LAKE WALES, Fla. — The head of the Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales is concerned about a proposed parkway that he says could get too close to the nearly century-old garden.

What You Need To Know

  •  Bok Tower Gardens officials are concerned about a proposed parkway for eastern Polk County that could be built near the garden

  •  The president of Bok Tower Gardens said two of the four proposed routes are around 2,500 feet away from the garden

  • The FDOT’s website for the project it says this study will work with environmental partners to make sure the proposed highway would avoid or minimize impacts to local environmental features of the area

Last month, the cultural organization posted on Facebook saying they oppose two of the four proposed routes for this project.

They say it’s because the road would get close to 2,500 feet from the north point of the garden.

Aside from a gentle breeze and some muffled conversation, the only noise you really hear inside Bok Tower Gardens are the chimes of the bells inside its iconic landmark.

The beauty of this place is why David Price has worked there for 37 years.

“You feel like you’ve gotten away from the rest of the world, and it’s really setting yourself apart from the rest of the world,” said Price, who is president of Bok Tower Gardens.

It’s hard to believe this place has been here for about a century in central Florida and continues to be a quiet spot for tourists to contemplate and enjoy nature.

“Originally, the gardens were created a hundred years ago as a sanctuary, and we’re still that sanctuary today,” he said.

That’s why Price is speaking up about a Florida Department of Transportation study looking into creating a new toll road that would connect I-4 with a future Poinciana connector called State Route 538.

According to FDOT’s website, the project is in its second phase, which is a development and environment study. But back in January, Bok Tower Gardens posted on Facebook saying of the four proposed routes this new roadway could go, two would be about 2,600 feet of the garden.

“That would be sound intrusion,” Price said. “But also, the roadways would go over this wildlife corridor we’ve been trying to preserve.”

The last thing Price said he wants to see is the sanctuary to end up next to a major thoroughfare.

According to Price, last week, the project manager visited the garden and has listened to their concerns while continuing to study the project.

Price said they’ll find out what the next steps will be by the end of April or early May.

“They’re considering hybrids of the routes of the corridors and that they would work to keep the corridor away from the garden,” Price said.

Price said that is good news, but he’s still keeping his fingers crossed.

“We are more and more of a target for road right of ways, power lines coming through here,” Price said. “And so it’s, it’s getting more critical for us to protect this, this land, as a 100-year-old cultural organization.”

According to the FDOT’s website for the project, the study will work with environmental partners to make sure the proposed highway would avoid or minimize impacts to local environmental features of the area.