Looking out his back window, John Gembecki often watches eagles, hawks and sandhill cranes soar over the grassy expanse that once was the Deer Run golf course. Once in a while, a coyote will pop up on his security camera at night.
It’s a view that Gembecki and his neighbors in Deer Run no longer worry about being lost to homes, driveways and cars.
Seminole County — which now owns the old golf course property near Casselberry — recently unveiled plans to turn the old fairways and putting greens into a quiet public park surrounded by wetlands and ponds, where visitors can walk along trails and boardwalks to enjoy the wildlife and learn about water quality.
“It has exceeded our expectations,” said Gembicki, a Deer Run resident since 1980, about the plans. “It will be an environmental passive park designed for the neighborhood.”
Estimated to cost $14.1 million, the project would begin construction as early 2025 after commissioners allocate money in next fiscal budget, which begins Oct. 1. County officials also plan to hold community meetings this year to help draw up more detailed plans. A completion date has not yet been set.