- June 24, 2026
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As the sun beat down, Orange County District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson asked everyone to close their eyes and imagine the spray of water from the soon-to-be splash pad hitting their skin cooling them down.
She pointed to the space filled with trees and greenery behind her at Horizon West Regional Park to show the dozens of people in attendance of the Phase 1B groundbreaking Thursday, June 18, where the splash pad will be constructed.
Horizon West Regional Park, located at 4715 Hamlin Groves Trail in Horizon West, opened in December 2010, when the property was limited to horseback riding and hiking.
Now, that 215-acre park has become home to the $15.6 million Phase 1A, which included an access road, utilities, an inclusive playground, restrooms, a segment of trail and a large pavilion with eight tables and two grills.
Orange County took the next step in the project with the groundbreaking of Phase 1B, which includes a splash pad, hook-ups for a farmer’s market, a kayak/canoe launch on Lake Hartley, parking and additional sidewalks to connect amenities.
The total budget for the phase is $5,565,000, with construction expected to begin soon.
Kyle Kent, Orange County Parks and Recreation manager, said the contractor is planning to start on Phase 1B at the far end of the park, near the kayak/canoe launch area. That is where infrastructure such as power and water needs to be installed underground.
The splash pad will be worked on next, with crews removing the trees and greenery and bringing the ground up with fill material to level it with the surrounding area.
After the splash pad is complete, crews will move onto the parking lot next to the large pavilion that was completed in Phase 1A. The parking lot will be expanded to include stubs for a farmer’s market so vendors will have power and water.
Then, crews will conduct work at the lakefront to install a dock to serve as a kayak and canoe launch.
Kent said no one will be able to access any part of Phase 1B until the project is completed in its entirety. In the meantime, the playground, restroom and pavilion already constructed still will be accessible.
Once construction begins, Kent said the project could be completed in 180 days but is dependent on weather and other factors. He estimates the project could be complete by spring 2027 and said current Orange County commissioners have been instrumental in the park becoming a reality.
“This board and this mayor has been just so pivotal in all the growth that’s happened with Parks and Recreation, and this is just another example of it,” Kent said.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said the county is investing more than $21 million to transform the regional park into “a premier recreational facility for residents and visitors.”
“What we’re trying to do is increase the green space we have throughout Orange County,” he said.
Horizon West Regional Park is one of 114 parks, trails and facilities on nearly 15,000 acres the Orange County Parks and Recreation Division maintains.
The county conducted public outreach for the Horizon West Regional Park Master Plan from May 2019 through September 2020, and more than 1,900 people responded to the online surveys.
“I hope we have families out here that are hearing about this and thinking, ‘I remember doing the survey, that was the one (amenity) I picked,’” Wilson said. “I can’t wait to get back here for the opening so that we can actually say, ‘Yeah, you all chose it. We invested in it, and it’s here now.’”
She said the regional park is a quality-of-life investment helping to make her dream of Horizon West being “synonymous with exceptional public spaces and recreational opportunities.”
“Parks are more than amenities; they’re places where neighbors become friends and children explore and play, and where families gather to make lifelong memories,” Wilson said. “I know that for years to come, visitors to this park will find joy, recreate (and) find deeper connection to their community and their natural environment.”
