Planning board backs amendments to Lake County public-notice rules, adds phone number to signs

The Lake County Planning and Zoning Board recommended on March 5 that the Board of County Commissioners approve changes to the countyLand Development Regulations (section 14.0005) governing public notice for development hearings, and asked that the countyplanning phone number be added to posted signs.

The amendment would reorganize notice requirements in section 14.0005, formalize use of a QR code on posted signs that links to application materials, and retain a mailed-notice buffer of 300 feet and a legally required minimum notice period. Board staff said the posted sign will generally be a single sign on the property but staff can post additional signs when appropriate.

Planning manager Janie Barone, who presented the ordinance, told the board the code revisions consolidate language and add notice procedures for development agreements pursuant to section 14.18 of the Land Development Regulations. "The QR is gonna take [the public] directly to the information instead of them seeing a sign and then having to go search through the county's website," Barone said, noting the county will continue to mail notices and publish in the newspaper.

Members of the public urged longer notices and broader mailed buffers. Jane Hepting, president of the Lake County Conservation Council, asked the board to require mailed notice to property owners within 1,000 feet and at least 30 days before hearings so neighbors have time to research land records, easements and environmental constraints. "There may be an old conservation easement on that property," Hepting said. Kathleen Farner, a Mount Dora-area resident, described organizing for a development case that took months to research and hire counsel; she said 7 to 10 days provides insufficient time to respond.

County staff and others on the board noted that Florida law sets a 10-day statutory minimum for certain notices and that the proposed ordinance meets that minimum while providing multiple notice platforms (mail, newspaper and posted sign). Barone said the 10-day period is a statutory minimum but the county can provide additional notice beyond the minimum if desired.

The board discussed options including requiring signs on each public road frontage of a parcel, adding a phone number to posted signs, and broader mailed buffers. A motion to recommend approval to the Board of County Commissioners included an amendment asking county staff to include the planning and zoning department phone number on posted signs and to require posted signs be located to be visible from abutting public rights of way. The board voted to recommend approval with those additions; the vote was recorded as unanimous in the transcript (exact vote count not specified). The board noted that final adoption will occur at the Board of County Commissioners meeting on April 1, 2025.

The ordinance changes discussed would not alter the statutory minimum notice periods established by Florida law, and staff told the board that additional procedural requirements (for example, posting multiple signs or expanding mailed buffers) could be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for further consideration.

The board's recommendation will be transmitted to the Board of County Commissioners for final action at its April 1, 2025 meeting.