County approves rezoning for 1,620‑acre parcel; utility says it will lease 500 upland acres for potential solar farm

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — The Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 10 voted unanimously to rezone roughly 1,620 acres in eastern Hillsborough County from planned development to an Agricultural Mining (AM) district and to approve a companion planned‑development amendment, steps county staff said are intended to permit agricultural‑mining uses and to align zoning with the property’s future‑land‑use designation.

Counsel for Tampa Electric (TECO) told commissioners the utility is pursuing the feasibility of a solar farm on the property and has a lease agreement to use about 500 acres of upland within the larger folio. "The entire property, the entire folio is the 1,600 acres," the applicant's counsel said. "Our lease specifically with Mosaic says that we will be leasing 500 acres of upland, so the solar will be on the upland." The applicant added that wetlands exist on portions of the folio and that any solar project would require separate conditional‑use and site‑development approvals at the time of development.

A resident who identified herself during public comment said she and neighbors were confused about how many acres would be developed and raised concerns about wildlife and wetlands. The applicant responded on the record, clarifying the distinction between the full folio acreage and the 500‑acre upland lease and explaining that further environmental and permitting review would follow prior to any development.

Planning‑level staff and advisory bodies reviewed policy and environmental considerations for the site. County planning staff noted the site lies within an agricultural‑mining future‑land‑use category and observed that the property contains former phosphate‑mine features, wetlands and wellhead or surface‑water protection areas that would require compliance measures at the development stage. The county’s zoning hearing master recommended approval, finding the proposed rezoning and the potential solar use compatible with surrounding mining and agricultural land uses when conditioned and subject to later site‑level review.

The board approved both the rezoning (G1A) and the PD site‑plan amendment (G1B) by a 7–0 vote. County staff said the rezoning and PD change do not authorize construction of a solar farm by themselves; any solar facility would be subject to later conditional‑use approvals, environmental compliance and development standards.

What happens next: the rezoning and PD amendment change the zoning and the plan for the property. If TECO (or another developer) pursues a solar project, that proposal would return to county review with technical site plans, environmental permits and any required conditional‑use hearings. The record shows the applicant has committed to placing solar structures on upland areas and the county will monitor compliance with wetlands, wildlife habitat, and wellhead protection policies during the site‑development review process.