Marion Commission Approves Special Use Permit to Allow Goats on Residential Property

OCALA, Fl (352today.com) – The Marion County Board of County Commissioners approved in a 3-2 vote a reasonable accommodation request for a special use permit that would allow four goats on a residential property at their meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, with the parcel zoned as single-family dwelling. Commission Chair Carl Zalak, III and Commissioner Craig Curry were the dissenting votes.

The reasonable accommodation that was being requested is to allow for four goats in a single-family dwelling zoning and that is per recommendation with a doctor’s note. Fifteen property owners were notified, there was a petition in support with four signatures of nearby neighbors. There was one letter in opposition. Marion County staff at the meeting received another signature in support, said Kathleen Brugnoli, Marion County growth services project planner. The owners/applicants are Yuriel Perez and Emilina Rosell.

The parcel currently has rural land use, single-family residential zoning. It’s 1.013-acres in size and is located in Rainbow Acres Unit 3. The subject property is in the primary springs protection overlay zone and is outside the urban growth boundary. The physical address is 7498 SW 204th Ave., Dunnellon.

The applicant stated the goats serve a therapeutic role as emotional support animals.

The reasonable accommodation request came before the Marion County Board of County Commissioners as the result of a code case; with that case, there were cows, goats and a commercial vehicle present on the property when the case was initiated, said Brugnoli.

There was a follow-up visit, revealing the cows are no longer on the subject property. The commercial vehicle was also gone at that time, but the goats are still present. There weren’t any foul odors or mess, according to staff.

Do’s, does and dont’s

It’s already an existing residence, so the applicant/owners have all of their utilities. The goats are kept in a fenced enclosure at the rear of the property. They’re provided water and their waste is collected daily, and it’s removed off-stie weekly, said Brugnoli. The applicant did provide a fax documenting that the animals are for her personal use, they’re not for commercial use, sales, breeding or anything of that nature, said Brugnoli.

The subject property’s surrounding area is all residential, however, to the west there is an area of agricultural production. The fenced-off area for the animals is about a half-acre in size, or maybe a little bit less, said Brugnoli.

Staff made a recommendation of approval with conditions but did note a county code enforcement officer went out Jan. 5, 2026, for a site visit, and there were seven goats on site and a tractor trailer present, which did leave the subject property during the site visit. If they’re within a one-hour limit, such large commercial vehicles are allowed on a residential property, but staff couldn’t confirm if the vehicle was there longer than that. There were also more animals on site Jan. 5 than when Marion County staff went out on site for their visit.

The applicant agreed to the conditions that were provided by staff. One of the conditions was if one of the goats passes away, it would just be the remaining three. The semi isn’t allowed on a parcel zoned single-family dwelling. If the applicant wanted to replace one of the goats that dies, she would have to come back before the board to request another reasonable accommodation for new animals.

Commissioner Craig Curry wanted clarification on the note, as it was referred to as a doctor’s note, but was a note from a nurse practitioner, and he wanted to know if there was any verification done as to the validity of the letter, and staff had not done so in this case. Curry would like to see some type of follow-up done in terms of verifying the letter.

The buck stops here

Commissioner Michelle Stone asked if there was any explanation from the applicants why there were three additional goats on the parcel. Staff didn’t receive an explanation, as the site visit did take place later in the afternoon, so there wasn’t time to follow up prior to the meeting, said Brugnoli. However, the code enforcement officer did explain to the applicant that she couldn’t have seven goats, and two of the babies have already been removed, with the one doe having been bred prior to the special use permit request. There are four does on the property, with a buck that will be relocated. The four does are the goats that were to be approved.

Through an interpreter, the applicant said the goats provide her with comfort. However, Commission Chair Carl Zalak, III, informed the applicant that most reasonable accommodation requests are usually for one animal, maybe two and not usually four. The applicant has had the four does since they were born and is very attached to them. Goats are herd animals, and one needs to have another.

There was one letter of opposition received, from the parcel to the north, and in the letter, it mentioned something about property values, not wanting the goats on property zoned single-family dwelling, said Brugnoli. The code case was the result of the complaint.

Several people spoke in favor of the applicant’s request to keep the goats on her property, stating they weren’t a nuisance.

There was discussion on the number of goats per acre for general pasture, with the number being four to six, with up to eight on good, improved pasture.

“I’m not going to vote for this for any amount of goats because I think we need to stick to our zoning as close as we can,” said Curry. “If she wants animals, she needs to move to property that accommodates animals, and R-1 (single-family dwelling) is not in that category.”