The state wildlife agency entrusted with managing Split Oak Forest decided today to lift protections shielding the 1,700-acre conservation property, clearing the way for the Central Florida Expressway Authority to build its preferred route for a toll road across the publicly-owned lands.

The new proposal comes on the eve of a final decision over the expressway crossing the cherished conservation lands in Orange and Osceola Counties.

The road will cut through the bottom 60 acres of Split Oak Forest in Osceola County. Sign up for our Newsletters. About 40 people, including conservationists and Orange County Com