The Hernando County School Board unanimously rejected a proposed school site at the Sunrise Phase 1 subdivision during their March 24 workshop, citing safety concerns and poor location factors. The property, located east of I-75, south of Cortez Boulevard and west of Kettering Road, would have been provided to the district in exchange for impact fee credits.
Board Vice Chairperson Shannon Rodriguez led the opposition, highlighting multiple problematic factors surrounding the site. “I think the reason that we shouldn’t take the land is it’s next to a sewer plant and the county is also talking about expanding that sewer plant,” Rodriguez said. “It’s also across the street from a Walmart distribution center with a lot of big trucks and there’s a mine across the street with also large trucks. It’s dangerous traffic with all this large equipment being on top of a school.”
The board declined to spend the estimated $25,000 required for due diligence studies that would have led to a final decision by the end of August. Rodriguez questioned the financial wisdom of investigating a property the board already viewed unfavorably. “If we think going into this that we do not want the land, then why would we spend the time or money on doing the due diligence?” she asked.
Additional concerns included the site’s low topography, which would reduce usable land to approximately 40 acres. Rodriguez noted this would be roughly equivalent to the district’s existing McKethan Road site, which can only practically accommodate an elementary or K-8 school rather than a larger facility. The rejection means the district will continue searching for suitable school sites to serve the growing Hernando County student population.
Originally reported by Hernando Sun
Sources: Hernando Sun
