Business owners near an intersection outside Mount Dora say a Lake County roundabout project has cut their sales by as much as 45 percent, and county officials are exploring a grant program to help them.
The roundabout is being built where Old U.S. 441, Eudora Road and County Road 19A meet, just outside Mount Dora city limits in Lake County, which is managing the project. The area has been disrupted for more than a month with detours, blocked parking, and heavy equipment, according to local reports.
Phil Barnard, co-owner of Magical Meat Boutique, told News 6 that sales there have fallen about 42 percent since construction began, and Dararithy Kea of King’s Donuts of Mount Dora said weekday sales are down roughly 40 to 45 percent. Some owners have cut hours and laid off employees.
The county has posted signs reminding drivers that nearby businesses are open, but owners say the signs have not made up for the lost customers.
Lake County commissioners approved the project in July 2025, the commission signed a contract with Atlantic Civil Constructors in October 2025, and the county issued a notice to proceed on April 2, 2026.
The project costs about $8 million, with Lake County paying $5 million, $1.7 million coming from grant funding, and $1.3 million from the City of Mount Dora. The county said the roundabout is meant to reduce crashes, and it counted 64 crashes at or near the intersection from August 2020 to August 2025.
Construction is expected to continue into next year with a full closure of the intersection starting around February 2027, lasting no more than three months. Segments already closed will stay closed for the duration of the project.
The county says it notified affected businesses and posted signs three to four weeks in advance. It also says keeping traffic open would have added about $1 million in taxpayer costs and extended the project by about a year, according to Mount Dora Buzz. Business owners dispute that they received adequate warning.
The grant program is still only a proposal. No amount, eligibility rules, or timeline have been reported.
Business owners in Orlando’s Ivanhoe Village faced similar disruption during a City of Orlando sewer project on North Orange Avenue. The work, which began in September 2023 and was planned for about 15 months, replaced aging sewer lines between Ivanhoe Boulevard and Alden Road, but that construction ended up lasting more than 16 months.
The Hammered Lamb, a popular pub that was located at 1235 N. Orange Avenue, said it was among those hurt. Owner Jason Lambert told Watermark that 2023 had been the pub’s best year, then sales dropped 30 to 50 percent a week once the street was disrupted, mostly because of limited parking. The pub cut its hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in September 2024. It closed on January 25, 2025, after 12 years in the neighborhood. Lambert later pointed his finger at the road project and said he was frustrated that the city “hasn’t been there to help.”
The closure helped inspire a state proposal by Orlando Democrats Rep. Anna Eskamani and Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith to offer grants and loans to small businesses affected by public construction.
