MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — East Manatee County is sprawling with new or proposed developments and a lot of it is happening fast.
One particular plan to build a new roadway could impact some local attractions and agricultural land in the area.
It has prompted thousands to sign a petition asking the Manatee County Board of Commissioners to stop the road from going through or too close to places like Hunsader Farms and its popular Tiny Town attraction.
The operators of the Myakka Elephant Ranch Habitat have also said the proposed road would impact them too.
The proposed East River Ranch Boulevard North-South connector will cut through parts of the land where the Tiny town is located and is poised to impact the petting zoo and parking for the popular pumpkin festival, according to the owners of Hunsader Farms.
"The Pumpkin Festival is a big thing for us and it basically keeps our head above water and helps us financially so we can buy more seeds and more plants for crops in the ground" Rachel Hunsader-Sliker, manager of Hunsader Farms, said.
The 55-year-old farm is located on County Road 675 near State Roads 64 and 70, which is in an area that used to be primarily zoned for agriculture, but now, also includes some rezoned areas to allow for other future uses, such as housing developments.
According to Manatee County documents, a developer who has plans to build thousands of homes nearby has requested changes to the road plan on a portion that is within their own property. A proposal that Hunsader-Sliker said is too close for comfort.
"I understand there's going to be developments, there's going to be roads and houses but it doesn't need to affect our farm," Hunsader-Sliker said.
The four-lane road is going to be part of the proposed expansion of 44th Avenue East.
Folks in the farming community say the growing amount of development is changing the face of rural Manatee County.
"That's like our roots, we've grown up farming, we were dairy farmers first and now we grow tomatoes and other crops and we don't know anything else," she said.
The online petition, which has garnered almost 5,000 signatures, is calling on county commissioners to consider alternatives that would not drastically impact the farms and the other area attractions.
"The easy solution would be for the road to be moved further south, so it doesn't interfere with our Tiny Town," Hunsader-Sliker said. "People will come out here from different counties even, to come and pick their own produce and that's hard to do when there's a proposed road ride going through our field."
"It's really sad to think that it could be impacted by a road that has an unnecessary location when it can be moved," she said.
Manatee County Commissioners have a scheduled public meeting Thursday, Feb. 16, to discuss and possibly vote on the proposed road and any amendments.