City Council moves marijuana ban ordinance forward – chronicleonline.com

The Green Dragon Dispensary is one of several medical marijuana dispensaries inside the Inverness city limits. It is located in the former Capital City bank building in the Inverness Shopping Plaza on U.S. 41.
The Green Dragon Dispensary is one of several medical marijuana dispensaries inside the Inverness city limits. It is located in the former Capital City bank building in the Inverness Shopping Plaza on U.S. 41.
The Inverness City Council took another step Tuesday toward prohibiting any new marijuana dispensaries within city limits, deciding to move a proposed ordinance through the city’s formal land development process rather than pause for a workshop.
The ordinance, first requested by the council in December, would bar additional dispensaries from opening beyond those already operating in the city. While some council members said they wanted more data – particularly related to crime and public safety – the majority agreed to let the Planning and Zoning Commission review the proposal first, with supporting information included, before the council takes it up at first reading.
Chris Shoemaker, the city’s director of community development, said staff prepared a draft ordinance following the Dec. 6 council meeting, when discussion of marijuana dispensaries resurfaced during debate on an unrelated fertilizer ordinance.
“We assembled a draft ordinance and asked the city attorney to review it,” Shoemaker said. “He made a suggestion that it require an amendment to our land development code.”
Because of that, the ordinance must be reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission before returning to the council. Shoemaker said the commission is scheduled to hear the item Wednesday, Feb. 4, with first reading before council expected Feb. 17 and a final vote slated for March 3.
City Manager Eric Williams said the process requires two public hearings before the council and emphasized that the planning board’s review is a required step, not optional.
“This is a city-initiated amendment to the land development code and allowable uses,” Williams said. “It has to go through that process.”
During discussion, Councilwoman Crystal Lizanich asked staff to provide crime and safety data related specifically to marijuana dispensaries, noting that public comments in December raised concerns about criminal activity and overdoses.
“We get a quarterly report,” Lizanich said. “I haven’t seen much about the crime that’s happening there. Is there a way we can get some reports about the crime that’s happening around these dispensaries?”
Williams said staff could work with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office to gather analytics tied to dispensary locations and provide that information in advance of the council’s consideration of the ordinance.
“That would be more of a data-driven conversation,” Lizanich said.
Councilwoman Jacquie Hepfer questioned whether the council was moving too quickly toward formal readings without fully discussing the ordinance’s intent.
“I thought we just were agreed to look at it,” Hepfer said. “So now we’re having readings and final? I haven’t seen anything to say yes or no.”
City Attorney James Hartley explained that while the council could workshop the ordinance language, doing so would require pausing the current process and could complicate the required review by advisory boards.
“If we’re looking at the ordinance to get consensus on the language, that would be most appropriate as a workshop,” Hartley said. “But if you want to continue moving it forward, it needs to go through planning and zoning first.”
Williams cautioned that pulling the ordinance back after directing staff to advance it could send mixed signals.
“You gave direction for staff to put it through the process with the advisory boards,” he said. “It’d be a real mixed message to then pull back from them.”
Ultimately, the council agreed to proceed without a workshop, directing staff to include requested crime and safety data in the materials presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the council alike.
“It’s okay to have a first reading that isn’t unanimous,” Williams said. “You still have the option to accept it or summarily reject it when it comes back.”
No vote was taken Tuesday. The ordinance will next be reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission before returning to the council for formal consideration.
Mike Arnold can be reached at mike.arnold@chronicleonline.com or 352-564-2929, ext. 429.
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