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Planning panel denies Merit Monuments' request for home‑business exception after neighbors cite noise, traffic and health concerns
Summary
Hernando County planning commissioners voted 3–2 to deny a special‑exception request from Merit Monuments to continue a sandblasting/monument business at a Weatherly Road property, citing incompatibility with the residential zoning and concerns over intensity and precedent.
The Hernando County Planning & Zoning Commission voted 3–2 on Dec. 16 to deny a special‑exception application from Merit Monuments — the company owned by David and Lynette Merritt — to operate a monument‑processing business at a Weatherly Road property.
Supporters of the Merritts said the business has operated intermittently on the parcels for about a decade and argued the sandblasting work is limited, contained and largely off‑site. “We don't cut granite. We get the granite already cut. We sandblast it,” said Joe Merritt, who described work in an enclosed sandblasting booth and said filtration prevents fugitive dust from escaping.
Opponents — many of whom live near the site — told the commission the use has increasingly disturbed the rural neighborhood. “I can hear the…
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