ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Orange County wants to clean up one of its most crime-ridden corners. The new Evans High School will be built at Pine Hills and Silver Star Road (see map). The school district wanted to buy up nearby land, but couldn't because it was contaminated. Now the county has a $12 million plan to buy out area businesses and redevelop the area.

Linda Jackson has leased space to run her hair salon at the corner of Silver Star and Pine Hills Road for 13 years, but she would have no problem re-locating if the county can buy the land.

“The pawn shop got robbed maybe six times this year. All kinds of shootings,” she said.

That's why the Orange County School Board wanted to move Evans High School from the intersection. But it will stay and the district will spend $70 million to give Pine Hills a new, state-of-the-art high school.

Some county leaders say you can't spend that kind of money on a new school and leave the area around it dilapidated. So a new Pine Hills neighborhood task force is now looking at ways to redevelop it.

“One of the items I see is a job training center, but what should we focus on?” Orange County Commissioner Fred Brummer questioned.

County leaders estimate it could cost up to $12 million to buy the property at the intersection and the county may not have a problem at all getting the owners to sell. Some of the land is already vacant. The problem is finding the money to buy it.

“You realize after you start one of these projects that you have taken on the weight of the world,” Brummer said.

Commissioner Brummer is hoping the county can use some capital improvement dollars to purchase properties, but he and others are working with Congressman Corrine Brown to see what federal grants are available to help rebuild.

“If they redo it like they're redoing Parramore, Parramore's becoming a better place. Pine Hills can become a better place as well,” Brummer said.

The county can't use eminent domain to take over the property at that intersection because it doesn't meet the legal qualifications, so business owners would have to voluntarily give up the property.