Environmentalists Oppose Airport Land Deal Near Lake Apopka

A group trying to develop an airport for business jets in northwest Orange County has proposed a land swap with a regional water agency that would lead to construction of a milelong runway near the north shore of Lake Apopka, which has begun to recover from decades of pollution to become a premier wildlife habitat.

Environmentalists staunchly oppose the land exchange, fearing it would undermine the lake's restoration and endanger more than 300 bird species that roost or forage there.

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