Planning panel recommends special‑use permit allowing one tractor‑trailer on rural Marion County parcel with conditions

The Marion County Planning & Zoning Commission voted to recommend approval of a special‑use permit allowing parking of one commercial tractor‑trailer on a roughly 4‑acre A‑1 parcel at 12160 SE 100th Road in the Lake Weir area. The permit was requested by Crystal Rodriguez de Leon and Kemuel Rodriguez Rivera and is a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners, which will consider the case on Nov. 17 at 1:30 p.m.

Staff described the application as a request to operate a single tractor‑trailer from the site and to use two decommissioned trailers for private storage after removing DOT registrations and anchoring them in place. Ken Weirock, deputy director of Growth Services, said staff recommended approval with conditions including plantation hedgerows and screening, engineering/permitting and anchoring of the storage trailers, prohibition on mechanical repairs or vehicle washing at the property, and a prohibition on administrative automatic renewals of the permit.

Neighbors raised concerns about safety, noise, road wear and prior code enforcement history. Sean Sullivan, who said his family has owned property on the lake since 1982, testified in opposition citing the rural character of the dirt‑road neighborhood and incidents he said he observed of vehicle maintenance on the site. Staff and code enforcement representatives confirmed an open code case led the applicant to seek a special use permit to regularize the activity.

The applicant, Crystal Rodriguez de Leon, said she moved to a larger, rural parcel earlier in 2025 and worked with staff to meet on‑site recommendations and permitting requirements. She told the board she intended to comply with the conditions and that the trailers would be deactivated and anchored.

After questions from commissioners about enforcement and revocation procedures, the commission moved to recommend approval with the conditions laid out by staff (anchoring/deactivation and permitting of trailers, hedgerow buffering, limitation on operational refrigeration/loaded trailers, ban on on‑site mechanical maintenance, and no administrative renewal). The motion passed with one board member opposed.

The commission’s action is advisory; the final decision will be made by the Board of County Commissioners at the scheduled public hearing. If approved by the BCC, staff said code enforcement has a process to seek revocation if conditions are violated.