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Butler-Nelson's Work Stops Development Of Cork Prairie

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 17, 2007

CORK - Charlotte Butler-Nelson's home overlooks Cork Prairie, a swath of nearly pristine grasslands off Wallace Branch Road connected to Pemberton Creek, a tributary of Lake Thonotosassa. She says the land is filled with wonderful, natural things that make Florida special.

She nearly lost her view. When a developer came to Plant City last year with plans to annex the prairie and build 400 to 700 homes, Butler-Nelson put on her activist hat and rallied the neighbors.

The developer has since pulled the plug on the plan, but Butler-Nelson isn't decreasing her vigilance.

"Anywhere you look within four or five miles, there's something going on," something that could destroy the rural ambiance that drew her and husband, Robert Nelson, to country living, she said.

More recently, she and other members of U-CAN contested the proposed $40 million Championship Park, which would have turned a former ranch into more than 50 sports fields amid rural home sites and narrow roadways.

Getting help from a group like U-CAN helps, with its array of expertise, she said.

"It's a meeting of the minds."

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