One Orlando resident's drive through her neighborhood has highlighted the rapid development consuming natural spaces across Central Florida.
Scarlettremix (@sharpeivg) filmed herself driving along a stretch of undeveloped land on State Road 535, expressing her surprise that the trees still remained standing. The video captures the moment she discovered the wooded area had been marked for new condo construction.
@sharpeivg I know this is a highly developed location, but thats even more reason to leave the trees and the animal habitats. Living here almost my whole life, I have realized Orlando is going to have development and there will always be construction, but I dont think leaving some trees and grass is too much to want. Not even a couple miles from where I made this video there already plenty of houses, apartments, condos, and hotels. The traffic is getting worse, and the condos on that sign do not appear to be 1 level, and taller than 2 levels. You add all these condos, and what happens to traffic? The birds lose the trees, the other wildlife lose their burrows, or hiding places. People who live here already cant get space to park at grocery store and spend 30 minutes in traffic to drive 6 miles. Where is the benefit to more condos? #traffic #overdevelopment #construction #floridaproblems ♬ 80´s - Instrumental - Vnib
"I wanted to see if the trees were still here on 535. It's nice to see an undeveloped piece of land," she says. "I would almost think they would have built on it, but it is for sale. I'm actually surprised it's still trees."
Her tone shifts, however, when she spots a development sign. "What? I thought I saw that sign the other day. Condos. Guess we need those."
The creator explained in the description that her frustration stems from watching Orlando transform throughout her lifetime, pointing out that hotels and golf courses already surround the area, questioning why every green space is seemingly in need of development.
"You add all these condos, and what happens to traffic? The birds lose the trees, the other wildlife lose their burrows, or hiding places," she wrote.
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Overdevelopment can create problems for both communities and local ecosystems. When developers clear forests for housing projects, wildlife loses critical habitats while residents face increasing traffic congestion. "People who live here already cant get space to park at grocery store and spend 30 minutes in traffic to drive 6 miles," the creator wrote.
Tree removal also eliminates natural air filters and cooling systems that help combat urban heat islands. Native wildlife depends on these habitats for nesting, feeding, and shelter.
The comment section showed many sharing similar concerns:
"So sad," wrote one viewer.
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Definitely 👍 Another added their plea to, "LEAVE THE TREES!!!!!"
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Someone else noted: "We need dense development so that we grow upward not spread outward. The problem is Orange County residents vote against things like the transportation bill and fight any dense development coming to existing neighborhoods — so instead we end up with rural and wild Florida being bulldozed for suburban tract homes."
The good news, though, is that communities across the nation are finding ways to balance growth with environmental protection — and you can support smart developmental policies by getting involved and learning more about the threats facing our planet. Small actions can help to create the livable, green communities we all deserve.
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