VERO BEACH — The Vero Beach City Council Tuesday directed City legal staff to make sure Vero is covered legally should voters approve medical marijuana on the November ballot.
In 2011 when the legislature took away cities’ power to regulate vacation rentals, Vero had not strengthened the laws on the books prior to the state law, and have been prohibited to do so since.
Leaders don’t want to get caught in the same powerless position if medical marijuana passes.
City Attorney Wayne Coment said Assistant City Attorney Peggy Lyon had embarked upon a research project to find out what other cities and counties are doing to prepare for the possibility of regulated growers, sellers and users of legal medical marijuana within their jurisdictions.
Upon reviewing the information, Councilwoman Pilar Turner said, “Two-thirds of the cities that were checked were discussing or moving forward with ordinances.”
Councilwoman Amelia Graves pointed out that, if the city’s restrictions were stronger than what the State of Florida sets forth, Vero’s laws would stand.
Five planning and zoning areas Turner said she would like to see addressed are dispensing locations, hours of operation, a prohibition on drive-through service, no consumption on site and no loitering around merchants to would sell marijuana to patients.
“I think we need to put these things in place so in the event this happens, we would be grandfathered in,” Turner said.
Coment added one other concern, “You don’t want marijuana farms in the city.”
Vice Mayor Jay Kramer agreed with Turner and Graves that the city needs to protect its right to govern on this issue based upon what’s best for Vero — even if it turns out that there are no problems. A future council could always go back and ease up on the regulations, he said.
“I would like to see something that’s fairly strong, knowing that we can’t go back and re-do it.”
Mayor Dick Winger remained silent on the issue, except to tell Coment, “I think you have your direction.”
The staff will come back soon with some options or a draft ordinance, in time to have it heard and implemented prior to Nov. 4.
