Inverness backs away from dispensary ban – paxtonmedia.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 stepped back Tuesday from an outright ban on new medical marijuana dispensaries and instead signaled it wants tighter oversight, not prohibition.
By consensus, council members declined to advance an ordinance that would have barred any new Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers, or MMTCs, within city limits. Instead, they directed staff to explore creating a special exception process that would apply to pharmacies and, under state law, dispensaries as well.
No formal vote was taken. The ordinance simply was not considered.
The issue first surfaced in December 2025, when the council asked staff to draft language reinstating a ban and to provide law enforcement data tied to the city’s two existing dispensaries.
Community Development Director Chris Shoemaker said the ordinance would prohibit any new MMTC within the city’s corporate boundaries. The Inverness Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the proposal Feb. 4 and recommended approval, finding it consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan.
But the legal guardrails are tight.
Under Florida law, cities may ban dispensaries outright. However, if they allow them, they must treat them the same as pharmacies. Local governments cannot cap the number of dispensaries or impose regulations more restrictive than those governing pharmacies.
That tension framed the night’s debate.
Five residents urged the council to approve the ban, arguing the county already has sufficient access.
“There are enough medical marijuana facilities here,” resident Lala Sanders said, noting Citrus County has eight dispensaries with more planned. “They have access to it, and they even have home delivery if needed.”
Renee Teaster, director of the Citrus County Anti-Drug Coalition, said the city’s growth and reputation as a family-oriented community should factor into the decision.
“A great community is also about balance and order,” Teaster said. “The current dispensaries in the city, along with home delivery, should be able to meet the needs of the residents.”
Karen Esty reminded council members that Senate Bill 8A, passed in 2017, limits what cities can do.
“You’re very limited as to what you can do,” Esty said, warning against adopting regulations that exceed those applied to pharmacies.
But others pushed back on the idea of prohibition.
Dr. Nicholas Kurz, a family physician who previously practiced in Colorado Springs, said he considers medical marijuana a legitimate therapeutic option.
“As a physician, I consider this a medicine,” Kurz said. He added that in his experience he has not seen overdoses or violence tied to its use.
Council members circled back to one question: What is the problem?
City Manager Eric Williams said Sheriff’s Office records show three calls for service at the city’s two dispensaries since 2023. One involved a customer attempting to purchase marijuana without proper authorization. Two involved individuals in parking lots who left before deputies arrived.
“So, three incidents in nearly three years,” Council President Gene Davis said, distilling the data.
Councilwoman Jacquie Hepfer said she sees “a blurred line between illegal drugs and a medical prescription” in the public conversation.
“If you take all this logic I’m hearing, because somebody could get addicted, then why aren’t we banning the drugstores?” Hepfer said, referencing opioid addiction as a national crisis.
Davis framed the issue as economics as much as policy.
“If we control the supply,” he said, limiting the city to two dispensaries could allow them to “capitalize the market,” potentially driving up prices and sending customers to surrounding jurisdictions.
Councilwoman Crystal Lizanich raised a practical concern: what happens if one closes?
Williams said the city has another option short of a ban: a special exception process, similar to the approach used for gas stations and other uses that once proliferated.
Under that framework, dispensaries, categorized with pharmacies, would be permitted only after a quasi-judicial hearing and compliance with standards adopted in the Land Development Code. Any changes would require review again by the Planning and Zoning Commission before returning to the council.
With no motion made to approve the ban on first reading, the public hearing was closed.
The message from the dais: Inverness is not ready to prohibit dispensaries outright, but it is ready to rethink how they enter the city.
Staff will now begin drafting language to create a special exception process for pharmacies, which under state law would include medical marijuana dispensaries.
Mike Arnold can be reached at mike.arnold@chronicleonline.com or 352-564-2929, ext. 429.
Originally published on bloxstj.paxtonmedia.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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