MOUNT DORA, Fla. – Restaurant owners near a major Lake County road construction project say the closure of Old U.S. Highway 441 is hurting sales and forcing them to cut hours and reduce staffing.
The closure is part of a county project to build a roundabout at a nearby intersection. Officials say the improvement is needed to increase safety in an area where nearly 100 crashes have been reported over the past decade.
However, business owners say the construction has made it harder for customers to reach their restaurants.
Phil Barnard and Kate Bellamy, co-owners of Magical Meat Boutique in Mount Dora, said sales have dropped 42% since construction began. The decline comes after the couple spent thousands of dollars moving from downtown and opening their new location last year.
“We were relying on a lot of drive-by traffic, with 15,000 cars recorded going past here each day,” Barnard said. “It was a factor of us purchasing the building last year after spending 12 years downtown.”
Bellamy said the restaurant has reduced its operating hours and trimmed its staff as the owners prepare for a closure that could last a year.
“We’ve had to lay off two of our part-time employees, and then any of our employees that work Monday through Friday lost those shifts,” Bellamy said. “So they’ve become part-time. And it’s been incredibly sad for us.”
Dora Cafe, located nearby, is also surrounded by construction. Owner Adalberto Yanez said the slowdown in business has forced him to change the restaurant’s hours.
“Look at me right now. That’s empty,” Yanez said. “If things keep doing like that, I’m not going to survive. So I will try to do whatever I can to stay alive.”
Additional traffic changes connected to the roundabout project are scheduled to begin in January. Construction is not expected to finish until next summer.
Restaurant owners have written to Lake County commissioners, asking them to find ways to help local businesses remain open during the construction.
Bellamy said she supports building the roundabout but wants county officials to account for the effect the project is having on nearby businesses.
“I do think that the roundabout is important. I’m a big fan of them. I think they’re safe,” she said. “I just think you have to look at how you do things around it to not impact the businesses that are close.”
The owners said the county told them it plans to install signs near blocked roads directing drivers to the businesses.
The station contacted Lake County to ask what assistance may be available to businesses during construction. Updates will be provided when the county responds.
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