[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6669023,"mediaKeyId","2215924-30b69a68d054e4b14800bd3734bf4dea","parentId",2215924,"title","Brooksville council accepts clean audit, approves appointments, advances entertainment‑district plan","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",6124000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2215924-30b69a68d054e4b14800bd3734bf4dea&start=6124&end=6124","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2215924-30b69a68d054e4b14800bd3734bf4dea/thumbnail_6124000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6669023/Brooksville/Hernando-County/Florida/Brooksville-council-accepts-clean-audit-approves-appointments-advances-entertainmentdistrict-plan","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6669023-35b8fa6ecd7dca4fede9819900981375/orig.mp4?Expires=1771205721&Signature=ol7X3J~Z-47y1bxdaZtNCBJqPDHXAgVooDDznAnL3lUPt792huTOvMGzRatItTPKt2Y068lV~46BZ1lM13A8sB-qnEcxDG~40X0vEhEZv2Z1mFqA1h4FZ62VseSaBRg1X8RBscbuE8kDTtgYVC~-WqyUlMWJwVEF6sbcHAp5vsdINxpKTEOFAvdrTqk0R4nr1-a0ylGWKGwDDweOvsTyLhG24~~NJK-7wMGJZ7pBSnN-oCQkz75uW3ajffg52RkHX8HXq1Q8GW4kx~W5Kh34NT8TNKVpSvuaVPvhWua6HwSrwB7IyZsB5cS7MRIcniNxmnoJc3wqrWwvBEsZYd0JoQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Brooksville","date","2025-02-03T00:00:00Z","article","Brooksville City Council on Monday accepted a clean audit for the year ending Sept. 30, 2023, approved several appointments and ordinances, and advanced a first reading of a downtown entertainment‑district ordinance intended to allow limited outdoor alcohol consumption during permitted events.

Auditors from CliftonLarsonAllen presented results showing stronger‑than‑budgeted revenues and a healthy fund balance. “Your general fund was in a very good place at the end of 2023,” auditor Julie Fowler told the council, noting roughly $9.6 million in ending fund balance and about $6.5 million unrestricted after restrictions.

Why it matters: The audit’s unmodified opinion affirms the city’s basic financial health ahead of planned capital and utility projects. Council action on multiple contracts and ordinances this meeting sets policy direction on wastewater connection allocations, firefighters’ retirement changes and a downtown entertainment district proponents say will boost business activity.

Votes at a glance
- Draft audit accepted (motion passed 5–0).
- Appointments: Kelly Wooldridge to the Beautification Board (passed 5–0); Pat Breighton to Police Pension Substitute Trust Fund (passed 5–0).
- Ordinance 995 (amending wastewater connections moratorium to add Majestic Oaks Partners LLC): passed 4–0 with Vice Mayor Bronson recused.
- Ordinance 991 (amendments to Firefighters Retirement Trust Fund): passed 5–0 on second reading.
- Stantec change order No. 2 for sewer rehabilitation, Phase 4 (engineering services & schedule extension): approved 5–0.
- Evergreen Solutions compensation study (piggyback contract) approved 4–1 (one councilmember opposed); staff to begin a market compensation study budgeted at $29,500.
- Ordinance 992 (Downtown Entertainment District): approved on first reading; second reading scheduled for March 3.

Downtown entertainment district
Council held the first public hearing on Ordinance 992, which would replace an older special‑district section of the land‑development code with a Downtown Entertainment District framework allowing outdoor, controlled alcohol consumption during permitted events and creating an event permitting process and branded take‑away cups. Business owners said the change could expand evening activity and boost foot traffic. Tanya Myers, co‑owner of Broadstreet Brewing Company, said the ordinance will help downtown businesses: “It’s proven throughout many cities…that have thriving nightlife downtown,” Myers said.

Contracts, staffing and planning items
- Audit services: Council authorized the statement of work for the FY2024 audit so auditors can begin the next cycle (funded in the FY25 budget).
- Sewer rehab (Stantec): Council approved a $99,930 transfer and change order to continue engineering work on Sewer Rehab Phase 4 and extended the contract schedule to allow additional work in East Avenue, where cameras identified significant infiltration problems.
- Compensation study: Council approved Evergreen Solutions to conduct an external compensation and classification study (estimated $29,500), with results to be returned to council and implementation options offered.

Other business
Council discussed a staff proposal to merge the Good Neighbor Trail Advisory Committee into the Parks and Recreation Committee; staff will return with ordinance language and options for board size and representation. City staff also reported work under way on a stormwater master plan and an asset inventory; consultants expect to present a full stormwater‑utility framework for council consideration around June.

Speakers and sources quoted or summarized in this article include Julie Fowler (CliftonLarsonAllen), Autumn Sullivan (finance director), Kyle Martin (HR director), Tanya Myers (Broadstreet Brewing), Chris Rhodes (Brooksville Main Street) and multiple council members and staff. Direct quotes are attributed to those speakers from the public meeting record.

Ending
Council members said the combination of a sound audit, planned infrastructure work and new downtown initiatives positions Brooksville to pursue economic activity while staff proceeds with stormwater and wastewater planning and a formal city manager recruitment process.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Brooksville - City Council Regular Meeting - Feb 03, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The council accepted an unmodified audit opinion showing strong general‑fund reserves, approved board appointments and several ordinances — including first reading of a downtown entertainment‑district measure — and authorized contracts for audits, sewer rehab and a citywide compensation study.","taxTitle","Brooksville, Hernando County, Florida","taxId",52021,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6669028,"Brooksville council OKs mediated settlement, rezones Wisconn Road site for 92-home subdivision",1681,3079000,4760000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2215924-30b69a68d054e4b14800bd3734bf4dea&start=3079&end=4760","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2215924-30b69a68d054e4b14800bd3734bf4dea/thumbnail_3079000.jpg","/articles/6669028/Brooksville/Hernando-County/Florida/Brooksville-council-OKs-mediated-settlement-rezones-Wisconn-Road-site-for-92-home-subdivision","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6669028-e54b5f0b7fa6a7aa61cbc93c2866445c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771205721&Signature=gNtk1Vaf16~EYHVVdt5fAGuEw1foW0KE-g1lm3qQ08k5wZr1V9OTDwVZYrsWLLnirfJdTmYKRJoVD6ztdM3AsTbWuk39XnqOSjugPimQPltbvjVv~mWHvqtVQvFlItxl0P0wRitnUZa4usf~HXJuLzTmGJtFI7aU8kErtRT1Krb~jMDCGlMITxwJqnQa1d4japgdyK0aT2uuv~jbuDQGrKuxcQYNSDcAGFM8RfS--Y6chMZoTcwyxDxnRwWq5ndIP44t7AtRWlCQb-jAGaffEeWK5Qx2iD61HJlTj7uksEGSpwNfOCKmPSx74qMh2KTRCGvq6qNs2FwPlHZti4knSg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Brooksville City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve a mediated settlement with Brooksville Associates and to adopt Ordinance 983 rezoning about 41.22 acres on the north side of Wisconn Road for a maximum of 92 single‑family lots.

The council’s action follows a mediation under the Florida Land Use and Environmental Dispute Resolution Act and a months‑long dispute over what the property owner contends are vested rights to a much larger development. The settlement and rezoning reduce the petitioner’s claimed entitlement and set development parameters the city and the owner agreed would avoid protracted litigation.

The mediated agreement was reached in December 2024 after the owner filed a petition on Sept. 25, 2024. Derek Schroth, the magistrate‑mediator who led the process, described his role and the settlement’s purpose: “I’m a neutral party. Both sides pay for my fee equally in this matter,” Schroth said, adding that mediation averted a full contested evidentiary hearing.

Why it matters: The property’s comprehensive‑plan designation could allow up to 741 dwelling units at certain densities, a figure the petitioner has cited from prior approvals dating to the 1989 annexation. Council members and residents had earlier cited flooding, road capacity and wastewater limits as critical constraints; the settlement narrows potential exposure to a costly Bert Harris Act claim while imposing conditions that require state and agency permitting.

Key facts and terms
- Parcel size: 41.22 acres. The mediated settlement and the rezoning ordinance limit development to a maximum of 92 single‑family lots.
- Lot mix agreed in the settlement and included in staff conditions: 72 lots with minimum 50‑foot frontage, 8 lots with 55‑foot frontage and 12 lots with 60‑foot frontage.
- Earlier approvals: the property was annexed to Brooksville in 1989 with zoning that the petitioner cites as supporting rights for 741 mobile homes. In 2006 the owner received approval for up to 156 townhomes; a three‑year time limit lapsed when construction did not begin.
- Regulatory review: the settlement includes a condition requiring compliance with the South‑West Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) and other agency reviews before building permits are issued.

Opposition, flood risk and legal exposure
Council discussion repeatedly focused on flood risk and wastewater capacity. Several council members and at least one nearby resident said portions of the site and downstream areas, including a low point known locally as Peck Sink, have flooded in recent storms. Council members uniformly noted that any building permit for new homes will require demonstration of stormwater mitigation and agency approvals before construction can proceed.

City staff and the petitioner said agency permitting is expected to reduce localized flooding compared with the current undeveloped condition. Mark Bentley, attorney for Brooksville Associates, emphasized the settlement’s stormwater condition: “There’s a condition, imposed on the settlement, condition 13, actually, that we have to comply with SWFWMD and through all the agency review,” Bentley said.

City counsel and the mediator also told council members that rejecting the settlement might expose the city to a claim under the Bert Harris Act if a court later finds the owner had vested development rights. The mediator described that potential outcome as a key reason the parties sought a negotiated solution.

What the council approved
- A motion to accept the mediated settlement agreement with Brooksville Associates (vote recorded as passing 5–0).
- Second reading and adoption of Ordinance 983 rezoning the property to the PDPR (Planned Development Project — Residential) classification, codifying the settlement terms (roll‑call vote: Mayor Tanner, Vice Mayor Bronson, Councilmembers McKeithen, Ehrhardt and Hallows — all voted Aye; ordinance passed 5–0).

Next steps
The settlement and zoning approval are conditional. The developer still must obtain detailed site plan approvals, demonstrate compliance with stormwater and wastewater requirements and secure permits from the Water Management District and other agencies before construction or permitting can proceed. City staff said the site will be reviewed through the city’s normal construction‑plan process and that wastewater capacity is not guaranteed until infrastructure capacity and service agreements are in place.

Speakers and sources quoted or summarized in this article include Derek Schroth, magistrate‑mediator; Mark Bentley, attorney for Brooksville Associates; Steve Goldman, city planner; David Hanley, interim city manager; Wade Vos, city attorney; and multiple council members. Direct quotes in the story are taken from the public hearing record.

Ending
Council members said the settlement reduces immediate legal risk to the city while creating a path for a more modest, staff‑reviewed development. Council approval does not authorize construction; final building permits will depend on mitigation, agency approvals and available wastewater service.

","After months of dispute and mediation, Brooksville approved a settlement with Brooksville Associates that reduces an earlier entitlement claim and rezones 41.22 acres on Wisconn Road to allow up to 92 single‑family lots amid lingering flood and wastewater concerns.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Brooksville council accepts clean audit, approves appointments, advances entertainment‑district plan

Brooksville council OKs mediated settlement, rezones Wisconn Road site for 92-home subdivision