In a unanimous vote on January 29, Hernando County commissioners upheld their previous decision to deny a rezoning request for a parcel on Lockhart Road, despite opposition from some neighborhood residents. The property, located at 6191 Lockhart Road, about a mile west of Interstate 75 and SR 50, is currently zoned agricultural. Owner Casey Cane had submitted an application to rezone the parcel to C-2 highway commercial in May 2025, which would have permitted approximately 60 different uses, including dining, retail, lodging, and various industrial and mechanical businesses.
Cane had a buyer under contract to purchase the parcel for approximately $550,000, contingent on successfully rezoning the property. The buyer’s plan was to construct an ATV rental, sale, and repair business on the property. However, the county planning and zoning commission unanimously denied Cane’s rezoning application on August 11. The board of county commissioners also voted unanimously to deny the request on September 2, citing the agricultural designation of several neighboring residential properties as the reason for the denial. “I have no problem with commercial being on the main highway, but now creeping into the residential and specifically the ag area I think is a very dangerous precedent,” said District 4 Commissioner Jerry Campbell at the board’s September 2 meeting.
Cane argued that the area is already rapidly trending toward more commercial uses, and that commissioners had already approved a 903,000-square-foot warehouse on Lockhart Road in 2022. He also pointed to the county’s plan to widen Lockhart Road from two lanes to four and noted that a parcel immediately north of his, zoned C-1, is already being courted by a major national retailer like Home Depot. Despite these arguments, commissioners chose to uphold their previous decision, dealing a blow to Cane and his prospective buyer.
Originally reported by Hernando Sun
Sources: Hernando Sun
