Oviedo’s simmering debate over Twin Rivers Golf Club is about to get a very public airing. On Monday night, the City Council will take up two big questions at once: whether to pour more money into an independent financial audit and whether to lock the 310-acre course into long-term conservation so it cannot easily be turned into housing later.
The move follows months of pointed questions from residents and city leaders about how the course’s finances have been managed and whether the sprawling property, much of it in the floodplain, should be permanently shielded from development. Mayor Megan Sladek has argued the land acts like a stormwater “sponge” for Oviedo and should stay unbuilt.
As reported by ClickOrlando, council members are scheduled to meet on Monday at 6:30 p.m. to vote on both measures. Staff initially budgeted about $20,000 for a forensic scoping phase of the audit, but after talks with the outside firm, they now estimate a more complete investigation could land closer to $30,000.
Audit scope and timeline
The city’s Feb. 16 agenda materials describe a “Forensic Engagement” focused on the Twin Rivers enterprise fund and direct staff to move money from the golf-course reserve to pay for the work, according to OrdinanceWatch. A meeting summary reviewed by MotionCount shows the audit would center on the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2025, testing accounting policies, internal controls, contract compliance, and how revenue is recognized, and that the initial phase was budgeted at roughly $20,000 with a small contingency.
The course’s operator, Down To Earth, listed in some records as SSS Twin Rivers Opco LLC, drew scrutiny after a resident pored over profit-and-loss statements and started asking questions. Oviedo Community News reported that the resident flagged a roughly $63,000 insurance charge that the management company was allegedly supposed to cover under its contract, but which instead showed up as a city expense. That complaint helped push the council toward bringing in outside auditors.
What the conservation easement would do
On a separate track, staff is urging the council to approve a declaration of restrictive covenants that would tie future land use on the property to golf-related activities and conservation. The proposal would prohibit residential or transient uses, effectively trying to take the property off the table for future housing or hotel development, according to local reporting.
City Attorney Wade Vose told Oviedo Community News that the proposed language is written to be difficult to undo without a public referendum. Mayor Sladek has also warned that until those covenants are in place, a future council could simply vote to change the zoning instead of keeping the land protected, a concern she raised in comments reported by ClickOrlando.
Oviedo bought the Twin Rivers property in 2017 specifically to stop a residential project from moving forward. The city’s Twin Rivers page notes that the course is part of floodplain management for the Little and Big Econlockhatchee rivers and that its open-space credit helps the city preserve a 10% discount on flood insurance for residents in special flood hazard areas, according to the City of Oviedo.
On Monday, council members are expected to decide whether to increase the audit budget and whether to adopt the new covenant language. If both items pass, the city would have an outside review of how the course is being run and a new land-use safeguard that makes any rezoning attempt significantly harder. The meeting is listed at City Hall at 6:30 p.m. in the city’s agenda documents, which also lay out possible timelines for audit reports and potential next steps if problems are found, according to OrdinanceWatch.
The line items themselves are relatively modest in a city budget, but the political stakes are not. The twin votes could help settle a years-long argument over whether Twin Rivers stays a public golf course and university practice facility or, if protections are left loose, drifts back onto developers’ wish lists. For residents worried about open space, flooding, and what is happening with their money, Monday night’s outcome will be hard to ignore.
