Clay County denies Fleming Island Preserve PUD after hours of public testimony raising traffic, flooding and safety concerns

Clay County commissioners on Dec. 10 voted 5-0 to deny a rezoning request that would have allowed Miranda Homes to build the Fleming Island Preserve planned unit development, a proposed 156-unit subdivision on about 63 acres along Old Hard Road.

The applicant, represented by Alex Moldovan, outlined a revised plan that reduced an earlier proposal and added stormwater measures, a 20-foot perimeter landscape buffer, additional tree plantings and roadside turn lanes. Moldovan said the project team had engineering letters — including one from FDOT — indicating the development would not cause “significant adverse effects” to nearby intersections and that they had scored more than the points required by county density rules.

But more than two dozen residents who live along Old Hard Road and in adjacent neighborhoods told the board the corridor is already overburdened and unsafe. Mike Burns, who lives on Old Hard Road, told commissioners, “The subject corridor in its present condition does not lend itself to an increase of over 300 trips per day that this subdivision would generate.” Other speakers described narrow lanes with fragile shoulders, frequent school drop‑off backups, chronic flooding and long emergency response delays during peak congestion.

Public-safety staff and the fire marshal also flagged access issues. Fire Chief Dave Motak told the board that “it is always preferable to have at least two entrances and exits,” warning that gated or single-access plans can impede emergency response and that gates bring operational complications.

The applicant’s traffic consultant and an FDOT planner submitted letters saying planned capacity improvements would mitigate impacts and that FDOT did not anticipate significant adverse effects. Moldovan said the developer was willing to work with the county on off-site improvements, add a second entrance if needed, and provide mail kiosks or crosswalks for neighboring mail access.

Planning staff had noted the proposal met county ordinance scoring thresholds in several respects, but the Planning Commission recommended denial 7-0 after its hearing. Commissioners who voted to deny cited a mismatch between the technical checklist and the site’s local constraints, saying that the character and physical limits of Old Hard Road made higher-density development unreasonable without substantial county-funded roadwork.

Outcome and next steps: The denial is final for this hearing; the applicant said they would consider whether to withdraw the application or pursue alternatives. County staff said any future rezoning would require renewed submittals, environmental permits and coordinated off-site mitigation. The board did not set any further action on this parcel at the meeting.

Votes at the meeting: motion to deny rezoning passed 5-0.

What happened at the hearing

- Applicant: Miranda Homes (agent: Alex Moldovan) sought rezoning to PUD for a 156‑lot development, reduced from an earlier 179‑lot concept. The application included traffic mitigation (turn lanes, sidewalk extension) and expanded stormwater facilities. - Public comment: 26 speakers (neighbors, HOA presidents, residents) overwhelmingly opposed the rezoning, focusing on traffic, safety, flooding and wildlife/wetlands concerns. Several speakers urged denial rather than modification. - Staff & experts: County engineers confirmed scheduled safety projects (signals and turn restrictions) but said those projects alone would not fully remove congestion and safety risks without larger road reconstruction. FDOT and a traffic consultant provided technical letters of no adverse effect but recommended site‑specific improvements. - Public safety: Fire/public-safety leadership recommended multiple stabilized access points rather than a single gated entry to avoid response delays.

Why it matters

Old Hard Road is a narrow two‑lane corridor with limited shoulders that serves multiple schools and several growing neighborhoods. Commissioners said the PUD proposal exposed a longer-running tension in Clay County growth policy: matching rising development pressure with the county—s physical infrastructure and community expectations about neighborhood character and safety.

Who said what (representative quotes)

"The subject corridor in its present condition does not lend itself to an increase of over 300 trips per day that this subdivision would generate," — Mike Burns, Old Hard Road resident.

"We are agreeable to add a second entrance," — Alex Moldovan, agent for the applicant, on a potential change to address emergency access concerns.

"Always preferable to have at least two entrances and exits," — Dave Motak, Fire Chief, on emergency access and gate concerns.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 1774, topfinish SEG 4471.

Speakers referenced (first appearance)

- Alex Moldovan — agent/representative for Miranda Homes (first referenced SEG 1793) - Mike Burns — Old Hard Road resident/public speaker (first referenced SEG 2380) - Matthew Cunningham — Fleming Island resident/public speaker (first referenced SEG 2450) - Dave Motak — Team Fire Chief / public safety (first referenced SEG 2310) - Richard Smith — County engineer (first referenced SEG 2157)

Authorities cited

- Planning and land‑use code references and county scoring criteria (as discussed in staff reports).

Actions extracted

- deny_pud_rezoning_item_18: motion to deny rezoning (mover: Commissioner identified in meeting as speaker 16; second recorded; vote 5-0).