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Poinciana residents angry that plans for incorporation appear stalled

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Residents who want to turn Poinciana into a city are now concerned that they may have hit a serious setback.

The move to make Poinciana its own city has generated excitement in the community for years, but now a number of residents told Channel 9's Nancy Alvarez they are angry.

Community leaders said they are upset with State Rep. Mike Larosa, who they believed would file a bill to get the incorporation vote on the ballot in November.

"Do you believe he's doing his best for you in Tallahassee?" Alvarez asked resident Katy Sun.

"I don't know what he's done in Tallahassee," Sun replied.

Volunteers went door to door out in Poinciana for months, collecting signatures on a petition calling for incorporation. Residents paid thousands of dollars for a study to look at how incorporation would impact their community, it was all sent to Tallahassee.

Residents told Alvarez that Larosa vowed to study the issue himself and follow up. They said nothing happened, leaving 47,000 residents in the dark about the prospects for incorporation.

Larosa told Alvarez he is still waiting to hear back from various state agencies which are reviewing the issues to determine if Poinciana is ready for incorporation.

"I want to make sure we have all the facts for the residents of Poinciana before we move forward," Larosa told Alvarez in a phone call. "I'm not going to make any rash decisions until I have that information back and when I have it I'm going to share it with the community."

"I can't say my reaction publicly, but basically it was a big disappointment," said resident Valentin Ramos.

Larosa said Poinciana is on a list of three communities in the state vying for incorporation, and that might have also caused delays.

Some residents from Poinciana have filed a public records request in an effort to see what Larosa has done on their behalf.