Commission directs staff to draft ordinance allowing a specialty dyslexia school in limited industrial areas

The Longwood City Commission voted Feb. 2 to direct staff to prepare an ordinance amending the industrial-core allowable-use table to permit a narrowly defined specialty school, following a staff presentation and debate over potential tax-base impacts.

Chris Kittner of the Community Development Department explained the request from One School of the Arts and Sciences for 474 Commerce Way in the Florida Central Commerce Park, noting that a 2011 code change removed schools and religious institutions from the industrial core to protect commercial tax base and avoid frequent, piecemeal reuses of warehouse space. "Back in 2011, the city commission was running into issues where we had both a high number of churches looking for warehouse space and also some schools looking for warehouse space," Kittner said, explaining why staff wants to add a narrowly tailored 'specialty schools' line with directional standards rather than rezoning individual parcels.

Commissioners discussed tradeoffs. Commissioner Morgan said allowing the one proposed dyslexia-focused school could be valuable: he described it as the first such school in Seminole County history and emphasized the county need for neurodiverse services. "This would be the very first dyslexia school in Seminole County history," Morgan said. Other commissioners raised concerns about losing taxable commercial property in the industrial core and the prior battles over similar requests in 2011.

An initial motion to immediately allow the specific school on that parcel failed for lack of a second. After clarifying motion language, the commission voted to direct staff to draft an ordinance that would amend the industrial core allowable-use table to add a narrowly defined specialty-school category with locational and spacing limits (for example, limiting multiple specialty-school allocations within a specified radius) and bring it through the required public-hearing process (land-planning agency and two commission readings). The motion passed on roll call 3–1; Mayor Sackett voted no.

The ordinance will move through the state-mandated plan/advertising process (land planning agency hearing in March followed by two commission hearings) and can be amended or rejected at later stages. Staff said the proposed approach preserves industrial zoning while creating a limited path for one kind of educational use when there is a compelling, donated property opportunity.

Next steps: staff will draft ordinance language, define 'specialty schools,' include directional and spacing standards, engage the land-planning agency and return for public hearings.