The Board of County Commissioners denied Joseph Sparacia’s application for a special exception use permit for a winery on a 28 acre property on Snow Hill Rd. However, Chairman Nicholson and Commissioner Dukes would have been willing to work with Mr. Sparacia if he agreed to meet other conditions such as changing his hours of operation to a 6 pm closing time on Friday and Saturday.
The applicant indicated his hours of operation to be:
Monday through Thursday 1 pm to 6 pm
Friday and Saturday 10 am to 11 pm
Sunday 1 pm to 6 pm
Formal wine tastings would be held on Friday through Sunday or by appointment.
Mr. Sparacia was aiming to become licensed as a Florida Farm Winery and needed to meet several conditions which include:
– Being open to the public for tours, tastings, and sales at least 30 hours each week.
– Sell less than 250,000 gallons of wine annually of which 60 percent of the wine is made from state agricultural products
– Maintain a minimum of 5 acres of owned or managed land in Florida which produces commodities used in the production of wine.
The major concern of residents on Snow Hill Road was road conditions. Snow Hill Road has drop off areas, soft shoulders, and blind spots as well as being narrow. School buses barely fit on one side of the road. Many residents do not mind having a winery nearby, but object to the commercial nature of the operation.
Mr. Sparacia stated at the Commission meeting, “The basic thing I am asking for is to be able to have a farmstand or if you prefer to call it a tasting room or a vineyard store where I can sample the wines I have. We are not going to go up there, plant the vineyard and wait four years to make wine…We are looking for an immediate source of income to keep us viable. ” Currently Mr. Sparacia is having wine made under the Sparacia Family Vineyards label at two other wineries in the state, certified licensed wineries.
Commissioner Rowden and Adkins both had concerns with the road. Rowden stated, “Nowhere in here does it say that somebody couldn’t call up and make an appointment for a bus load of people.” I don’t have a problem with a winery but our responsibility is the health and safety of the citizens.
Commissioner Rowden made a motion to deny. The motion passed 3-2 with Commissioner Dukes and Chairman Nicholson voting against denial.
Previous coverage on this topic at http://hernandosun.com/snow_hill_winery