A Dunnellon woman was narrowly given permission to keep four emotional support goats on her one-acre property after a split vote by Marion County commissioners over zoning concerns.
Yuriel Perez and Emelina Rosell were granted their reasonable accommodation application to allow for four goats on their residential property by the Marion County Board of County Commissioners during its regular meeting on January 6.
Located along SW 204th Avenue in Dunnellon, the property currently has an R-1 zoning classification.
In a letter to her neighbors before the meeting in January, Rosell emphasized the irreplaceable role her pets play in her daily life, describing them as essential companions for her emotional support. Her personal testimony was backed by documentation from Ascension Medical Center, suggesting Rosell suffers from major depressive disorder, anxiety, and depression.
Before public comment was opened, Commissioner Craig Curry questioned the legitimacy of the medical staff behind the request.
“This is not a doctor. This is a nurse practitioner from Miami. I’m just wondering, on these, do you do any investigation at all? Do you check with those people, ask them any questions?” asked Curry.
Staff indicated that although they check to see if the medical professional is licensed, verifying the office is not yet a requirement.
“I mean I would like to see some sort of follow up verification,” said Curry, before again asking why there were no criteria in place to require the verification be from a physician.
During comments, Esther Torres, the neighbor of Emelina Rosell, provided translation for Rosell throughout the meeting.
Rosell, who was visibly emotional during the meeting, told Torres that she used the goats to cope with anxiety. When Torres conveyed this to the board, Chairman Carl Zalak III asked why the request was for four, and not one, animal.
Torres explained that Rosell said she had the four goats from when they were born in Miami. She said she was “attached” to those animals and didn’t want to let them go.
During a previous site visit by the county, four goats were observed. At the time, no noticeable odors, waste, or noise were observed and animal waste was seen to be properly collected and stored securely on the property.
The day before the meeting, on January 5, at least seven goats and a tractor trailer were observed by a code enforcement officer who visited the property. Although the conditions were the same, that officer confirmed that one of the goats had two kids since the previous visit. That officer also confirmed that one of the goats was a buck, and that the two offspring were leaving the property.
Torres said that in previous conversations with Rosell, she was told that the family had made arrangements to also transfer the buck to another property.
After Torres and Rosell wrapped their comments, the code enforcement officer conveyed to commissioners that goats were herd animals that did not do well alone, indicating that it would be appropriate for Rosell to maintain at least two on the property.
Torres and her brother, Charles Ruiz, live on either side of Rosell and conveyed that they didn’t have any problem with the goats.
After public comment was closed, commissioners briefly discussed the zoning classification and whether the request was appropriate for the area.
“Based on the letter that we have, based on what this property backs up to, the testimony of the neighbors, I’m going to move for approval. But I want to make sure you understand, you can’t bring anymore in. You can only have the four, no semi-tractors can be there,” said Bryant.
After additional discussion, Zalak and Curry offered dissenting opinions.
“Four goats on residential property, all due respect, is not what it is set up for. Maybe two, for a reasonable accommodation, but not four,” said Zalak.
“This is an overload for this property. If you’ve ever seen what goats do – it’s just completely void of vegetation,” said Curry. He went on to say that the county had been down this path several times before and was almost “setting precedent” for bad practices.
“I’m not so sure this is a bonafide M.D., that may be one thing. But this is, not even a letter from a doctor. 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. If she wants animals, they need to move to a property that accommodates animals. And R-1 is not in that category,” said Curry.
Commissioner Matthew McClain suggested the board was favorable to one-acre farms in the area, and that he supported the homeowner’s request.
Shortly thereafter, the reasonable accommodation was granted by a vote of 3 to 2, with Zalak and Curry dissenting.