If approved by the Dunnellon City Council and permitted by state environmental agencies, this development will imperil and further degrade the future of the Rainbow River and harm existing business, property owners, and recreational users as well as the ecology of the river.
Westgate and the City are rushing ahead with the amendment at a time when rising pandemic cases prevent people from gathering to participate in the approval process AND without the required analysis to determine how the development will impact the Rainbow River.
- Nitrogen pollution in the River is SEVEN times above water quality standards
- Flows are down by 20%
- Increased nitrogen pollution combined with decreased flows encourages algae.
- An astounding 200,000+ people already crowd the river each year, the resort would nearly double that number.
James Gissy, Executive Vice-President of Westgate Resorts, an Orlando-based timeshare company, owns well over 100 acres along the river. He has applied to the City of Dunnellon to change the land use and zoning of a swath of riverfront land from Agriculture to Commercial. This would enable him to partner with Westgate Resorts to develop the land into a massive entertainment resort fronting ½ mile of the river called "Gissy Rainbow River Ranch."
