Protect Leon County’s Lake Jackson & Meridian Road

Photo by Doug Alderson

Saving Special Places • Building Better Communities

Tallahassee & Leon County Commissions
Considering Major New Development Rights

November 19 Update

Thank you to all of you who called and emailed the Commissioners on this issue, and a special thanks to everyone who sat for hours through the November 18 county workshop to share your perspectives on updates to the comprehensive plan. The good news is that the property on the west side of Meridian Road was pulled from the Urban Services Area (USA). While this was 1000 Friends’ initial ask, several other serious planning issues were brought to our attention and we added some additional requests that were not accepted. We’d like to especially thank Commissioners Minor and O’Keefe for taking strong and articulate stands on sound planning. To the best of our knowledge, these are the upcoming critical dates:

December 9 — Leon County Commission to vote to adopt the comprehensive plan amendments
December 10 — Tallahassee City Commission to consider whether to bring the USA in compliance with the County map and vote for adoption.

We will be sharing more information as it becomes available.

RECEIVE ALERTS

Media Coverage

Leon County commissioners back off Comp Plan changes allowing more Lake Jackson development, Tallahassee Democrat, Jeff Burlew, November 19, 2025.
‘Remain engaged’: Residents hear latest on Comp Plan proposal affecting Lake Jackson, Tallahassee Democrat, Jeff Burlew, November 15, 2025.
‘Community altering’: Concerns mount over Comp Plan changes allowing Lake Jackson Development, Tallahassee Democrat, Jeff Burlew, November 9, 2025.
City, county planners back away from Lake Jackson development plans amid concerns, Tallahassee Democrat, Jeff Burlew, November 11, 2025.
Private toll road intended to save nature, wildlife, Tallahassee Democrat, Gerald Ensley, March 8, 2015.

Check out the video: Comp plan changes to allow development north of Lake Jackson draws criticism and concerns

On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, the Leon County Board of County Commissioners evaluated major changes to the Tallahassee-Leon County Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map (FLUM). These legally binding documents identify how our community will grow over the coming decades. The proposed amendments would specify how our community would grow through 2050.

1000 Friends urged the Leon County Commission to direct staff to:

Keep the current Urban Services Area (USA) boundary near Lake Jackson on both sides of Meridian Road. This would necessitate all property owners seeking changes to go through the appropriate amendment process, providing greater equity and consistency and requiring a more thorough evaluation of need, environmental, traffic, and other impacts before changes are allowed.
Keep the existing Lake Protection (LP) provisions and update them in a separate process in the coming months. In some categories, the amendments would allow considerable increased density. We believe more time is needed for greater analysis, transparency, and community engagement in this process. (Check out the June 16, 2025 Florida Department of Environmental Protection letter sent to both the City and County (starts page 3) — outlining concerns about the LP provisions)
Direct staff to prepare an additional version of the Future Land Use map (FLUM) clearly showing all differences between current and proposed designations throughout the county.

Variations of these concepts were supported by Commissioners Minor and O’Keefe and we thank them for their articulate support of sound planning principles. Sadly, the other five commissioners did not agree.

What is in the initial proposal?

Expand our community’s Urban Services Area (USA) by close to 1,000 acres near Lake Jackson. This would be the second biggest change to the USA in 28 years, with only the Welaunee development larger.

The Future Land Use Map (FLUM) depicts the location, distribution, and extent of various categories of land, with the USA delineating areas on the FLUM most appropriate for intense residential and commercial development.

Allow development in the ballpark of 2,000 residential units and hundreds of thousands of square feet of shopping centers, businesses, and offices in this area by changing its land use designation from Rural to Lake Protection.

Property under the current Rural land use designation can only be developed at 1 residential dwelling unit for every 10 acres of land. The proposed Lake Protection land use category allows much greater residential and commercial development, setting the stage for massive change.

Contact the County Commissioners:

Share your views. Calls and personal emails are best!

District 1 – Commissioner Bill Proctor – 850-606-5361

District 2 – Commissioner Christian Caban, Chairman – 850-606-5362

District 3 – Commissioner Rick Minor – 850-606-5363

District 4 – Commissioner Brian Welch – 850-606-5364

District 5 – Commissioner David T. O’Keefe, Vice-Chairman – 850-606-5365

At-Large – Commissioner Carolyn D. Cummings – 850-606-5369

At-Large – Commissioner Nick Maddox – 850-606-5367

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Why is the initial proposal concerning?

There has been no environmental analysis of the potential impacts on the Lake Jackson system, the only freshwater lake in Florida to be designated as a State Aquatic Preserve. It is also a designated Outstanding Florida Water.
There has been no transportation analysis of the potential impacts on the already congested Meridian Road. This scenic, two-lane canopy road, established in 1824, would be the primary access to new development. It is officially designated as a Tallahassee-Leon County Canopy Road and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
There has been no demonstrated need for major development in this area. Planning staff have shared that our community needs 23,000 more housing units by 2050. Currently, 21,610 new residential units are already in one phase of development or another.
This major expansion of the USA does not follow the regular process and instead has been tucked into a routine comprehensive plan update. Instead, if development is proposed it should comply with the annual application process for major amendments to the comprehensive plan to ensure robust community engagement.
There has been no analysis of the cost to taxpayers to expand the USA. This expansion represents a major public commitment to provide sewer and water, roads, and other urban services to this area.

FIND OUT MORE

About Lake Jackson:

The Lake Jackson system, made up of Lake Jackson, Carr Lake, and Mallard Pond, is one of the state’s most unique and ecologically valuable surface water systems. The Lake Jackson system is the only freshwater lake in Florida to be designated as an Aquatic Preserve, and is also a designated Outstanding Florida Water. The 4,000-acre Lake Jackson has been recognized for years as a prime location for trophy large-mouth bass fishing with four of Tallahassee’s top ten eBird sites for birdwatching nearby. Due to the environmental significance of the Lake Jackson system, protection measures have been in place since 1970. Long a center of civilization, on its south shore is the Lake Jackson Indian Mounds Archeological State Park, established in 1966, which was built and occupied by people of the Fort Walton culture between 1000 and 1500 A.D.

A majority of the current development within the Lake Jackson system is concentrated on the south side, primarily in the form of residential and commercial development. This has contributed heavily to the degraded water quality of the aquatic preserve. This is balanced only by the health and quality of water at the northern end of the lake system, which would be opened for development if the amendments are adopted.

The Lake Jackson Aquatic Preserve Management Plan specifically states that water quality along the north end of the lake is considered good, but “…if development increases at the same density seen in the south end of the Lake Jackson watershed, water quality is likely to be negatively impacted.”

Photo by Russell Grace

About Meridian Road:

Primary access to any new development would be provided by the scenic two-lane Meridian Road. Extending from downtown Tallahassee to the Georgia state line, this road was established in 1824 as part of Florida’s Prime Meridian, on which virtually all land surveying in the state is based. With its overhanging canopy of live oaks and distinctive red clay banks that reach eight feet in some places, it is among the finest canopy roads in Leon County. Due to its historic significance and natural beauty, Meridian Road was designated as a canopy road in 1972, with local protection measures. In 2013, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

For many, the greatest worry about a new development of about 1,000 acres along Lake Jackson and Meridian Road is the flood of new cars that will take to the road, adding to the already congested traffic at rush hour. Traffic counts along Meridian Road show that the segment from Ox Bottom to Bannerman is already near capacity. Additional residential units and commercial development in this area will add more cars to the road and cause this segment of Meridian Road to operate far over capacity, likely necessitating widening.