Residents object to proposed edits in LDC ordinance; staff says rezoning requirements unchanged

A public commenter and several residents told the Board of County Commissioners on March 3 that a proposed edit to the county's Land Development Code appeared to remove the requirement that rezoning approvals return to the board.

"The proposed change will remove the requirement for rezoning approval when establishing a new different land use," said Tanisha Tolber of Saint Cloud, who spoke during the public hearing on item 20 and identified several neighborhoods she said would be affected, including Hanover Lakes and Twin Lakes. She said the change "would set a dangerous precedent allowing rapid, unregulated development" and said residents feared projects such as an RV park could proceed without public review.

County Attorney staff responded that the provision Tolber referenced was a cleanup to a table in the ordinance and would not remove the current practice of returning zoning map amendments (ZMA) to the board. "All ZMA is currently and will continue to come back to the board for approval," a county attorney said. Ray Stangle, community development administrator, told commissioners the portion of the code under discussion was not changing the county's rural enclave rules: "The rural enclaves that have 1 unit per 5 acres will remain 1 unit per 5 acres. And so we're not proposing any changes that would impact the rural enclaves within Osceola County."

Nut graf: The exchange prompted residents to ask for clarity about the scope of changes in Ordinance 2025-10 (LDC 25.1). County staff said the amendment is a cleanup to zoning tables and does not alter the process for ZMA approvals or change the density standard for rural enclaves.

County Manager staff had earlier requested a change to item 20 before the meeting to reflect a procedural correction: change the advertised "final reading" to a "first reading" for Ordinance 2025-10 and remove proposed edits to section 2.3.6 on community meetings. After clarification from county staff and the community development administrator, the board moved to approve consent public hearing items 19 to 21. Commissioner Grieve made the motion and Commissioner Arrington seconded it; the board voted to approve the consent public hearing items.

Commissioner Booth, whose constituents include Tanisha Tolber, offered to meet with Tolber after the meeting to discuss the RV park concerns. No formal changes to ZMA process or rural density standards were adopted during the meeting; staff said those procedures remain in place.

Ending: The full ordinance text and a revised agenda packet should be available in the county's published materials; residents with specific project concerns were advised to follow up with planning staff and the district commissioner.