Charlotte County Board of Commissioners approved on Sept. 10 a rezoning request on the west side of U.S. Highway 17 that would allow the development of 1,188 multifamily units near the Peace River Shores community.
Developer Tag Lakeside LLC, represented by attorney Rob Berntsson of the Big W Law Firm, asked the county to rezone 138.32 low-density residential acres and another 1.56 acres zoned commercial to medium density. This would allow the firm to construct upward of 1,188 multi-family units, whereas previous zoning allowed for 135 units.
Although commissioners, after much discussion, approved the rezoning request, there are obstacles for the company to overcome before its planned development can be approved by the county.
The first is the issue of who will supply stormwater and utility services. “We have to have central water and sewer before final approval. The developer would have to provide its own service,” Berntsson said.
The application brought a wave of protests from residents in the Peace River Shores community, and some attended the Sept. 10 meeting concerned about the impacts on their well water supply, wildlife in the area and traffic on U.S. 17, which serves as an evacuation route.
The area is rife with gopher tortoise burrows and a scrub jay habitat. Although the developer is setting aside 48.9 acres for the scrub jay habitat, the county’s Parks and Natural Resources will oversee in perpetuity, said Parks & Natural Resources Manager Tina Powell, and 11.77 acres for the creek preserve area on the parcel, some gopher tortoises will have to be relocated.
Peace River Shores resident Courtney Mason appeared before commissioners previously. She restated her objection to moving the tortoises whose instincts, she said, are to return to their former burrow.
Her grandfather, the late Walter Auffenberg, was a renowned herpetologist for the University of Florida and curator of the Florida Museum of Natural History. He led efforts to protect the species facing extinction.
Mason said a 2014 species assessment showed there were 174 burrows, and a 2023 study showed there are 254 burrows on the Tag Lakeside acreage.
Paul Mann, of IVA Environmental Services, said he and his crew walked the acreage and counted 254 burrows.
After the meeting, Mann said the state only allows two tortoises per acre and allows tortoises to be moved within a 100-mile radius. When the time comes, he and his crew will be physically involved in the relocation of the tortoises.
For Christopher Zeitler, who grew up in the area and lives on his family’s property, the zoning change was personal. “What’s great about this area is how it is now. It’s a beautiful area, it’s semirural. Yes, I have to drive 10 miles to go to a grocery store, and that’s not a problem because I have a car,” he said.
Commissioners also approved final site plans for two communities along Burnt Store Road.
Zemel Land Partners LLC was approved to move ahead with its Firelight North Phase 1 development, formerly called Eagle Creek. The firm plans to build 220 residential units on 123.42 acres of a 314.19-acre boundary at 26000 Zemel Road in Punta Gorda.
Its Firelight East Phase 1 also was approved for 344 single-family homes on 338.02 acres at 27001 Zemel Road.
Both developments are within the boundary of the Burnt Store Area Plan in Commission District II.
