This Was a Horse Farm: Judd Stables at SR 54 and Collier Parkway

Before shopping centers and busy intersections, this corner of Land O' Lakes was home to orange groves, white fences, and American Saddlebred horses.

If you've shopped at Publix at Collier Commons near State Road 54 and Collier Parkway, you may have walked across land where horses once trained.

For longtime Land O' Lakes residents, it's a familiar memory. For newcomers, it might be a surprise.

At the northwest corner of this intersection stood Judd Stables, an American Saddlebred horse farm with a distinctive oval training track.

Thanks to historical aerial photographs, local neighbors, and a remarkable discovery inside Publix, we can revisit what this corner looked like before its transformation.

From Orange Groves to Horses

The property's history stretches back decades before today's shopping center.

According to historical research gathered for this story, Tampa native Todd Woods purchased approximately 70 acres here in 1971.

Orange groves occupied the property until the damaging freezes of the early 1980s. As the groves declined, the land began a new chapter as a horse farm.

Stables, white fencing, pastures, and a training track replaced the citrus trees.

Eventually, the property became known for Judd Stables and its American Saddlebred horses.

Judd Stables: A Different Land O' Lakes

Before busy parking lots and shopping centers, horses were exercised and trained on the oval track near Collier Parkway.

Historical photographs preserve moments from that era, including riders and horses moving along the dirt track with spectators watching nearby.

One surviving photograph captures a rider aboard Wild N Walking Tall at the old horse farm.

Wild N Walking Tall at the old horse farm on Collier Parkway. Photo courtesy of T. Clark.

For those who remember Land O' Lakes before its rapid growth, the photographs tell a story that no modern street map can fully capture.

I remember when State Road 54 and US 41 had little more than a blinking traffic light at their intersection.

The Land O' Lakes of those days was a very different place.

For readers interested in the area's continuing equestrian traditions, explore Gilman Stables, a local equestrian business connected to the history being researched for this article.

Todd Woods Envisioned a New Community

Even while the land was being used for horses, the surrounding area was changing.

Research gathered for this article describes a development proposal Woods called Collier Park Square.

In April 1989, Pasco County approved a rezoning plan that envisioned 252 townhomes and approximately 53 acres of commercial development.

The proposal included an old-fashioned Main Street atmosphere, gaslights, streets named for famous thoroughbreds, and a fountain in Catfish Lake.

The plan also raised concerns about development and possible effects on neighboring lakes and wildlife.

Todd Woods died in 1990. According to historical accounts collected for this story, his widow, Barbara, continued the property's use as a horse farm.

The original Collier Park Square vision was not ultimately built as proposed, but development continued to reshape the surrounding area.

The Horse Farm Is Still Visible in the 1999 Aerial

One of the most compelling pieces of evidence is a black-and-white aerial photograph from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Aerial Photography Program.

Taken in February 1999, it shows the oval training track at the northwest corner of SR 54 and Collier Parkway.

The track is unmistakable.

February 1999 aerial view of Judd Stables at SR 54 and Collier Parkway. The oval training track is highlighted. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey, National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP).

Nearby residential neighborhoods were already developing, but the horse farm remained visible from above.

When compared with today's drone photography, the historical track occupies roughly the area now covered by portions of the Collier Commons shopping center and nearby commercial development.

The overlay is approximate, but the transformation is extraordinary.

Approximate alignment of the former Judd Stables training track with today's Collier Commons shopping center. This comparison is illustrative, not a precise property survey. Drone photo: RealReach / Voyuno, October 12, 2026.

Where horses once circled a dirt track, shoppers now travel through parking lots and storefronts.

A Surprise Discovery Inside Publix

In October 2026, while visiting Publix, I had an unexpected opportunity.

A store manager invited me upstairs to see an old framed artist's rendering of Willow Bend Towne Centre, the shopping center where this Publix originally stood.

An artist's rendering of Willow Bend Towne Centre, the original home of Publix, photographed inside the current Publix in October 2026. The rendering depicts Publix and Kmart.

The artwork shows Willow Bend Towne Centre with a Publix and a Kmart.

It was a fascinating discovery.

The rendering captures a vision of the area from another period in its development, before Publix moved across the road to its current home in Collier Commons.

That original Publix stood in Willow Bend Towne Centre, across SR 54 from today's store.

Willow Bend Towne Centre today, with Sprouts Farmers Market and Michaels. Drone photo: RealReach / Voyuno.

Today, Publix has moved across the street to Collier Commons, on the land where the Judd Stables track once stood.

The Horses Left More Than Memories

Even after commercial development replaced the horse farm, a small reminder of its past remained.

Horse-shaped topiaries once stood near the landscaped shopping-center entrance along SR 54.

They have since died and been removed.

But another reminder survives in the road network.

Behind today's Publix is Preakness Boulevard.

Preakness is a familiar name in American horse racing, and it's an appropriate reminder of the equestrian history of this corner.

For most motorists, it's simply another street name.

For those who remember Judd Stables, it connects the present with a very different past.

Preserving the Stories Behind Our Community

This story came together with help from members of the Land O' Lakes community.

Neighbors on Nextdoor shared recollections, photographs, and leads that helped piece together the history.

A special thank-you to everyone who contributed, and to the Publix manager who shared the old Willow Bend Towne Centre rendering.

These are the kinds of discoveries that make local history worth preserving.

A familiar grocery store may stand on the site of an old horse farm. A roadway may carry a clue to a community's past. An old photograph sitting in someone's home may tell a story that thousands of neighbors have never heard.

What Was Here Before? A New Voyuno Series

At Voyuno, we're starting a new local-history series called What Was Here Before?

We'll explore familiar landmarks, restaurants, shopping centers, and businesses throughout Land O' Lakes and the surrounding Tampa Bay communities.

We'll look for the stories behind places that have changed, disappeared, or been transformed.

And we'd love your help.

Do you remember Judd Stables? Were you here when the horses trained near Collier Parkway? Did you shop at the old Publix, or remember the horse-shaped topiaries?

What other local businesses or landmarks should we investigate next?

Share your memories, stories, photographs, and suggestions with Voyuno.

You can also explore Raprager Farms, another local destination whose history includes citrus farming.

Discover more places around our community at Voyuno.

Because the places may change, but their stories don't have to disappear.

Voyuno — Where Local Happens.

Historical aerial imagery: U.S. Geological Survey, National Aerial Photography Program (NAPP), February 1999.

Historical horse photograph: courtesy of T. Clark.

Contemporary aerial photography: RealReach / Voyuno.

Editor's transparency note: The overlay of the former horse track onto current imagery is approximate. Historical development details may be updated as additional records and firsthand accounts become available.