rights to the tracks. County and city officials planned a walkthrough and said they hoped to finalize by the end of that year.
- January. Misty Sommer, Mount Dora's director of economic development and public information, told the city council that the Trust for Public Land was "finalizing the right-of-way acquisition contract with CSX as we speak."
- August 11, 2026. The county commission voted unanimously to move forward, with closing set for after November 3.
Over that time the minimum price CSX first named, $15 million, became an expected price of $27 million. The project has also gone after federal money. Its application to the U.S. Department of Transportation's BUILD program was twice rated a "project of merit" without winning a grant, and the partners said they would apply again. None of the sources reviewed for this post gives a construction start date or an opening date. Any timeline for riding the trail is a guess until the purchase closes.
Who spoke at the meeting
Cyclists, business leaders and local officials came out in force for the purchase. They cited tourism, economic development, public safety and quality of life. A few residents raised the cost and long-term maintenance, and argued the project leans too heavily on paved trails instead of conservation land. WESH also reported concerns about enforcement and "concrete sprawl." Supporters added that owning the corridor would make the county more competitive for federal BUILD grants.
Mount Dora Mayor James Homich and Tavares City Administrator John Drury both urged approval. "That 23 million is well spent for the benefit of all of our residents, for the benefit of our businesses and for the benefit of everyone in this county," Homich told commissioners. "We wholly support the idea of acquiring this trail and improving it, and Mount Dora will be a strong partner in this endeavor."
Supporters see the corridor as the missing link between central Lake County and regional trails, including the Florida Coast-to-Coast Trail. The project has been discussed for more than two decades.
The route bends at Tremain Street
On a map, the planned trail has two arms that meet in downtown Mount Dora. The western arm starts at Wooton Park in Tavares and runs along Lake Dora to Tremain Street. The eastern arm runs from Tremain Street to Sorrento and ends at County Road 437. Lake County calls the Tavares link Segment 5, the former Tav-Dora Trail. It runs from Disston Avenue near Wooton Park to Tremain Street, and its route options measure 5.5 to 6 miles. A study of that segment began in March 2021. The county's federal grant narrative says the rail route runs parallel to Old Highway 441 and State Road 46.
The same narrative lists planned connections to the Tremain Street Greenway, the Lincoln Avenue Trail and Mount Dora's network of trails near the lake. In other words, the new trail would join paths Mount Dora already has. So the in-town routes are both where you can ride now and where the regional trail is planned to connect later.
Where to ride and walk now
The city's Florida Trail Town profile, published in May 2023, describes these in-town options.
- Tremain Street Greenway. A protected bike path on the street, heading toward local parks. This is the street both arms of the planned trail are designed to meet.
- Gilbert Park. A stop with bike racks, restrooms, water fountains, pavilions and a playground.
- Palm Island Park. A boardwalk on Lake Dora and a nature trail along the shoreline, for walking.
- Lincoln Park mountain-bike trailhead. Off 11th Avenue, with a repair station, picnic tables, signs and bike racks. The profile says OMBA built and maintains the trails.
- Near the Forres playground. A flow trail and a jump track that link to trails coming from Lincoln Avenue Park.
These are short rides. They loop around downtown and the lakefront parks, or they're dirt trails for a workout. They won't get you to Tavares. That trip is what the corridor purchase is meant to solve. The profile is from 2023, so it's a good idea to check current conditions with the City of Mount Dora before planning a ride around a specific facility.
The next date to watch
The next step comes after November 3. That's when Lake County can decide to close on the corridor, with spring 2028 as the deadline. Watch for news on the roughly $3.5 million state grant and the next BUILD application. Those will show how much of the work beyond buying the land has funding behind it.
If you're wondering how the trail plans might affect a home on the Tremain Street side of town, or anywhere along Old Highway 441, Scott McFadden follows these county decisions closely and is glad to go through what has actually been approved and what is still pending. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
