By Terry Witt -Spotlight – Senior Reporter
Levy County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to draft an ordinance that would ban mobile homes in Rainbow Lakes Estates to match regulations in Marion County.
Commissioners had previously proposed an ordinance for the Levy County portion of Rainbow Lakes Estates that would have allowed mobile homes in the subdivision despite opposition from homeowners.
The sprawling subdivision lies in both Levy County and Marion County. Zoning rules in Marion County prohibit mobile homes from locating in Rainbow Lakes Estates.
Both counties exchanged letters about the potential zoning conflict if Levy County went forward with its plan to allow mobile homes. Marion officials wanted Levy County regulations to match Marion County’s zoning.
The draft ordinance will do exactly that.
Mobile homes are allowed everywhere else in the unincorporated areas of Levy County. The Levy County Commission governs all the unincorporated areas of the county.
Changing Directions
Mobile homes had been barred in the Levy County portion of Rainbow Lakes Estates until the homeowner’s association allowed subdivision deed restrictions to lapse years ago, opening the door for discussion of allowing mobile homes to move into that portion of the subdivision.
The change of heart on the part of the Levy County Commission resulted from a meeting between Levy County Attorney Nicolle Shalley, Levy County Commissioner Desiree Mills, and Marion County officials on Feb. 27.
Mills made a motion at Tuesday’s board meeting to draft an ordinance “to enact zoning and other requirements” matching Marion County rules in the Rainbow Lakes Estates Municipal Service District.
When Commission Chairman Matt Brooks asked for a second to Mills’ motion, there was a pregnant pause before Commissioner John Meeks seconded the motion, and Commissioner Rock Meeks endorsed Mills’ plan.
“It’s basically pretty nice if we’re going to be consistent with what Marion County does in Rainbow Lakes Estates,” Commissioner Rock Meeks said. “Commissioner Mills made the motion and Commissioner (John) Meeks made the second to the motion. That would be the avenue I would think we need to take.”
The motion passed 5-0.
Property Owner Disappointed
Rainbow Lakes Estates property owner Barbara Cox, who wants to locate a new mobile home in the subdivision, expressed disappointment with the commission’s vote and asked for an exception to the future ordinance that would still allow her to move a new mobile home on her property. In the modern era, mobile homes are known as manufactured homes.
“Manufactured homes have changed over the years. They not only meet state code, they also meet federal code. They’re not your grandmother’s home. I’m very disappointed by the board’s decision. At this time, I would request a variance to put my manufactured home on my property,” Cox said.
Cox told Spotlight before the meeting she planned to place her manufactured home on concrete pillars rather than a concrete slab. She said she had weathered hurricanes in a mobile home on pillars and had no problems.
Rainbow Lakes Estates residents were staunchly opposed to Cox or anyone else moving mobile homes into their neighborhood. They felt the mobile homes would ruin the value of their homes. They also argued that Rainbow Lakes Estates in Marion County prohibited mobile homes. They wanted Levy County to do the same for their side of the subdivision.
Derelict Developer Bolts, Marion Takes Over
Rainbow Lakes Estates was created in the late 1960s or ‘70s. Levy County’s portion of the subdivision is in the southeast part of the county. Shalley said when the developer abandoned his responsibilities for the subdivision, the Florida Legislature passed a special act giving Marion County the right to collect road assessments in the Levy County portion of the community for maintaining roads and signs; the authority to impose a millage for building recreation facilities and a clubhouse for residents living on both sides of Rainbow Lakes Estates. The special act also gave Marion County zoning authority in the Levy County portion of the subdivision, a power it has never exercised and doesn’t want.
When owners of site-built homes on the Levy County side of Rainbow Lakes Estates first heard about the proposal to allow mobile homes on their side of the subdivision, they attended Levy County Commission meetings in force expressing nearly unanimous opposition to allowing mobile homes in their community.
Their opposition set in motion the meeting between Mills, Shalley, and Marion County officials to sort out existing regulations and discuss how Marion County felt about allowing mobile homes in the Levy County side. Marion County said it wouldn’t get involved in the zoning issues on Levy County’s side and had never exercised its right to do so under the special act of the Florida Legislature, but it encouraged matching zoning rules for the entire community.
Shouldn’t Have Happened
Brooks joined the majority in support of Mills’ motion but said the controversy over allowing mobile homes on the Levy County side of Rainbow Lakes Estates should never have happened.
“The one thing I wanted to mention to the homeowners’ association – a lot of this could have been avoided if they did not let their homeowners’ association go defunct, and that’s a recurring theme because it’s also happening in Williston Highlands,” Brooks said. “Also, we get a lot of calls at planning and zoning and my phone rings a lot about this issue.”
Brooks said a Rainbow Lakes Homeowners Association official spoke at one of the county commission meetings and said the association has home rule powers, even more than the county on the Levy County side of Rainbow Lakes Estates. Brooks said that isn’t true.
Brooks said if the HOA had remained active in enforcing its deed restrictions barring mobile homes on the Levy County side of Rainbow Lakes Estates, none of this would have happened.
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Board of County Commission Regular Meeting March 7, 2023; Posted March 7, 2023
