Hernando County staff pitch a package of zoning changes — longer plan vesting, fewer small-permit burdens and new buffer rules

Hernando County planners laid out a broad set of near-term zoning changes on Tuesday aimed at cutting red tape and updating decades-old rules while strengthening landscape protections where development bumps against rural properties.

Development Services Director Omar De Pablo told the board staff wants to lengthen the effective life of master plans from two years to five so projects do not expire before they can obtain vertical-construction approvals. “Some of these master plans are coming to their expiration date before they can actually get approvals for vertical construction,” De Pablo said, arguing a longer vesting period would prevent needless re‑submittals.

Staff also recommended raising the threshold below which sheds and small accessory buildings do not require a local permit — aligning county practice with the Florida Building Code by exempting structures under 120 square feet — and making some conditional-use approvals administrative rather than requiring Planning & Zoning Commission hearings. De Pablo said temporary units issued for medical hardship or on‑site construction would still need building‑permit reviews and septic approvals. “Those requirements would still be required as part of the building permit process,” Michelle Miller, planning staff, told commissioners.

Several commissioners flagged drafting details. Commissioner Lockup questioned a draft reference to “5 feet in height” for small structures, calling it impractical; Miller said staff will reconcile height language with the state code before presenting ordinance text.

Backyard poultry drew prolonged discussion: staff proposed increasing allowable chickens from four to eight and removing a building‑permit requirement for coops under 120 sq ft, while commissioners urged a sliding scale tied to lot size and clearer rules about ducks and roosters. “Roosters would not be permitted,” Miller said; commissioners pressed that enforcement capacity and neighbor impacts be addressed before any change is finalized.

A major strand of the meeting concentrated on buffer and landscape rules. Planning staff presented a matrix of buffer “types” and new opacity targets (staff proposed 60% opacity at planting) and said the county is building GIS layers to map appropriate native plantings by local ecology. Officials also described a pilot of AI-assisted plan reviews that staff say can return construction‑drawing comments in hours rather than weeks.

Several commissioners and residents asked staff to harden construction‑buffer protections after recent complaints about cleared natural buffers, fugitive dust and ash from burning at borrow pits. Coastal Engineering consultant Cliff Manuel said grading and stormwater work sometimes have led contractors to clear existing vegetation; commissioners said any option that leaves natural buffers intact and requires construction limits should be strengthened.

What’s next: staff will return with ordinance language that reconciles state building-code triggers (height and size), a sliding scale and coop-size guidance from the University of Florida extension, and proposed landscaping/buffer text that specifies plant lists and maintenance obligations.