Polk County Land Use Hearing Officer - 2025-12-09
Meeting Intelligence Preview
Meeting Summary
The Polk County Land Use Hearing Officer heard four special exception and variance cases on December 9, 2025. Staff recommended approval for all cases heard: a commercial crane parking request at 11252 Country Haven Drive, a semi-truck parking request at 5525 Tillman Road, a setback variance for hurricane rebuild at 3472 3rd Avenue near Bartow, and a patio cover setback variance at 76 Citrus Ridge Drive in Davenport. No rulings were issued; written orders will follow in 7-10 days.
Key Decisions (4)
Commercial Vehicle Parking Special Exception at 11252 Country Haven Drive
Lola Urbane requested special exception to park a 1998 Terex telescopic crane at residence on 0.95 acres in agricultural residential rural district within Green Swamp area of critical state concern. Staff recommended approval with conditions including type B buffer/6-foot opaque fence screening and commercial driveway apron construction. Special exception is for operator only, does not run with land, requires annual renewal.
Commercial Vehicle Parking Special Exception at 5525 Tillman Road
Sandra La Rosa Gonzalez requested special exception to park a 2012 International Prostar class eight sleeper truck and trailer at residence on 0.99 acres in agricultural residential rural district. Staff recommended approval. Truck to be parked in side yard, 42 feet from southern property line and 62 feet from eastern property line.
Setback Variance for Hurricane Rebuild at 3472 3rd Avenue near Bartow
Dewberry Consulting on behalf of Willie Hill and Kenneth Hill requested variance to reduce north side setback from 10 feet to 3 feet and south side setback from 10 feet to 4 feet for single family home replacement through Rebuild Florida program on 0.13 acres in residential low 1 district. Previous home damaged by Hurricane Ian. Staff recommended approval as lot is only 40 feet wide and cannot accommodate standard Rebuild Florida home models without variance.
Patio Cover Setback Variance at 76 Citrus Ridge Drive, Davenport
Monica McCartney requested variance to reduce side setback from 5 feet to approximately 1 foot (recorded as zero) for open patio cover on 0.055 acres in residential medium district within PUD 8122 (Citrus Ridge Subdivision). Staff recommended approval noting 34 similar setback variances approved in Citrus Ridge since 2019, with 14 in this phase alone.
Development Activity (1)
Rebuild Florida Hurricane Ian Replacement Home
Replacement single family home approximately 1,410 square feet replacing hurricane-damaged 1,078 square foot home on 0.13 acre lot
Market Signals (3)
Housing Demand
Rebuild Florida program is actively replacing hurricane-damaged homes in Polk County, using standardized home models for cost efficiency, indicating ongoing post-Hurricane Ian recovery activity.
Housing Demand
Citrus Ridge subdivision near Davenport has seen 34 setback variances approved since 2019, suggesting active property improvements and modifications in this mobile home community.
Other
Commercial vehicle parking special exceptions are common in agricultural residential rural areas where lots are below the 5-acre threshold, with similar approvals granted in the area including LDLSC2021-6 approximately 0.2 miles from Country Haven Drive site.