A new adventure course has broken ground in Hernando County.  While county government is excited for the revenue and jobs the course will bring to the area, people who live nearby aren't too happy the course is going up in their neighborhood.

  • TreeUmph! staff hopes course will open by end of summer
  • Similar course in Bradenton since 2013 has been a success
  • Residents concerned about impact on quality of life

In just a few months, the sound of construction on what will soon be a new TreeUmph! Adventure Course will be replaced with laughing and screaming as people navigate the treetops in Brooksville.

"Having grown up here, this is one of the really natural woods area that can be maintained that way and people can come out and enjoy it just for the scenery and do the other things and have a spirit building sort of environment," Hernando County Commissioner Wayne Dukes said.

TreeUmph! courses made up of bridges, zip lines, and games have been in place in Bradenton since 2013, and have been a hit. The company is hoping it will be just as successful in Hernando County.

The course is expected to bring in about $3.8 million for the county and create about 30 full and part-time jobs.

However, the course is being built very close to some homes in this area, which has some residents concerned about how it will impact their quality of life.

Deanna Moose is frustrated, that she and her neighbors didn't have more of a say in the decision to build the course in their neighborhood on Cedar Lane.

"All this was getting put together and no one even bothered to see if this is something we would like on our beautiful, sleepy street," she said

Besides the noise from people enjoying the course, Moose is concerned about traffic, since it is expected to bring in 25,000 to 40,000 people each year.

"We have cars, trucks that go really fast. We had an accident not too long ago here on that curve," Moose explained. "I don't know if our road can support it, and if that is the case, I don't want our road expanded."

But the TreeUmph! staff say it is taking the proper steps to make sure there isn't a big impact on the surrounding residents.

"There will be a flow of traffic, but it will be looked after," said TreeUmph! owner Kathy Carr. "You know it's not going to be out of control. We time it so we don't have 100 people coming at one time. They'll be a natural fence of trees between us. They won't see people in the trees."

The staff also said they are willing to work with the residents in the area to be good neighbors, as they say they've done with their Bradenton location.

An opening date has not been set yet, but the company is hoping to welcome their first guests at the end of the summer.