Wellness Community Expert

Doug Bruk, COO

Meet the Expert: Doug Bruk is chief operating officer for GT USA, developer of Panther Run, a master-planned community in the Wellness Way corridor. A U.S. Army veteran, Bruk has more than 20 years of leadership experience throughout the southeastern United States, with expertise in development, home building, land planning and placemaking.

What should readers know about the role “wellness” plays in plans for Panther Run?

Wellness is about more than fitness. It is about designing a community that makes healthy living, connection and access to everyday needs part of daily life.

Wellness Way was planned around Lake County’s strengths, including its reputation as a winter training destination for world-class athletes and plans for a new National Training Center along US 27. As the largest development in the Wellness Way corridor, Panther Run embraces those principles on a community-wide scale.

Panther Run will include 11 miles of trails and 20 parks, all open to the public. Those amenities will be connected to neighborhoods, commercial areas and employment centers, making it easier to walk, bike and interact with neighbors.

More than 1 million square feet will be devoted to non-residential uses. That creates opportunities for jobs closer to home, potentially reducing long commutes and giving residents more time for family, recreation and community.

How do master-planned communities offer better opportunities for wellness?

The entirety of Wellness Way is master planned. That allows the area to be designed as a connected whole rather than developed piecemeal. Transportation, conservation, parks, neighborhoods and employment can all be coordinated in ways that benefit both people and the environment.

More than 72% of Panther Run will remain green space, including lakes and wetlands, helping to complete a critical connection within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. This corridor supports the movement of native wildlife through Central Florida, connecting North Florida to the Everglades.

Ultimately, wellness is about stewardship as much as recreation. It means creating a community where people can enjoy Lake County’s outdoor lifestyle while protecting the land, water and wildlife that make the area special.

How will Panther Run help meet the area’s growing public-service needs?

Wellness also means having essential services close to home. Panther Run includes an eight-acre Public Safety Complex planned to serve the surrounding area, and planning anticipates the need for additional educational facilities, including a potential new high school. These investments can help ensure that public services and infrastructure grow alongside the community.