A rural stretch of Crawford Road near Groveland has become the center of a brewing fight over guns, water and quiet country living. Nearly 500 people have signed a petition opposing a proposal to convert 54 acres of agricultural land there into a commercial outdoor firearms training range, with neighbors warning that daily gunfire, heavier traffic and the site's proximity to a protected aquifer recharge zone could permanently change the character of the area.
The application, known as Case PZ2024-079, seeks a conditional use permit for the agriculturally zoned property, according to a petition filed on Change.org. As reported by WKMG ClickOrlando, the property owner is seeking approval to develop the land into an outdoor firing range, a plan that has rattled a community residents describe as quiet and largely residential. Jenny Goss, who started the petition, contacted Lake County officials about the concerns she and her neighbors share.
“This rural community does not need hundreds of cars coming through the area,” Goss told the station, according to the same report. She said the roads serving the property are tiny and not in great shape, a concern echoed in the petition's own description of Crawford Road as a two-lane asphalt roadway only about 20 feet wide, per the Change.org filing.
A 70-Year Resident Worries About Daily Gunfire
Del Ramsey, who lives within walking distance of the proposed site, has called the area home for 70 years, the station's report notes. She said her family is worried about the range's daily activity and its effects on their quality of life, particularly since the proposal calls for the range to operate every day, seven days a week. That marks a sharp departure from the current situation, where, per the same account, hunters in the area typically use guns for about an hour at a time.
Petition filings reviewed by Change.org also document that intermittent target shooting already underway on the Crawford Road property had generated gunfire complaints to the Lake County Sheriff's Office even before the commercial permit was submitted, suggesting tension between the property and its neighbors predates the current zoning request.
Why the Green Swamp Location Matters
Goss said the potential impact extends beyond the homes closest to the property, pointing to the project's location near the Green Swamp and its ties to Florida's aquifer system. The Florida Legislature designated the Green Swamp an Area of Critical State Concern back in 1974, protecting roughly 322,000 acres across Lake and Polk counties that serve as the recharge area for the Floridan Aquifer and headwaters for the Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha, Peace and Hillsborough rivers, according to the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
The hydrogeology of the region adds weight to residents' environmental concerns. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection warns that the state's acidic soils and high rainfall allow lead from spent ammunition to migrate easily through soil and water, and the agency recommends specialized site stewardship plans to help prevent contamination reaching groundwater supplies.
Limited Legal Leverage Once a Range Is Approved
Florida law complicates the picture for anyone hoping to challenge the range after the fact. Florida Statute § 823.16 grants sport shooting ranges statutory immunity from civil nuisance and noise lawsuits once established, as long as the facility met local noise control regulations at the time of construction or initial operation, per the Florida Senate.
The upcoming public hearing will give residents an opportunity to weigh in as Lake County considers the proposal.
Lake County Has Weighed Similar Fights Before
This is not the first time an outdoor range has tested Lake County's planning process. In May 2022, the Lake County Board of Commissioners permitted the Ares Training Facility to use flamethrowers on site while denying it extended operating hours after resident complaints, according to WFTV. The episode shows commissioners have been willing to split the difference between a range's operations and neighbors' noise complaints in the past.
Florida also tightened its rules around backyard ranges a decade ago. WFTV reported that Senate Bill 130, enacted in 2016, prohibits recreational backyard shooting ranges in residential zones with densities exceeding one person per acre, while leaving target shooting on larger rural agricultural parcels, like the Crawford Road property, subject to county conditional use permits.
Applicant's Background and What Comes Next
The applicant behind the Crawford Road proposal, The Wicked Arsenal LLC, is an active Florida limited liability company that was originally registered with the state in July 2021, with a principal business address listed in Orlando, according to filings with the Florida Division of Corporations. The company had not provided a response to WKMG ClickOrlando's request for comment at the time of its report.
The Lake County Planning and Zoning Board is expected to discuss the proposal at its upcoming meeting on Wednesday, October 7. For Goss, Ramsey and the hundreds of others who signed the petition, that hearing represents the clearest chance to be heard before any decision is made on whether gunfire becomes a daily fixture along Crawford Road.
