As Central Florida continues to grow at a staggering rate, counties have realized the importance of preserving natural areas for their communities to enjoy. Many counties have been able to maintain this sense of place through the development of parks and trails.

Benefits of trails are far reaching within a community; they connect neighborhoods to conservation lands while also providing recreational assets. Most recently, Brevard and Volusia counties have partnered to acquire an abandoned railroad bed that extends from Titusville in Brevard County to Enterprise in Volusia County.

The first step in the massive undertaking of the trail development, known as the East Central Florida Rail Trail, was obtaining the funding for land acquisition through the assistance of a grant program from the Florida Office of Greenways and Trails.

Before a panel of 19 committee members, representatives from the region offered the benefits of the trail project for not only Brevard and Volusia counties but also for Central Florida and even the state as a whole. The panel took notice, by ranking the project 3rd of 20, making it eligible for $1.4 million to begin the substantial land acquisition process.

The advisory panel, the Florida Greenway and Trails Council, which consists of elected officials, executive directors and greenway and trail experts, all agreed that the East Central Regional Rail Trail was an effort that would benefit thousands of Central Floridians.

Within the reach of the proposed corridor lie some of Florida’s unique natural areas such as Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, the Canaveral National Seashore, the St. Johns River, Buck Lake Conservation Area, Green Spring and Gemini Springs. The 424.83-acre right-of-way provides an opportunity to establish a linear park system with a trail that would connect to existing trails, facilitate the movement of wildlife and provide residents with an alternative route of transportation.

“We believe that this undertaking, demonstrating regional partnerships, will continue to provide Central Florida residents and tourists alike with both the recreation opportunities and preservation of natural areas that they desire,” said Volusia County Councilwoman Pat Northey and Co-Chair of the Environment Essential Activity for myregion.org.

Commissioner Randy Morris of Seminole County, representing the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (ECFRPC-the project sponsor), members from both Brevard and Volusia Counties and a spokesperson from Representative Bob Allen’s office traveled to Tallahassee to demonstrate the strong community support for the project.

“The trail, when completed, will be approximately 30 miles in length, which is quite substantial,” stated Commissioner Randy Morris, Co-Chair at Large for myregion.org. “It is a trail that will truly have a regional impact for many of our area’s citizens, connecting Brevard and Volusia Counties, through trails, to the rest of the region and the state.”

Since the initial funding was awarded and approved by Secretary Struhs of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Office of Greenways and Trails, along with State Lands, will now begin to negotiate the purchase of the land. Once that is complete, the hard work of the two counties will begin – making the dream of the East Central Regional Rail Trail a reality.