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Econlockhatchee deal cross the line?  November 10, 2008|By Kevin
Spear, Sentinel Staff Writer  The Econlockhatchee River is an
imperiled environmental treasure and a designated barrier east
of Orlando that developers aren't supposed to cross.  Nowhere
are those facts more in focus than at Rybolt Ranch near the
University of Central Florida. On Tuesday, state and county
authorities will consider buying for conservation more than a
square mile of ranch that straddles the river.
Environmentalists had applauded the proposed $11.5 million
purchase. But that was before they learned that a small,
strategically located sliver of land is being left out of the
sale. It's that tiny piece of real estate, they fear, that could
literally provide a bridge to massive development near the
river.  In separate activities last week, developers met with
planning officials to describe their plans to build 5,000 homes
on the more than 2 square miles of Rybolt Ranch that will sta