Pedal by Pedal, Piece by Piece: The Long Ride to a Connected Lake Apopka
Nine years ago, cyclists circling Florida’s fourth-largest lake hit a gap you couldn’t miss: three miles of shoulder-less roads, three jurisdictions pointing in different directions, and no safe way to close the loop. What followed was a stubborn, shoe-leather campaign—spanning county lines, state agencies, a pandemic veto, and finally $10.9 million in funding—that will, at last, snap the ring shut. Next spring, when Orange County ties West Orange Trail into Magnolia Park, Lake Apopka’s 42-mile Loop Trail will turn a long-standing problem into a model of how persistence (and partnerships) can pave the way.
The following is a guest post by Joe Dunn, President of Friends of Lake Apopka, who tells the story of how advocates and leaders made it happen.
In 2017, the Friends of Lake Apopka created the FOLA 40 bike ride around Florida’s fourth-largest lake. The mission was to raise awareness about:
The continued restoration of Lake Apopka
The amazing network of paved and gravel trails near the lake
The need to connect those trails into a safe 42-mile loop trail around the lake
In March 2026, when Orange County connects the West Orange Trail to Magnolia Park, the dream of the Lake Apopka Loop Trail will be realized.
The challenge was complicated because a third of the trails were in Orange County, a third in Lake County, and a third on state property managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District.
In order to circumnavigate Lake Apopka on a bicycle, people needed to ride on three miles of shoulder-less roads to get from West Orange Trail to the trailhead of the 17.5-mile North Shore gravel trail at Magnolia Park in Orange County. And again, on the west side, ride three miles on winding shoulder-less roads to get from Green Mountain Scenic Overlook to Hancock Road Trail in Lake County.
Getting the money
We needed money to build the pieces that would close the gaps. We started by meeting with then-Orange County Commissioner Betsy VanderLey. As a passionate but naive advocate, I didn’t ask the commissioner to connect the trails. I asked for her advice on how FOLA could make that happen. She counseled us to begin by engaging the business community through the West Orange Chamber of Commerce. She also strongly recommended partnering with Orange County Parks and Recreation staff, since they would ultimately own and operate the trail.
Organizations have charters and responsibilities, but people make things happen. Commissioner VanderLey, West Orange Chamber Vice President Krista Carter, Nick Lepp of MetroPlan Orlando, and Orange County Parks & Recreation then-leader Matt Suedmeyer secured $10.9M to connect West Orange Trail to Magnolia Park.
From East to West
Once we got the funding for the east side connection (and had rock solid champions in government to protect that funding), we turned our attention to the west side trail connection.
The Lake County Board of County Commissioners unanimously supported our effort on the west side; we had to approach each Commissioner individually so that we adhered to the Sunshine Law. Lake County Parks & Trails leadership and the Friends of Lake County Trails also actively advocated to connect the trails.
Developers donated the land on which the Green Mountain Connector trail would be built. So FOLA went to the State Legislature and asked for funds to design and engineer the trail connection. We took a one-page flyer entitled “The Last Three Miles” urging the Legislature to fund the Green Mountain Connector. We were fortunate to have the active support of our regional delegation. We went to Tallahassee and literally contacted every staffer on the relevant Subcommittees and Committees in the House and Senate delivering our one-page summary. The funding made it through the entire process but was line-item vetoed by the Governor (without prejudice; all trails projects were vetoed because of a $1B revenue shortfall at that time due to COVID).
The following year, in recognition of our hard work at the previous session, $2M was approved by the House, Senate, and Governor.
Evolution of the bike ride
As we canvassed state and local politicians, they had a universal reaction. “I love the idea of a bicycle ride around Lake Apopka and I’d really like to participate, but I can’t ride 40 miles.” So, the second year of the FOLA 40, we introduced 8-, 16-, and 32-mile routes that started from Magnolia Park. We increased participation by more than 50% by adding the shorter routes, especially the 8-mile ride, which is especially scenic…a lakeside route with lovely views and lots of wildlife.
The biggest surprise that year was that more people did the 32-mile route (Magnolia Park to Green Mountain and back on the North Shore trail) than the 40-mile circumnavigation around the lake. We thought that folks would say to themselves, “Well, if I’m gonna do 32 miles, I might as well do 40.” When we asked them why they chose the 32-mile ride, they answered, “There are no shoulder-less roads with cars on the 32-mile route.” Which is exactly why we want the trails connected, so I guess in hindsight, we should not have been surprised.
We normally do the FOLA 40 in the Spring, but this in 2025 the 8th Annual FOLA 40 will be on Sunday, December 7th so we can highlight Lake County Parks & Trails’ opening of the Green Mountain Connector.
Next Spring, the 9th Annual FOLA 40 will celebrate Orange County Parks & Recreation’s completion of the Lake Apopka Loop Trail with the connection of West Orange Trail to Magnolia Park. A 42-mile safe cycling path will encircle Florida’s fourth-largest lake. Sitting on Florida’s Coast to Connector Trail that goes from Titusville to St. Pete, it will attract people from all over the country and the globe.
Lessons learned about advocacy
Trusted relationships at all levels are essential (invest the time & shoe leather)
Sincere transparency is more important than smooth & polished
Tenacity is more effective than brilliance
We get two reactions to this story. One is, “Why did it take nine years?” The other is “How did you get it done in only nine years?” I think the answer to both is that a group of tireless, committed citizens and legislators cared enough to make it happen.
Members of the Florida Bicycle Association receive a $5 discount to register for the FOLA 40. Not sure if you’re a member? Sign in here to confirm your member status and be sure you have a valid membership number. Then, go to FOLA 40 Bike Ride 2025 to register using the code FBA. Do so soon, because it will sell out.
