FDOT alters highway plans in Polk County — advocates worried rare plant habitats remain at risk

The Brief

  • The Blushing Scrub Balm is an endangered mint that only grows in the Lake Marion Creek Wildlife Management Area.
  • The recently refined Corridor F won’t be constructed through the plant’s habitat; however, it would go near it, which would still negatively impact the plant population, advocates say.
  • FDOT will be holding upcoming public meetings to discuss the project with the public.

HAINES CITY, Fla. The Florida Department of Transportation altered its proposed corridor plans for a tollway in northeastern Polk County; however, plant conservation advocates are still worried it would threaten a rare species’ habitat.

The backstory:

The Blushing Scrub Balm is an endangered mint that only grows in the Lake Marion Creek Wildlife Management Area in Polk County and nowhere else in the world.

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