The Planning Board on Nov. 18 recommended the City Commission approve a city-initiated text amendment to replace references to the "certificate of use" with a "zoning use certificate" across the zoning and land development regulations (Code Revision Case 25-14). Angela Vann, assistant development services director, said the change is primarily intended to give the city a single, enforceable mechanism to review and, where the code allows, revoke or restrict business operations that currently fall outside local enforcement, citing mobile vendors as the impetus.

"So we're gonna change to a zoning use certificate, which will give the city the ability to review all businesses operating in the city," Vann said, adding that the change is intended to fill enforcement gaps that emerged after state-level regulatory changes affecting mobile vendors.

Board members pressed for specifics about how existing businesses and licensed professionals would be treated, whether the city was overstepping state regulatory boundaries and whether fees would increase. Vann repeatedly stated that currently licensed businesses would be carried forward and that, at renewal, businesses would see a zoning use certificate; she said the fee structure would not change and cited $20 as an example of the existing certificate fee. She also said the city attorney had previously recommended replacing COUs with ZUCs to separate the business tax from a regulatory certificate.

Several members raised concerns about scope and potential litigation. One member moved to deny the change; the motion failed when other members made and supported a motion to approve. The final recorded vote was 4 in favor and 2 opposed. Members asked staff to forward the denial arguments and any clarifying language to the City Commission for consideration.

Staff will prepare the ordinance and an explanatory packet for the Commission, and the Commission will decide whether to adopt the change after its hearings.