Marion County commissioners on Nov. 4 held the first of two public hearings on proposed changes to the county Land Development Code that would (1) add a formal definition for "big-box retailer" and treat such stores like shopping centers for on-building signage, and (2) add development standards for solar energy facilities in agricultural (A-1) zoning.

Growth Services deputy director Ken Weirock told the board the proposed definition would label a big-box retailer as a single commercial use of roughly 75,000 square feet or more, and would allow on-building wall signage to be calculated the same way the county already does for shopping centers (1.75 square feet per linear foot of building frontage). Reggie Boudier, an attorney speaking for applicant On Top of the World, said the change fixes a 1992 provision that limits signage for large, modern retail formats to just 96 square feet and makes the county less competitive for retailers such as Home Depot and Target.

"All we're doing is creating that definition for big-box retailers and including them with shopping centers," Boudier said, adding the change would allow the county to attract large retailers without forcing them into a variance process. He urged the board to move the language forward to the second public hearing.

The second component — staff-proposed development standards for solar energy facilities in agricultural zoning — followed an explanation that Florida statute now permits solar in A-1, and county staff wants objective standards (setbacks, mechanical equipment orientation and buffer requirements) so applicants know what to build. Weirock described proposed setbacks (panels and similar structures set back 100 feet from property lines; inverters and noisier equipment oriented to the site interior and set back 300 feet) and said other Chapter 4.2.4 development standards would apply.

Commissioners pressed staff and the Land Development Regulation Commission (LDRC) on several fronts. Concerns included possible loss of productive farmland, whether local regulation could legally go beyond the state statute, stormwater impacts, limits for decommissioning and site restoration, and whether a numerical signage cap or examples of use cases should be provided. Several commissioners asked staff to prepare visual examples and calculations showing how the 1.75 ft² per linear-foot formula would translate into actual permitted signage for targets such as Home Depot, Target or Walmart.

Commissioner [last names used per transcript on first reference] raised the prospect of restricting solar placement in actively farmed lands, requiring mitigation or replacement plantings when tree clearing is necessary, and adding stronger stormwater criteria. Staff and the county attorney noted statutory limits on what the county may require but said carefully drafted local development standards could still provide meaningful protections.

No final action was taken; the board scheduled a second public hearing for Dec. 2, 2025, and directed staff to meet with commissioners and LDRC members to prepare use cases, visual examples, and refined legal language. "If we need to tweak anything between now and then, do that," the chair said, acknowledging the county could adopt something in December and refine it later if needed.

What happens next: Staff will prepare models showing potential signage allowances and additional development-standards options for solar (including buffering, decommissioning language and stormwater measures) ahead of the Dec. 2 second hearing.

Quote: "If they have 96 square feet of on-building signage limitations…Home Depot and Target will not locate here," Reggie Boudier said as he urged modernization. "We just need to add big box retailers to be included with shopping centers."