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Property appraiser, residents spar over agricultural classifications, inspections
Summary
At a packed Town of Loxahatchee Groves meeting, Palm Beach County agricultural staff outlined how ag classifications work while residents and councilmembers pressed for clearer standards and local remedies after a year of contentious inspections.
Keith Alexander, who runs agricultural classification for the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s office, told the Town Council that county staff grant agricultural classification based on commercial agricultural use as of Jan. 1 and industry standards such as “24 hives an acre” for beekeepers.
The topic drew the longest public comment portion of the June 3 meeting as residents said recent inspections have been inconsistent and have harmed long‑time farms and horse operations.
“Typically, what we do is we look for the industry standard,” Alexander said. “If someone’s doing something different, they need to kinda let us know and maybe explain it to us so we understand.” He said his office uses aerial photos, site visits and industry standards to evaluate parcels and that…
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