Inside Panther Run: Clermont’s New 2,241-Acre Master-Planned Community Keeps 72.5% of Its Land Green

When a Fort Lauderdale developer paid $165 million for 2,241 acres in south Lake County in September 2024, it was the largest land sale in the county’s history, and for two years the obvious question has hung over Clermont: what exactly is coming? According to a news release from Panther Run, the answer is now on the table, and it reads less like a subdivision and more like the long-promised payoff of the county’s Wellness Way vision.

Developer GT USA says the community will stretch from US Highway 27 on the west to the Orange County line on the east, minutes from Disney, blending employment centers, low-density neighborhoods, schools and an unusually large conservation footprint.

The land math: 72.5% green

The headline number is the split. Of the 2,241 acres, about 1,626 acres, or 72.5% of the site, will remain undeveloped: 1,170 acres of wetlands and waterbodies plus 456 acres of parks, trails and a wildlife corridor. The master-planned development itself covers 615 acres, divided between multi-use employment centers (192 acres), neighborhoods (347 acres) and infrastructure (76 acres).

That wildlife corridor is more than landscaping. The plan sets aside over 2 square miles of open space and corridor land that closes a gap in the Florida Wildlife Corridor, the statewide network protecting animal migration between north and south Florida, and includes a 2-mile public nature trail open to all Lake County residents. One honest footnote from the developer: there are no panthers on the property. Wildlife experts note the endangered cats remain in South Florida; the name was chosen as a nod to conservation’s role in the plan.

Image: Panther Run ‹ ›

The master plan stretches from US 27 to the Orange County line, with a Neighborhood Center on the west end and a Multi-Use Center on the east.

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More than 3,000 jobs

Wellness Way was always pitched as more than rooftops, and Panther Run leans into that promise with over 1 million square feet of employment uses on nearly 200 acres. County officials believe the space will attract employers in medicine, finance, research and development, technology and advanced manufacturing, alongside hospitality and tourism, translating to more than 3,000 jobs on the east side of the property near the future high school site.

2,600 homes, thoughtfully placed

The residential program covers about 16% of the property: 2,600 homes ranging from first-time buyer product to executive homes and options for retirees. Notably, this is not new density; the homes were approved a decade ago in the county’s 2016 Comprehensive Plan for smart growth. Tara Tedrow, the Lowndes land-use attorney representing the project, says the plan meets and in cases exceeds the county’s requirements, requiring only an implementing PUD approval rather than any plan amendment.

The neighborhoods connect through 20 community parks and more than 11 miles of trails for cycling, jogging and walking. A set-aside for tourist homes is forecast to generate about $6 million per year in tourist tax dollars.

Roads first: CR 455 and SR 516

For existing residents, the most immediate impact may be asphalt. Panther Run’s road network adds over 4 miles of new roads, extending north-south County Road 455 and connecting directly to the east-west SR 516 toll road, which links onward to SR 429. The developer positions this as congestion relief for south Clermont and the Sawgrass Bay neighborhoods, areas where growth has famously outrun the road grid.

A high school and public safety complex

The plan reserves land for a proposed new high school to serve south Lake County, sited in the Multi-Use Center near the athletic fields shown in the master plan, plus an 8-acre site for a proposed Public Safety Complex with a fire station and a sheriff’s substation. GT USA says it is deep in discussions with the county on both.

A light real estate read on Panther Run

For south Clermont and the Four Corners market, this announcement resolves a two-year question mark in a direction that favors nearby homeowners: employment-anchored, conservation-heavy, low-density. Master plans that lead with jobs and roads tend to lift the surrounding area’s long-term appeal, and the CR 455 extension and SR 516 connection address the exact commute pain points that have weighed on the Sawgrass Bay corridor.

The nuance is timing. Groundbreaking is targeted for the first quarter of 2027, and communities at this scale build out over many years. Buyers nearby should read Panther Run as a durability signal for the area rather than an overnight change, and keep an eye on the high school decision, which tends to move family demand more than any single amenity.