The Hernando Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted 3-2 on March 8 to approve a request (H1510) for Master Plan Revision and rezoning submitted by Just So You Know, LLC. The Hernando County Planning and Zoning commission voted 5-0 to recommend denial of the motion.
The President of Just So You Know, LLC, Bob Carson, purchased the bankrupt golf course at Ridge Manor Oaks and Country Club in 2009,and restored it to a playable course. Carson testified before the BOCC that the plans for the park were purely for the sake of profitability and keeping the golf course viable.
Bob Carson was recently in the news following the sale of The Quarry Golf Course in Brooksville. According to reports in 2015, The Quarry was originally pending a sale in June of 2014. That sale was never finalized, and the course was then sold again in April of 2015. Shortly thereafter, the City of Brooksville evicted Carson, and filed a lawsuit. Carson filed a countersuit. Both suits are still in litigation.
‘The Ridge RV Park’, an RV resort and clubhouse is proposed to be built at the northern end of Whispering Oaks Boulevard in Ridge Manor. The plan includes a home for the park manager, laundry room and shower facilities, with space for seventeen park model trailers and 151 recreational vehicles.
At the March 8th meeting , many residents of Ridge Manor Oaks attending were against the proposal, reasoning that the park is incompatible with a residential neighborhood and would decrease property values. Proponents of the proposal also spoke at the meeting citing the financial benefits the park would bring to the recently restored golf course. The current zoning is multi-family, and one resident suggested that condominiums could be constructed, and improve the county’s tax revenue in the long term.
Also of concern was the inclusion of wetlands on the proposed site, and the possibility of encroaching on habitats of protected species, such as Gopher Tortoises, which may require a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) permit prior to building on the site. If a Gopher Tortoise relocation permit is approved, then FWC relocation plans will also be required.
Attorney Bruce Snow and Alan Garman represented Just So You Know, LLC. Garman, who works in the Civil Engineering field has testified in many other development hearings, disagreed that the proposed plan is inconsistent and incompatible with the comprehensive plan, and that the two neighborhoods are ‘not like’ and cited two examples where an RV Park is adjacent to residential homes.
Nick Nicholson considered wetlands and flood zone maps, noting that the planned number of units may not be possible. He requested that the maps should be part of the record for the public consideration. Existing drainage systems may need to be revised, and new sand traps on the golf course will be considered to facilitate this.
Wayne Dukes addressed the matter of change by recalling the development of Spring Hill and Hernando Beach, and that the first argument of any building proposal is that property values will fall. Dukes stated, “As long as statutes and plans are not violated, then most rezoning proposals do pass.” He further added that Hernando county has paid millions of dollars in fines due to contested rezoning. Dukes voted in favor of the rezoning proposal.
Diane Rowden motioned for denial, citing policy 1.01h(2) – “Protecting existing and future residential areas from the encroachment of incompatible uses that are destructive to the character and integrity of the residential environment.” The motion failed and a 3-2 vote for approval of the rezoning request followed with Rowden and Adkins voting against approval.