Planning panel approves special exception for FutureMX to allow up to 8 RVs at motocross training site after neighbor protests

The Hernando County Planning & Zoning Commission on an unrecorded date approved a special-exception permit allowing FutureMX LLC to park up to eight recreational vehicles and two commercial vehicles at its privately owned motocross training property near the northern end of Remington Road and Wildlife Lane.

The commission voted 5-0 to approve the request with modified staff conditions that require the RV area to meet Hernando County Health Department sanitary requirements, limit the site to no more than eight RVs at any one time and restrict the property from being “open to the public.” The approval also memorialized prior administrative limits on riding hours and rider counts included in the file.

Why it matters: Neighbors told the commission the training operation, which resumed under new ownership in 2023, has produced disruptive noise and more traffic on narrow rural roads. Petitioners said the facility is an amateur youth training program, not commercial racing, and that RVs are used by families and participants who travel to multi-day events.

What the commission approved and why Staff framed the hearing as a narrow technical request for RV parking and an additional commercial-vehicle allowance tied to an existing, county-recognized riding entitlement on the 37-acre property. Planning staff said the county had earlier issued an administrative letter and that the special-exception action would “lock in” the entitlements and add conditions for RVs and vehicles.

The motion adopted by the commission (moved by Commissioner Nick Noe; seconded by Commissioner Pina) included these key conditions: limit RVs to eight units on-site at one time; RV stays may not be on the property for more than 180 days without separate permitting; RV parking areas must meet Hernando County Health Department sanitary/sewer requirements; the property shall not be open to the public for unregulated events; and the other operational limitations in the administrative file remain in effect. The motion passed 5-0.

Petitioner’s account The petitioner identified the operation as FutureMX, an amateur motocross team and training program. The owner explained the RV request is to provide camper spaces for families and participants who travel to multi-day events and to allow two tractor-trailer-sized vehicles that the owner uses to haul private equipment. The petitioner told the commission: “This special exemption application that we are applying for is specifically related to parking up to 8 campers on the property.” He emphasized the team does not hold public races and said the operation follows AMA sound rules at events.

Neighbors’ concerns More than a dozen residents and property owners spoke during the public comment period. Neighbors portrayed a long history of contentious use at the site, including multiple denied applications for previously owned motocross facilities. Speakers described regular noise they attribute to activity at and near the site and said heavy recreational use on adjoining roads has degraded the dirt-and-asphalt surfaces and raised safety concerns for horses, children and pedestrians.

Kim Rouse Holtzwort, a neighbor who lives adjacent to the site, said the operation resembles a commercial motocross facility and urged denial. Dawn Everett said she and others had bought equestrian properties expecting a quiet, rural environment and said frequent motorcycle noise has been “beyond unbearable at times.”

Petitioner and staff responses to comments Petitioner representatives said they had met neighbors repeatedly, that they limit when and where riding occurs on the property, and that some loud activity heard by neighbors originates on state-managed lands (Croom/Croom Wildlife Management Area) adjacent to the site. Petitioner noted the property’s prior history and the administrative determination that allowed limited organized training with specific rider counts and hours.

Planning staff said code enforcement had visited the property several times during 2023 and 2024 and that some noise complaints were traced to activity in the adjacent Croom area, not the FutureMX site. Staff also described how the administrative letter locking the riding entitlement had been used to set parameters that staff proposed to carry forward in the special-exception conditions.

Commission discussion and outcome Commissioners discussed enforcement practicality for limits on RV stays and how to balance the petitioners’ business needs with neighbors’ quality-of-life concerns. The commission settled on an approach that (a) approves the RV and vehicle allowance but (b) adds sanitary and screening requirements and a 180-day maximum on continuous RV occupancy without further permitting. Commissioners also directed staff to craft a clear landscape/screening requirement along roadside frontages as part of the adopted conditions.

What the approval does not do The approval was narrowly focused on the RV/vehicle request and did not expand or otherwise change the county’s prior determinations about motocross riding entitlements except to memorialize them in the special-exception package. The commission emphasized that any use beyond the approved conditions — for example, open-to-public races or events not allowed in the conditions — would require separate approvals.

Next steps The petition is now approved at the Planning & Zoning level; the decision and performance conditions will be memorialized in county files and enforced by Planning & Zoning and Code Enforcement. Several neighbors asked the county to monitor road impacts and septic/waste handling as RV use grows.

Ending note Petitioners and neighbors both asked the commission for enforceable rules and for clear lines of responsibility. The commission’s approval carried additional sanitary and screening requirements intended to reduce impacts; enforcement and compliance will determine whether the conditions satisfy neighbors’ concerns going forward.