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Commission deadlocks on Meritage Homes plan amendment after hours of public concern over wetlands and flooding
Summary
Clay County’s planning panel split 3–3 on Meritage Homes’ small‑scale comprehensive plan amendment for nearly 28 acres at Long Bay and Sunrise Farms, producing no recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners. Residents urged lower density and flagged long‑standing flooding, traffic and rural character issues.
Clay County’s planning commission on June 2 declined to forward a recommendation on COMP 26‑006 after a split 3–3 vote, leaving the contested application to the Board of County Commissioners for a final decision June 23.
Meritage Homes proposed a land‑use change affecting about 27.96 acres at the northwest corner of Long Bay Road and Sunrise Farms Road. Staff reported the application would reconfigure future‑land‑use designations and expand the primary conservation network, and recommended approval. The applicant, Scott Andis, told the commission the project would reduce theoretical maximum density allowed under current land‑use categories and that the company is proposing 126 single‑family homes to minimize wetland impacts. “We are further only requesting 126 units so significantly smaller,” Andis said, adding that remaining wetlands would be placed into the conservation network.
Hundreds of minutes of public comment focused on the site’s wetlands and local flooding history. Residents living near Black Creek described prior flood events and urged the commission to require clearer evidence that runoff and drainage would not harm existing properties. “When that water comes back, it’s going to come back with a vengeance,” said a nearby resident who lives within walking distance of the site, pointing to past high‑water events.
Commissioners questioned details including lot widths (the proposal included lots as narrow as 34 feet), driveway/parking impacts on narrow streets, and how compensatory mitigation for wetland impacts would be implemented. The applicant said mitigation credits, water‑management district review and county concurrency processes would address stormwater, traffic and school‑capacity impacts, but several commissioners and many residents said they wanted firmer guarantees before recommending approval. The commission’s 3–3 tie resulted in no recommendation; the Board of County Commissioners will take it up on June 23.
