Hundreds oppose proposed sale of 604 acres at Sand Hill Scout Reservation

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The Greater Tampa Bay Area Scouting Council is proposing to sell 604 acres of the 1,300-acre Sand Hill Scout Reservation. A separate part of the proposal would change the land's designation from recreation to a planned development district, allowing for potential commercial, mixed-use and residential development on nearly half the camp.

Hundreds of residents, environmental advocates and Scouts packed Nativity Lutheran Church in North Weeki Wachee on Tuesday night, Oct. 6, for a public meeting on the plan, FOX 13 reported. Coastal Engineering, the firm representing the council on the comprehensive plan amendment, hosted the meeting, and the proposal drew strong opposition.

FOX 13 reported that the amendment is expected to go before the Hernando County Planning and Zoning Commission at a meeting in November or December. If it moves forward, it would also need approval from the Hernando County Commission and the state.

What could be built

According to the meeting presentation, the 604 acres could eventually include a designated commercial area, mixed-use development and multifamily housing. Coastal Engineering also listed public facilities among the potential uses for the planned development district.

The council says sale proceeds would pay for infrastructure improvements and Scouting programs. In an August 2024 statement on its website, the council said any proceeds from property actions would be reinvested in its facilities and programs. FOX 13 reported that the council had not responded to its request for comment by publication.

Why opponents point to the river and the aquifer

Environmental advocates say the property sits over the aquifer that feeds the Weeki Wachee River. "This Sand Hill reservation sits on top of the aquifer that feeds our Weeki Wachee River. So it has a detrimental effect on wildlife, for our river," Marousa Placiotis Rodriguez, an organizer with Keep Weeki Wild, told FOX 13.

The land also contains caves and springs. The Sierra Club and the National Speleological Society's Cave Diving Section are among the groups trying to protect it. Fred Stratton, who chairs the cave diving section, told FOX 13 that everyone in Hernando County who drinks water drawn from the aquifer could be affected by development on Sand Hill.

Coastal Engineering representatives said the sinkholes that serve as entrances to the caves would stay on land the Scouts keep.

The question over the original gift

The Scouts acquired Sand Hill in 1978 after the former owner, Larry Die Polder, left it to the organization in his will. Information presented at Tuesday's meeting said the will stipulated the land would become a county park if the Scouts no longer wanted it. FOX 13 reported that a discrepancy between the will and the deed was later found, giving the Scouts the ability to sell.

"It's very upsetting that you would leave land to an organization for safe keeping after you die to have them try to sell it off," Placiotis Rodriguez told FOX 13.

The council's own 2024 account describes the history differently. It says a family dispute over the will followed Die Polder's death, and that deeds transferred in 1979 and 1981 gave the Boy Scouts title free and clear of any use restrictions. The council also says the Hernando County Circuit Court confirmed its full rights to the property in January 2024.

Following the proposal

Residents who want to speak on the amendment can watch Planning and Zoning Commission agendas for November and December, when FOX 13 reported the review is expected.