What were the most significant items on the Minneola Planning & Zoning Commission agenda for April 2026?

Meeting Reading

Minneola Planning & Zoning Commission

April 6, 2026

5 items on the agenda

**The Rose/McCoy bloc moves from "dissent" to "delay" — and lands the entire Citrus Grove PUD package on a single tabling motion:** On March 2, Rose and McCoy were the two NAY votes on the Whispering Winds environmental conditions package. On April 6, **Rose moves and McCoy seconds the motion to table all three Citrus Grove ordinance/resolution items** — preventing any substantive hearing of a 15.878-acre commercial PUD with a heavyweight legal team (Tedrow / Lowndes). The applicant requested the tabling, so this is procedurally clean, but the *who-moves-what* signal is now visible across two consecutive meetings: **the same two commissioners are positioning at the gate of the corridor's biggest commercial play.** Watch May 4 to see whether the package returns and how Rose/McCoy vote on substance.
**Saxon Industrial Park is the SB 180 / Hurricane Ian / SR-561 widening composite case in microcosm:** A site that started at 8.4 acres is now functionally 2.25 acres. The compression came from three independent regulatory and physical forces stacked on top of each other — **(1) Hurricane Ian storm surge that didn't recede, triggering an SJRWMD wetland reclassification of dryland; (2) a 17-foot ROW take by Lake County for State Road 561 expansion; (3) a January 1, 2026 stormwater regulation update that would force re-permitting on any deviation from the October 2025-permitted plan.** That compression is then arriving at the dais as a landscape-buffer variance. This is what **physical climate change + state water management + arterial infrastructure expansion + regulatory cliff** look like when they collide on a 2-acre industrial parcel. The variance was approved 4-0 with a four-condition package that preserves buffer *function* without insisting on buffer *dimension* — the "shape, don't deny" mode applied to a parcel that no longer geometrically fits the code.
**Commission consensus said "status quo" on golf carts; one month later, Ordinance 2026-07 returns as a full Chapter 44 amendment:** The April 6 discussion concluded with explicit consensus to retain the status quo — Rose argued the state/county framework already creates a landlocked system, Focht argued the State should regulate, Carey argued bridges are FDOT-prohibitive. **Then the May 4 agenda surfaces Ordinance 2026-07** — a complete Chapter 44 / Sec 44-6 amendment defining golf cart and low-speed vehicle operation on public streets, private HOA streets, and CDD roadways. This is a meaningful procedural signal: **the ordinance did not come from the P&Z's recommendation.** The route is Council-side or staff-side. Worth tracking who actually authored the draft.

On April 6, 2026, City of Minneola's Planning & Zoning Commission considered 5 agenda items. **The Rose/McCoy bloc moves from "dissent" to "delay" — and lands the entire Citrus Grove PUD package on a single tabling motion:** On March 2, Rose and McCoy were the two NAY votes on the Whispering Winds environmental conditions package. On April 6, **Rose moves and McCoy seconds the motion to table all three Citrus Grove ordinance/resolution items** — preventing any substantive hearing of a 15.878-acre commercial PUD with a heavyweight legal team (Tedrow / Lowndes). The applicant requested the tabling, so this is procedurally clean, but the *who-moves-what* signal is now visible across two consecutive meetings: **the same two commissioners are positioning at the gate of the corridor's biggest commercial play.** Watch May 4 to see whether the package returns and how Rose/McCoy vote on substance. **Saxon Industrial Park is the SB 180 / Hurricane Ian / SR-561 widening composite case in microcosm:** A site that started at 8.4 acres is now functionally 2.25 acres. The compression came from three independent regulatory and physical forces stacked on top of each other — **(1) Hurricane Ian storm surge that didn't recede, triggering an SJRWMD wetland reclassification of dryland; (2) a 17-foot ROW take by Lake County for State Road 561 expansion; (3) a January 1, 2026 stormwater regulation update that would force re-permitting on any deviation from the October 2025-permitted plan.** That compression is then arriving at the dais as a landscape-buffer variance. This is what **physical climate change + state water management + arterial infrastructure expansion + regulatory cliff** look like when they collide on a 2-acre industrial parcel. The variance was approved 4-0 with a four-condition package that preserves buffer *function* without insisting on buffer *dimension* — the "shape, don't deny" mode applied to a parcel that no longer geometrically fits the code. **Commission consensus said "status quo" on golf carts; one month later, Ordinance 2026-07 returns as a full Chapter 44 amendment:** The April 6 discussion concluded with explicit consensus to retain the status quo — Rose argued the state/county framework already creates a landlocked system, Focht argued the State should regulate, Carey argued bridges are FDOT-prohibitive. **Then the May 4 agenda surfaces Ordinance 2026-07** — a complete Chapter 44 / Sec 44-6 amendment defining golf cart and low-speed vehicle operation on public streets, private HOA streets, and CDD roadways. This is a meaningful procedural signal: **the ordinance did not come from the P&Z's recommendation.** The route is Council-side or staff-side. Worth tracking who actually authored the draft.

CHANGE LENS

THE READINGmeeting record

City of Minneola Planning & Zoning Commission — April 6, 2026

Meeting Overview

Type: Regular Meeting Quorum: Yes (4 of 5 voting members present; one excused) Duration: ~1h 50m (6:30 PM – 8:20 PM)

Attendance

Present: Chairperson Denise Calderon, Commissioner Nicole Martin, Commissioner William McCoy, Commissioner Ken Rose
Absent: Commissioner Mendy Bacon (excused by 4-0 vote at the start of the meeting)
Staff Present: Jennifer Cotch (City Attorney), Joyce Heffington (CRA Manager / acting City Planner of record), Kristine Thompson (City Clerk), John Lozano (Planning Technician); Gabriella Castro (Contract Planner, Inspire Placemaking Collective) presented Item 5

Agenda Items

Item 1: Approval of March 2, 2026 Meeting Minutes

Type: Other
Action: Approved as presented
Vote: 4-0 (Martin, Calderon, McCoy, Rose AYE)
Notable Discussion: Motion by McCoy, seconded by "O'Halloran" per the written minutes — but O'Halloran is not listed as present and did not appear in the AYE roll, so this is a clerical artifact. The motion in fact carried 4-0 with the four sitting members.

Items 2, 3, 4: Citrus Grove Road Commercial PUD — Annexation, Comp Plan Amendment, Development Agreement (TABLED to May 4)

Type: Annexation / Rezoning, Comp Plan Amendment, Development Agreement (three-item PUD package)
Case Numbers: Ordinance 2026-02 (annexation/rezoning); Ordinance 2026-03 (comp plan amendment); Resolution 2026-01 (development agreement)
Location: Two parcels generally located west of N. Hancock Road, north and south of Citrus Grove Road
Applicant: Tara L. Tedrow, Esq., on behalf of Crittenden Howey, LLC
Request: Annex ~15.878± acres into the City and rezone Lake County "Agriculture" → "Planned Unit Development"; FLUM amendment to General Commercial; corresponding development agreement
Acreage: 15.878± (revised upward to 17.878± by the May 4 agenda — see Key Signals)
Action: Tabled to May 4, 2026 (applicant-requested)
Vote: 4-0 (Martin, Calderon, McCoy, Rose AYE)
Notable Discussion: Motion to table by Commissioner Rose, seconded by Commissioner McCoy — the same pair that dissented on Whispering Winds (March 2). No substantive review of the project occurred at this meeting. Single combined motion tabled all three items.

Item 5: Resolution 2026-03 — Saxon Industrial Park Variance Request

Type: Variance (landscape buffer)
Case Number: Resolution 2026-03
Location: North side of C.R. 561, between Causey Road and Florida's Turnpike
Applicant: James Gillman, Saxon Industrial Owner (property purchased 2011)
Request: Variance from Section 110-3(B)(L)D.I. and Section 110-6(B) — specifically (1) reduce the front buffer to 11 feet, and (2) limit required landscaping to shrubs (rather than the full landscape requirement)
Staff Recommendation: Presented by Gabriella Castro (Inspire Placemaking) — staff context, no formal recommendation language captured in the minutes
Action: Approved with conditions (quasi-judicial; sworn testimony)
Vote: 4-0 (Martin, Calderon, McCoy, Rose AYE)
Conditions:
1. Preserve the function of the buffer
2. Prioritize native species
3. Ensure placement protects adjacent usage
4. Avoid long-term weakening of buffer intent
Notable Discussion: The site has been structurally compressed. Originally 8.4 acres, the project's developable footprint is now ~2.25 acres after (a) Hurricane Ian storm surge that did not recede, prompting the St. Johns River Water Management District to reclassify former dryland as wetland, and (b) Lake County taking 17 feet of right-of-way for the State Road 561 expansion. Gillman testified that without the variance, ~14 of the proposed ~50 parking spaces would be eliminated, leaving roughly 35 spaces (~4 per unit). A previously approved variance had already reduced front and side setbacks; the small office/warehouse use is parking-sensitive. Commissioner Rose agreed that one-way circulation and reducing to six units to recover parking-per-unit were not economically viable. Gillman flagged a hard regulatory cliff: stormwater permit was approved October 2025 under the prior rules; new stormwater regulations took effect January 1, 2026 — any minor deviation from the original site plan would force re-permitting at significantly increased cost. Public comment in favor (Chris J. Singh, 19600 South Buckhill Rd, Clermont). Quasi-judicial; Cotch swore in speakers.

Item 6: Discussion — Golf Carts

Type: Other (policy discussion; no formal action)
Request: Discuss the necessity of additional regulation of golf carts in the City
Action: Consensus: discussion concluded, status quo retained
Notable Discussion: Joyce Heffington explained that Minneola's 2024 resolution to become a golf-cart-friendly community runs into existing State statutes and Lake County ordinances governing non-municipal roads — golf carts may operate within certain communities but cannot cross county roads or roads with speed limits ≥30 mph, and are not permitted on the Trail Head. Heffington referenced Dunedin's ride-share alternative as one model. Commissioner Rose questioned how legal requirements would be enforced and warned against registration as a liability mitigation because it would invite increased usage in prohibited roadways; he characterized state and county law as already creating a "landlocked system." Commissioner Martin requested a map and floated an enclosed crossing bridge for golf carts over main roads, plus speed-limit signage and dedicated lanes within the Trail Head to separate modes. Kevin Carey explained FDOT regulations make a bridge prohibitively expensive. Resident Jennifer Christy (9245 Causey Dr.) referenced Clermont's golf cart ordinance and proposed variances as a mechanism for developers to fund dedicated crossings at intersections near ingress/egress. Commissioner Calderon walked through neighboring cities' approaches. Resident Nathan Focht (707 Blue Citrus Ln) argued the discussion should have preceded the existing roadway infrastructure, and that since the State already defines what a golf cart is and how it can be used, the State should regulate it. Wally Szkwarko (802 S. Main Ave.) shifted the discussion to E-Bike dangers and family-safety incidents. Despite the dense exchange, the Commission's consensus was to retain the status quo — a notable outcome given that the May 4 agenda then re-introduces the issue as Ordinance 2026-07, a full Chapter 44 amendment. The ordinance evidently advanced from staff/Council, not from this Commission's recommendation.

Item 7: Discussion — Urban Backyard Chickens

Type: Other (policy discussion; no formal action)
Request: Discuss whether to recommend changes to the current Backyard Chicken Ordinance
Action: Consensus: no change to current ordinance
Notable Discussion: Commissioner Martin questioned the 5-acre minimum lot size for keeping chickens — describing it as inconsistent with "urban" backyard chickens and out of step with the City's homesteading/land-stewardship identity. Resident Monica Luna (804 Disston Ave.) submitted comparative code printouts showing higher-density zoning districts in neighboring cities allow urban backyard chickens. Martin proposed a framework: hens only, max three chickens, behind a fence line, secure coop and sanitation, UF training, no free-roaming, complaint-based enforcement, no slaughtering. Resident Jennifer Christy — who had submitted opposition to the original ordinance — argued most Minneola HOAs already prohibit chickens, that modifying the ordinance would not change outcomes for the HOA majority, and raised salmonella, rodents, and code-enforcement burden. Nathan Focht (former chicken-farm owner) noted chickens have already been introduced into HOA subdivisions despite restrictions and proposed deferring the matter to a new commission post-elections. Wally Szkwarko opposed any expansion, noting historic Minneola has no HOA so City actions affect him directly. Commission consensus: no change. Notable: two adjacent suburban-character / lifestyle items (golf carts, chickens) on the same agenda where the Commission declined to recommend changes on both — both later returned through other paths (golf carts as a Council ordinance, chickens deferred).

Public Hearings Summary

Number of speakers (general public comment): 1 (Kevin Carey, 20237 Sugarloaf Mountain Rd.)
Number of speakers (item-level): Saxon Industrial Park — 1 in favor (Chris J. Singh); Golf Carts — 4 (Carey, Christy, Focht, Szkwarko); Backyard Chickens — 4 (Luna, Christy, Focht, Szkwarko)
General sentiment: Mixed; Kevin Carey reiterated drainage-outfall concerns from the Sugarloaf Development affecting a neighboring animal rescue property — a recurring oversight item. Joyce Heffington asked Carey to email the photographs and details for follow-up.
Key concerns:
- Sugarloaf drainage outfall onto adjacent animal rescue parcel (unresolved)
- Golf cart safety, enforcement, and bridge feasibility on main roads
- E-Bike incidents and family safety (raised under golf cart discussion)
- Backyard chicken ordinance fit for "urban" lots smaller than 5 acres

Key Signals

The Rose/McCoy bloc moves from "dissent" to "delay" — and lands the entire Citrus Grove PUD package on a single tabling motion: On March 2, Rose and McCoy were the two NAY votes on the Whispering Winds environmental conditions package. On April 6, Rose moves and McCoy seconds the motion to table all three Citrus Grove ordinance/resolution items — preventing any substantive hearing of a 15.878-acre commercial PUD with a heavyweight legal team (Tedrow / Lowndes). The applicant requested the tabling, so this is procedurally clean, but the who-moves-what signal is now visible across two consecutive meetings: the same two commissioners are positioning at the gate of the corridor's biggest commercial play. Watch May 4 to see whether the package returns and how Rose/McCoy vote on substance.
Saxon Industrial Park is the SB 180 / Hurricane Ian / SR-561 widening composite case in microcosm: A site that started at 8.4 acres is now functionally 2.25 acres. The compression came from three independent regulatory and physical forces stacked on top of each other — (1) Hurricane Ian storm surge that didn't recede, triggering an SJRWMD wetland reclassification of dryland; (2) a 17-foot ROW take by Lake County for State Road 561 expansion; (3) a January 1, 2026 stormwater regulation update that would force re-permitting on any deviation from the October 2025-permitted plan. That compression is then arriving at the dais as a landscape-buffer variance. This is what physical climate change + state water management + arterial infrastructure expansion + regulatory cliff look like when they collide on a 2-acre industrial parcel. The variance was approved 4-0 with a four-condition package that preserves buffer function without insisting on buffer dimension — the "shape, don't deny" mode applied to a parcel that no longer geometrically fits the code.
Commission consensus said "status quo" on golf carts; one month later, Ordinance 2026-07 returns as a full Chapter 44 amendment: The April 6 discussion concluded with explicit consensus to retain the status quo — Rose argued the state/county framework already creates a landlocked system, Focht argued the State should regulate, Carey argued bridges are FDOT-prohibitive. Then the May 4 agenda surfaces Ordinance 2026-07 — a complete Chapter 44 / Sec 44-6 amendment defining golf cart and low-speed vehicle operation on public streets, private HOA streets, and CDD roadways. This is a meaningful procedural signal: the ordinance did not come from the P&Z's recommendation. The route is Council-side or staff-side. Worth tracking who actually authored the draft.
Senior care + downtown commercial unit + adaptive reuse — the May 4 ACLF preview was already foreshadowed here: No ACLF action this meeting, but the Saxon variance discussion shows the Commission's tolerance for parking-and-buffer trade-offs on small-footprint commercial. The May 4 ACLF at 60 Center Street, Unit C will be the same calculus on a downtown commercial unit. The Mispah Street ACLF in Leesburg in the same window confirms a Lake County corpus-wide pattern: senior-care demand showing up as small-footprint adaptive reuse cases at P&Z.
The "stipulations as code-evolution" Minneola pattern, applied to a half-deleted parcel: Saxon's four conditions (preserve buffer function, prioritize native species, ensure placement protects adjacent use, avoid long-term weakening of buffer intent) are intent-based rather than dimension-based — exactly what you'd write when the LDC's dimensional standards no longer fit the parcel. This is the same language texture that produced Whispering Winds' six conditions on March 2 and the 17-stipulation Citrus Grove residential PUD earlier in the corpus. Minneola's P&Z is increasingly writing condition language that floats free of the LDC's numeric requirements — a quiet but structural shift in how the board operates.
Two suburban-character "lifestyle" items declined in one night, both returning via other paths: Golf carts (declined → returned as Council ordinance) and backyard chickens (declined → likely returns post-election per Focht's suggestion). The P&Z is functioning as a forum where lifestyle code questions get a deliberative airing without necessarily producing a recommendation. The signal-to-noise depends on whether you read the outcome (status quo) or the agenda construction (the issues are surfacing).

Raw Notes

Source: April 6, 2026 minutes embedded in the May 4, 2026 agenda packet (CivicClerk event 230); status approved reflects May 4 approval action (Item 1 of May 4).
CivicClerk now hosts Minneola P&Z packets — the May 4 agenda packet contains the April 6 minutes as Pages 5-10 of the 536-page packet. This is a change from prior memory ("CivicClerk only had 2026 events for Minneola, P&Z events have no uploaded files"). Worth updating the city source profile.
O'Halloran clerical artifact: The minutes show "MOTION by Commissioner McCoy, SECONDED by Commissioner O'Halloran" on Item 1. O'Halloran is not in the present-list, did not appear in the excused vote, and did not appear in the AYE roll for Item 1. This is the second consecutive meeting (after March 2) where O'Halloran's name surfaces in clerical text but not in attendance — a continued artifact of the late-2025 / early-2026 membership transition.
Calendar gap, persisting: The March 2 minutes referenced January 5 and February 2, 2026 P&Z meetings whose minutes are not in our corpus. Neither set surfaced in the April 6 packet either. Confirm the city website (minneola.us/planning-zoning-commission/minutes/) directly for those two months.
Citrus Grove → Citrus Ridge naming evolution: All three items in this meeting were filed and tabled as "Citrus Grove Road Commercial PUD" with 15.878± acreage. The May 4 agenda re-lists them as "Citrus Ridge Commercial PUD" with 17.878± acreage. The rename and 2-acre upward revision happened between April 6 (tabled) and May 4 (returned). See 2026-05-agenda-PZC.md Key Signals for the corridor-formation read.
Reports section was minimal: Councilor Flinn listed but no notes captured.
Adjourned 8:20 PM (motion by Calderon, seconded by Martin, 4-0).

[THE READING]meeting record