The proposal is an outgrowth of a controversy over an animal-oriented tourist destination called
Safari Wild that was proposed in the Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern.
A hearing officer last year struck down Polk County's approval of the project because it violated several county regulations.
This is the second time the proposed regulation had been continued because of questions about whether the regulations needed to be better defined.
"I don't think this is ready for prime time," Commissioner John Ryan said.
He said he wanted to exempt Class I and II
wildlife from being part of agritourism.
Class I animals include lions, bears, apes, rhinoceros and other large animals that are potentially dangerous. Class II animals include monkeys, smaller cats, antelopes and other less dangerous animals.
Dr. Stephen Wehrmann, a veterinarian who is one of the owners of a game ranch that could take advantage of the ordinance, argued antelopes and other hoofed animals fall under the state definition of livestock and shouldn't be restricted.
Ryan said he'd be willing to discuss a revision, but said he wasn't sure a lot of situations involved legitimate agriculture.
"I don't see a zoo on a farm," he said.
The unanimous vote for continuance came following a series of failed motions to recommend approval and then denial. The first motion tied 3-3. The second failed 4-2.
Assistant County Attorney Jan McDonald recommended commissioners consider the issue when they were fresher.
The case didn't come up until after 7 p.m. during a meeting that had begun at 9 a.m.
The case, which planners had been trying to fast track to the commission, had been scheduled for a public hearing before the Polk County Commission next Tuesday.
Wehrmann is co-owner of the licensed exotic game farm off Moore Road that also is the site of the proposed Safari Wild tourist attraction.
Florida Wildlife Ranch is a scaled-back version of Safari Wild that Wehrmann said could attract some tourists -- he's not really sure what the market is -- to provide some income to pay for running the ranch that contains 160 exotic animals ranging from various species of African antelope to Indian rhinoceroses.
The main issue isn't whether farms may be great places to bring tourists, but whether there are adequate controls on issues such as traffic and noise to protect adjacent rural landowners.
A state administrative law judge last year quashed Polk County's approval of Safari Wild, concluding county officials ignored their own growth plan and development regulations.
The ruling came after officials at the
Florida Department of Community Affairs, which oversees development permits in the Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern, challenged the county's decision.
Lois Murphy, a sixth-generation Floridian whose family owns a ranch near Wehrmann's property, was one of the prime critics of Safari Wild and the county's handling of it.
She asked planners to take more time reviewing the proposal.
"I have a fear that this is more about
tourism than about agriculture," she said, explaining she's afraid the result could be to weaken agriculture.
"I don't think a (development code change) should be driven by one case; that seems strange to me," she said.
Read More
http://www.newschief.com/article/20110408/NEWS/104085138/1021/news01?Title=Safari-Wild-will-have-to-wait-on-Commission
cozy and comfortable separate cabins with all the facilities to make a camping vacation with minimal fuss.
cozy and comfortable separate cabins with all the facilities to make a camping vacation with minimal fuss.
