With Orange County’s population growing in leaps and bounds, the INVEST program allots $20 million for the development of new parks or the improvement of existing parks and facilities.

Maintaining 15,000-plus acres and serving 13 million residents and visitors annually, the Orange County Parks and Recreation Division operates 100 parks, trails and facilities, including 11 recreation centers, two senior centers, one swimming pool, five splash pads and 11 public boat ramps. More than 5,000 youth participate in Parks’ sports programs and nearly 1,600 attend afterschool and summer camps.

Demand is not only for open park space, but also for additional multi-purpose sports fields and new trails.

• Deputy Scott Pine Park: $3.7 million for development of the 19.5-acre park that includes two multi-purpose fields – one for multi-purpose use and the other for the new Windermere High School football stadium.
• East Orange District Park Recreation Center: a Legislative Line Item grant in the amount of $1 million has been approved by the State of Florida to help build a $2 million recreation center in Christmas.
• Dr. P. Phillips Community Park Ball Fields: $4.8 million to install up to three new Little League baseball fields for use by the community. The Dr. Phillips Foundation is set to donate 2.5 acres of land adjacent to Dr. P. Phillips Community Park.
• Magnolia Park Ecotourism Park: $4.45 million will be used to build the Magnolia Park Ecotourism Park, which includes a concession building, pavilion, dock, parking and more.
• District 2 Neighborhood Park: Through a land lease with Journey Church, Orange County will provide a much-needed neighborhood park that includes a playground and pavilion. This $500,000 project will lease up to five acres; a joint use agreement is in development.
• Barber Park Playground: $500,000 to create an inclusive playground.
• Cypress Grove Park Land: acquisition of nine acres of land adjacent to the park.
• Turnbull Park Improvements: $34,000 to install picnic tables, grills and a portable restroom.
• Yucatan Park Playground Cover: $110,000 to replace an existing fabric playground cover with a metal roof.
• Warren Park Canoe/Kayak Launch: $75,000 to construct a canoe/kayak launch for easy access to Lake Conway.
• Capehart Park Court Cover: $225,000 to install a metal cover over the basketball court.
• Grow Community Park: $5 million for construction of this 20-acre Lake Pickett South Property project within a future development.

The remaining budget will be leveraged with matching funds from private, not-for-profit and governmental agencies for other Orange County Parks and Recreation projects, not yet determined.

Park Development Criteria include:

• Identified in Park Growth Analysis
• Must be a community park or larger
• If land is purchased, the site must have a sufficient amount of developable uplands

Trail Development Criteria include:

• Ranked in the Orange County Trails Master Plan
• Must be ranked and awaiting funding in MetroPlan’s Project Prioritization List or Transportation Improvement Plan
• Land must be available

• It Starts in Parks Video
• Orange County Parks Map
• Orange County Trails Master Plan
• West Orange Relief High School Stadium Conceptual Plan

Orange County Parks & Recreation Division
4801 West Colonial Drive
Orlando, Florida 32808

Email: parks@ocfl.net
Phone: 407-836-6200

*Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs served on the Board of County Commissioners from Jan. 2011 through Nov. 2018. Jacobs previously served as Orange County District One Commissioner from 2000 to 2008.

All e-mail sent to this address becomes part of Orange County public record. Comments received by our e-mail subsystem can be read by anyone who requests that privilege. In compliance with "Government in the Sunshine" laws, Orange County Government must make available, at request, any and all information not deemed a threat to the security of law enforcement agencies and personnel.