Orlando Land Trust wants your help raising the last funds needed to expand public green space in Lake Eola Park

The Orlando Land Trust is reaching out to Orlando residents to raise the last funds it needs to expand public green space in Lake Eola Park.

The Trust is in the final weeks of fundraising, and needs donations to the tune of $85,000 in the next 60 days. That money will be put toward purchasing the Murrell Building at Rosalind Avenue and East Central Boulevard, the southwest corner of Lake Eola Park.

That building and the land it sits on will then be deeded back to the city and converted to additional green space for the lovely Lake Eola Park area. Something we can all enjoy, much more than another partially empty high-rise, no?

And though $85,000 is a substantial chunk of change, it’s the last bit of funding needed to get the Trust to the $3.25 million goal to outright purchase the land. The City of Orlando is also currently matching donations dollar for dollar.

The grassroots Orlando Land Trust organization came to an agreement with the owner of the Murrell Building back in 2020 to buy the parcel for the $3.25 million figure.

“Lake Eola is the centerpiece of Orlando, its heart and center; it always has been,” said Land Trust cofounder Lynn Long to Orlando Weekly last year. “When we were children, our parents brought us here to feed the ducks. We grew up here. We brought our children here, our grandchildren here.”

Individuals or organizations can donate to the Orlando Last Trust online, or by (ahem) check.

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This article appears in Jan 13-19, 2021.