Hernando County staff told the commission Oct. 28 they had worked overnight to avert an immediate displacement of multiple small businesses sharing a Spring Hill commissary after the county’s planned acquisition of the property accelerated and the owner demanded tenants vacate.

Business owner Kevin Herbert told the board he and other tenants were given very little time and that he had lost several weeks of revenue while trying to learn who the buyer was and whether he could stay. Herbert said he had hired contractors and faced significant moving and build‑out costs if forced to relocate immediately.

County economic development director Valerie Pianta said staff had been negotiating with the owner and the business owner and recommended a short‑term arrangement: a county license or short lease to allow Herbert and the other on‑site commissary businesses to remain for 30 days with one 30‑day renewal to permit immediate work on an alternate space Herbert had identified. Pianta said the county would expedite building‑permit review for the new site, subject to normal permitting and insurance requirements. Staff asked Herbert to provide proof of required insurance and said the county would negotiate rent and decide final terms.

Herbert and several small‑business colleagues spoke at the meeting, describing lost revenue and the difficulty of building out a permitted commercial kitchen on short notice. Multiple commissioners urged the county to find a pragmatic path forward. County staff confirmed they could issue a short license to avoid immediate displacement and to expedite permitting for a new site; commissioners asked staff to bring finalized license terms back to the board quickly.

At the meeting the board also discussed policy questions raised by the situation — notably that buying occupied commercial property can leave tenants with short notice if not handled contractually — and several commissioners urged owners and managers to include tenant protections and assignment clauses in future sales contracts.

Ending: County staff said they will finalize the short‑term license, review insurance documentation provided by the business, expedite permitting for the new site and report back to the commission with contract terms and a recommended rent for the temporary arrangement.