Winter Garden horse farm owners say new city development forcing them out

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. - The owner of a long-standing horse farm in Winter Garden said she feels like they are on the verge of folding because of a proposed development the city wants to build along their property line. She said if the city goes forward with the plans, they will have no choice but to sell their farm. 

Crown Pointe Equestrian has owned a narrow plot of land along Tilden Rd. for almost 25 years. They have been in rural west Orange County long before paved roads and homes started popping up around them. 

Since 1999, they have been training Olympic-level horses on the land. Those Horses need a quiet environment to train. A new development to their west has forced them to move to the east side of their property, but now another development is planned there too. 

"Being as narrow as we are, we have nowhere to go," said Anne Bingler, owner of Crown Pointe Equestrian.  "I feel like they’re just trying to do something behind our back. They’re trying to make us feel like we don’t really matter."

Bingler and her husband, Paul, are raising 25 horses that will become show jumpers on some of the world’s biggest stages, including the Olympic Games. 

"Our horses are considered to be like the Le Mans race cars of horses. They are very sensitive to noise, to movement, to anything that changes in their environment," said Bingler. 

When constant construction started to their west, the Binglers had to move their horses to Ocala. Even on days of noisy family gatherings next door, their training has to come to a halt. 

"They hear something, they see something that seems out of the ordinary, and they’re a danger to themselves, they are a danger to me and a danger to the handlers," said Bingler. 

The City of Winter Garden wants to take control of the 30 acres of land to their east. After they annex the property from unincorporated Orange County, they have plans to build 24 single-family homes.

The Binglers said they have tried to work with the city on plans that would be beneficial for them both but say they haven’t gotten a reply. 

"I’ve owned this land since 1999, and it’s been a part of the community forever and to have the notion of having to get up and leave is very sad," said Bingler. 

The city had planned to do a first reading on the new proposal this Thursday but told FOX 35 News it has postponed it until February. City officials were not available to comment on the plans.