Oviedo council backs drafting of restrictive covenant to protect Twin Rivers Golf Course

Mayor Megan Sladek opened a discussion Tuesday about placing a long‑term restrictive covenant over the city‑owned Twin Rivers Golf Course to preserve floodplain and reduce flood insurance costs.

City staff described a draft declaration that would run with the land and limit allowed uses to a defined set of golf‑course operations, affiliated accessory uses and conservation and stormwater purposes. "If it were approved by the council and then recorded, it would limit the use of the Twin Rivers Golf Course property to a defined set of golf course uses and conservation and stormwater uses," a staff attorney said during the presentation.

The draft would also bar certain uses that councilors identified as problematic—most notably transient residential developments such as hotels or resorts—unless a narrow exception were written in. Staff described a removability mechanism that would make modification or removal of the covenant a two‑step process: a unanimous council vote to call a referendum followed by voter approval.

Council members asked staff to refine several points in the draft. One councilor sought a strict cap on impervious surface tied to today's footprint, saying that would better lock in protections for wetlands and limit future expansion of parking or buildings. Another asked staff to clarify how ongoing UCF uses on the course (practice facilities) would be treated; staff said the draft could include specific exceptions for practice facilities tied to the existing UCF arrangement.

No formal ordinance or binding action was taken Tuesday. The council concluded the discussion with consensus to direct staff to return with draft covenant language that narrows or clarifies permitted and prohibited uses, clarifies any narrow exceptions for university practice facilities, and considers an impervious‑surface limit tied to current conditions.

Next steps: staff will draft focused covenant language for council review at a future meeting; removal or modification of the covenant as presented would require a unanimous council vote to place a referendum on the ballot and then voter approval.