[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6118528,"mediaKeyId","2723491-090a2cc555ee5902b2ab7dd15d49b9a2","parentId",2723491,"title","Special master reserves decision on whether Wonderfield Farm events and glamping qualify as agritourism","audioSeconds",7866,"startMs",3194000,"endMs",11060000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2723491-090a2cc555ee5902b2ab7dd15d49b9a2&start=3194&end=11060","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2723491-090a2cc555ee5902b2ab7dd15d49b9a2/thumbnail_3194000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6118528/Citrus-County/Florida/Special-master-reserves-decision-on-whether-Wonderfield-Farm-events-and-glamping-qualify-as-agritourism","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6118528-59922466c5fef9ec301381ed50abfca4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177116&Signature=HvJDPH~TEYEp4bDVXi-QE2NHmOH9mBoC4XD9L7~KUgi78oqCC1X1kM41ab~j5Lyd27G1XTdQQiXWQZQ26OojJotPKBCn9XETI9MPvsRWHuzdmGiNTPiXH~9AKgHsip2pGcYIFu-pjG7DSroMzB-AhKsFlIP8VVb95BNK~DHTMwqaeKfeb1MIUsb34~tF9gKrUnf~3NZX35vX4d62u~iRKU93u8w9DwvMnDlWoWzMzc9LOw9pXLU7fqXrj5d3PZLbpRQs3ZolSd5oJgv3~8zI5lL9OF4NdUs-2Cjr4C1IOYq-5LHX5hLQ774eeR1fFTWP0FbP8GhmZoWbPO565eM4pg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Citrus County, FL","date","2025-03-21T08:42:40.603Z","article","A Citrus County special master reserved decision after a lengthy hearing over whether activities at Wonderfield Farm and Hubbs Ranch and Grove qualify as agritourism under Florida law and therefore are exempt from local land‑use restrictions.

The hearing, which followed the building-permit stipulation for a related case, focused on whether the property’s glamping sites, overnight stays and public events fall within the state’s agritourism definitions — an outcome with direct implications for whether county land‑use rules governing recreational uses, event venues and lodging apply to the site.

County code compliance officer Brandon Norman told the hearing he documented four distinct glamping/camping sites at the property, hosted or advertised public events including “Wonderfest,” and found material on the property’s website and social‑media profiles showing event promotion, lodging sales on Airbnb/VRBO and references to larger public gatherings. Norman said county inspectors had been refused access at times, requiring use of aerial imagery and social-media captures to document activities.

Representing the property owners, counsel said Wonderfield Farm conducts bona fide agricultural activity on site — citrus trees, a cow-to-calf operation, gardens and “food-forest” plantings — and that the farm’s overnight stays and educational programming are core agritourism activities. Owner and manager Tara Hubbard told the hearing that guests are invited to “go out and harvest their own oranges” and that overnight lodging is often tied to farm programming, tours and volunteer days.

County attorneys and staff countered that several of the property’s public events and lodging practices exceed the agritourism statute’s scope and that, under the Citrus County Land Development Code, the Coastal Lakes and Lakes district (CLMH/CL) does not permit the kind of glamping, event venues with lodging or large public gatherings the county says have occurred without required temporary or special-event permits. County witnesses also raised concerns about sanitation and septic capacity for large events and the potential off‑site impacts of noise and lighting.

At the hearing’s close, Special Master Christian Waugh said the record raised novel questions about how Florida’s agritourism statutes interact with local land‑use regulation. Waugh reserved ruling, said he would place the matter on a future county agenda and indicated he might request written briefs to answer specific legal questions before issuing a decision.

The special master admitted several county exhibits — photographs, notices of violation, web and social‑media captures and video — conditionally in evidence; he reserved ruling on the evidentiary significance of a separate pre‑application packet for an adjacent parcel that the respondents had submitted during an earlier planning-stage meeting. Waugh emphasized that any final determination will turn on statutory interpretation and a factual assessment of how the farm’s activities fit the agritourism definition.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Copy of Code Compliance Special Master Hearing - September 18, 2024 (Part 2)","oneSentenceSummary","Citrus County’s special master heard competing arguments over whether Wonderfield Farm’s overnight stays, glamping and public events are protected agritourism activities exempt from local land‑use rules; the master reserved ruling and may seek additional briefing.","taxTitle","Citrus County, Florida","taxId",12756,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6118532,"Special master grants 90 days for building permits at Hubbs Ranch; fines set at $500 per day if not complied",3058,1346000,4404000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2723491-090a2cc555ee5902b2ab7dd15d49b9a2&start=1346&end=4404","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2723491-090a2cc555ee5902b2ab7dd15d49b9a2/thumbnail_1346000.jpg","/articles/6118532/Citrus-County/Florida/Special-master-grants-90-days-for-building-permits-at-Hubbs-Ranch-fines-set-at-500-per-day-if-not-complied","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6118532-bb793d294799fd984b4f1e44d8d21396/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177116&Signature=mPCK2WA9F49zhFcPn5Ba9L4IvssN85~rSv-J~euMf5IDgtS~AzDLRiGFAiEIAHcB6ckkEA~r0IxaxY1R421v-s9Q5gaVDkx0sx62R-55fOWVEPKnpfUpg7FSx8tre9ktRmD-FpRBbzqPYtnK-z2YsP4jRHwjQm5BwfZm22KdamiFA5IRzAyf2vDKV4I-vHtvdu9qDnby6FPk~wxcnSERa-pts4E9YppCiwtkE92F4nEfofkp86ZrOcUwyEEXRYnlcXzOV05NQyO4PMLCkkqldXDDS639yDNcdqj7eRzbtwUMu7vcysWoRKALQsqXG9lLfRi~eFm5gE6UZnsyAudNWw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Special Master Christian Waugh granted a 90-day compliance period and admitted evidence after the parties reached a stipulation resolving the building portion of a code enforcement matter tied to Hubbs Ranch and Wonderfield Farm.

The stipulation — accepted on the record in a hearing before Waugh — covers case number 202400620 and resolves allegations that several structures on the property lacked required permits. Counsel for the property’s respondents agreed not to contest the permit-related allegations and asked for 90 days to secure whatever permits or forms are necessary.

Waugh said he would not leave the agreement open-ended if new violations were discovered later: any new, separate alleged violations would have to be pursued as new cases. On the question of civil penalties, Waugh declined the county’s initial recommendation of $1,000 per day and said, “I think $500 a day will be sufficient to enforce compliance.” The order entered by the special master admitted several county exhibits documenting building conditions and inspections and clarified that the 90‑day period applies to the building-permit items discussed — electrical, solar, building additions, docks/decks and roofing as specified in the admitted exhibits.

County code compliance officer Brandon Norman presented photographs and inspection records that county staff say show unpermitted building work on the site. Norman told the hearing he had documented multiple structures and other work during inspections conducted earlier in 2024 and that county staff had been refused on-site access at times. Respondents’ counsel agreed to admission of county evidence for the building portion and asked the special master to exercise discretion on any penalty amount.

Waugh placed a temporal limit on the agreement’s scope: if county inspectors identify additional alleged violations during the 90‑day window, those items generally would not be folded into the order he entered and instead could be pursued in a separate enforcement matter. The special master also said he would review the admissible exhibits to ensure they matched the stipulation before finalizing the order.

The building-case resolution was recorded from the hearing’s evidentiary record; the order requires the respondents to obtain permits or demonstrate exempt status for the identified work within 90 days or face the $500-per-day fine.

The special master then moved on to a related land‑use case concerning the same property (separate case number), where he reserved decision and signaled he may request further briefing. That second case — about whether the property’s activities qualify as “agritourism” and whether local land‑use rules apply — remained undecided at the hearing’s close.","A Citrus County special master accepted a stipulation resolving a building-related code case at Hubbs Ranch and Wonderfield Farm, giving the owners 90 days to obtain required permits and setting a $500-per-day compliance fine if they fail to meet the deadline.","actionData","errors"]

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Special master reserves decision on whether Wonderfield Farm events and glamping qualify as agritourism

Special master grants 90 days for building permits at Hubbs Ranch; fines set at $500 per day if not complied