Beacon Woods HOA says developer ignored approved construction route; county staff to meet with residents

Maureen Gontaric, president of the Estates and Reserves of Beacon Woods Homeowners Association, told Pasco County commissioners on Feb. 11 that contractors working on the Beacon Park development used an entrance through the HOA’s streets rather than the approved Aqua Clara access, causing extensive truck traffic, property damage and environmental concerns.

Gontaric said the permitted plans and a 2022 mass-grading permit required construction traffic to use Aqua Clara Drive as the access point. She said the developer and contractors instead used Tennyson and Poe, citing a route that is nearly a mile longer and that has subjected the neighborhood to more than 180 dump-truck trips during the December 2024 holidays. She said county staff member David Ingle issued a notice on Dec. 23, 2024, that the only haul route allowed under the mass-grading permit is Aqua Clara and that the county later sent a cease-and-desist to the builder.

Why it matters: the HOA said repeated use of the neighborhood as a construction route has caused road damage, diesel leaks, noise ordinance violations, overnight alarms and at least three properties with damage. The HOA asked the board what enforcement steps the county will take and why county staff and the developer have not strictly followed the approved routing.

County response: commissioners and staff indicated they would meet with HOA representatives. The clerk identified David Allen and David Engle as county staff available to meet directly with Gontaric and neighborhood members after the meeting. No enforcement action was announced during the meeting; staff offered to review the mass-grading permit conditions and to meet on site.

Ending: Gontaric said the community will provide a written presentation to county staff. County staff committed to follow up and to review the permit language cited on Dec. 23, 2024.