BROOKSVILLE — Hernando County’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted 3-2 on July 13 to deny a rezoning that would have doubled the number of homes allowed on an 11.8-acre site in Hernando Beach, after residents packed the meeting and flooded the county with emails opposing it.
The property, on the north side of Eagle Nest Drive west and north of Maplewood Drive, is made up of six platted lots already approved for six single-family homes. The applicant sought PDP (SF) zoning to build up to six two-family dwellings — as many as 12 units — in side-by-side or stacked configurations, according to agenda documents. Homes sit south, east and west of the site; Minnow Creek runs along the north.
Residents told the commission the added units would strain the neighborhood’s infrastructure and did not fit the area, arguing the two-family buildings would likely end up as short-term rentals listed on Airbnb or Vrbo.
Ford Manuel and his father, Cliff Manuel, of Coastal Engineering presented the project, telling the commission they were designing housing that would sell in the current market. They also sought a number of deviations from county standards.
Commission member Xenia Pino moved to approve the rezoning, drawing objections from the audience, including a shout that she does not live in the neighborhood. A motion to deny followed and passed 3-2.
The request is expected to go before the Hernando County Commission, which has the final say.
Heliport denied
The commission voted 5-0 to deny a special exception use permit for a private heliport on 8.4 acres of agricultural land about five miles northeast of Brooksville.Petitioner Pablo Barrozo said he wanted to name the landing spot “Jaime’s Heliport” for his late son and that the Federal Aviation Administration has approved it.
“My son Jaime died in a car accident, and he loved helicopters,” Barrozo said. “I promised when he was little that we were going to build one.”
The parcel, zoned PDP (Rural), is on the south side of Peach Bloom Road about 755 feet east of Peach Blossom Road. County documents describe Barrozo’s aircraft as an ultralight with a small two-stroke engine, which he said is quieter than the diesel tractors he runs on the property. He showed photos of the helicopter at the meeting and said the nearest home is about 700 feet away.
Barrozo said the heliport would support a charity event for children with autism held about four times a year in Lake City, with two takeoffs and landings per event.
“It will not be utilized for commercial aviation activities,” said Omar DePablo, the county’s development services director.
Several other private heliports in the Brooksville area have been approved, Barrozo said. He said he would keep no fuel on site and would refuel at the nearby Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport, and that agencies such as the Sheriff’s Office could use the pad in an emergency. His helicopter warms up for eight minutes before flying, he said, and he hovers on occasion. Larger, louder aircraft, including National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters, already pass over the area, he said.
Neighbor Adriana Probus objected in person and by email, citing noise, safety and the effect on her grandchildren. Despite Barrozo’s assurance that he approaches his land from the south, she said, he has flown over her house and between neighbors’ homes. Her grandchildren are afraid to play outside because of the noise and rotor wash, she said.
Probus also said Barrozo has had other ultralight helicopters trucked in for maintenance — Barrozo said he is a certificated airframe and powerplant mechanic — and that she has seen as many as three hovering over the property at once.
“You have to close your windows, you have to close your doors, you have to turn on the TV in order not to hear the hovering,” Probus said.
“I just want to preserve my peace,” she said. “That’s why we moved to Brooksville.”