The 1,100-acre property just east of Bithlo is on the market as Orange County’s next major development opportunity, and qualifies 500 homes in an area that has long been ruled out from the region’s fierce growth.
The fortune of Honeybee Ranch, a former working cow ranch, generates extraordinary interest from developers who are keenly aware of how little land is available for development in Orange County.
“It wasn’t too far from UCF, Seminole State College and South Florida research parks, not halfway between Orlando and the coast,” Carter said. “You get up about 10,000 feet, you go into an imaginary helicopter, look down and see the growth patterns there. At least on the East Side, it’s the next big thing, and I think it’s the next frontier for development.”
Carter’s team is called the largest waterfront development available in central Florida, with more than five miles of water supply in a series of artificial deep-sea lakes. The 19543 Dr. E. Colonial site has a mile entrance along State Route 50 and has future residential use and PD and farm zoning designations.
Honeybee Ranch is made up of a series of artificial lakes. (Photo courtesy of Maury L. Carter & Associates)
Honeybee Ranch is made up of a series of artificial lakes. (Photo courtesy of Maury L. Carter & Associates)
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Honeybee Ranch is made up of a series of artificial lakes. (Photo courtesy of Maury L. Carter & Associates)
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“We had permission to drill the filling material, and that’s how we got caught up in today’s waterfront development opportunities. Perhaps at some point there were some beautiful lakes built at this facility. This is not everything, but often the waterfront, and it has a water view in advanced places.
This contrasts with nearby Bithlo, a small rural enclave in one of the poorer parts of Orange County where clean drinking water and internet access are slower arrivals.
The bee ranch is heading down the road from Grow, a 1,185-acre agricultural project, located at Lake Pickett Road and 50 west of Vicillo. The combined development is approved for 2,078 residential lots, 165,000 square feet of commercial space and a nine-acre working farm. Pulte broke the ground in the first phase of 504 lots last year after purchasing it for the project in 2023.
The former ranch is not far from High Oaks Ranch, another of Carter’s list. Located just north of the Seminole County county line, the 672-acre property is sold to the county for conservation purposes. The Hi-Oaks Ranch is unique as one of the largest facilities available in Seminole County, but is not as developed as the Honey Bee Ranch.
Large plots are less common in Seminole and Orange counties than they are found in Lakes, Osceola and Pork due to geographical constraints. Last year, Carter helped to broker sales of about 2,500 acres in a wellness way to GT USA, the most profitable land deal in Lake County’s history. GT USA is already approaching Lake County with plans for a commercial development of 2,805 detached homes, 360 apartments and around 73 acres.
The bee ranch is less than half the size of its record set wellnessway deal, but its location and waterfront lot is special.
“If you’re going to draw a big circle around Central Florida, tell me where you can find 1,100 acres of waterfront development land in that big circle. There’s no more opportunities of these kinds,” he said.
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