An Ocala family was recently granted special permission to keep miniature horses on their 1.54-acre property.
The Marion County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously during its meeting on Tuesday, June 16, to approve a special use permit allowing Stefan and Cathy Mehrl permission to keep two miniature horses on their residential property.
The final approval comes with a list of strict environmental conditions and follows a previously divided vote by the county’s planning and zoning commission, which had failed to produce a formal recommendation after a two-to-two tie.
The approved permit grants the Mehrls permission to house the animals for personal, non-commercial use on their 1.54-acre property located at 12721 SW 73rd Street in the Rolling Hills subdivision.
A special use permit was required to keep livestock on the premises because the parcel holds a standard, single-family dwelling zoning classification.
During the meeting, commissioners emphasized that if the family wanted to expand their livestock offering, it would be better suited finding land already zoned for agricultural use.
The two senior miniature horses, named Frisky and Poppins, require a specialized diet and careful grazing management to maintain their health. To support the animals, the family provided a detailed care regimen that includes an integrated pest management system utilizing fly predators to control insects during the muggy months.
Prior to the commission’s vote, the applicants submitted an updated packet of documents containing additional findings of fact and medical information regarding equine diseases to address potential health and safety concerns raised by the community. The packet included correspondence from a veterinarian clarifying that horses are dead-end hosts for Equine Encephalitis, meaning they cannot spread the virus to humans or other horses. The family also provided state arbovirus surveillance data highlighting the overall rarity of the virus.
Prior to the vote, county staff recommended approval of the permit subject to several strict conditions to mitigate environmental impacts, which the commissioners ultimately adopted as part of their unanimous vote.
Under these enforced terms, the permit authorizes a maximum of two miniature horses and will automatically terminate if the property is ever sold to a new owner. Due to the sandy soil on the lot, the owners must also provide the horses with free-choice quality hay if the pasture grass becomes depleted. Additionally, manure cannot be stored in open piles and must be kept in sealed, leak-resistant containers set back at least 60 feet from the side property lines and 100 feet from the rear property line.
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