MARTIN COUNTY, FL -- Tuesday Martin County Commissioners will decide the future of the state's largest hunting camp.
J&R Outfitters is set along Fox Brown Rd. in Western Martin County. It spans more than 2,800 acres.
For the right price, hunters can stalk exotic animals including water buffalo from Trinidad, deer and antelope from India and water buck from Africa.
Owner Joe O'Bannon has operated the hunting camp for more than 20 years but says he had no idea the land's zoning does not allow for hunting camps.
The violation came to light in the past year when O'Bannon allowed a shooting range to operate on his land. Neighbors started to complain about the noise, which caused the county to take a closer look at O'Bannon's business and the zoning issues.
O'Bannon says his business helps conserve the land, protect it from development, and bring tourism to the area. He thinks the zoning restrictions are outdated.
"You can have a hunting camp and you can have a shooting range on a 20 acre ranchette, but you can’t have it on a 4000 acre ranch – which makes no sense," he says.
Neighbors along Fox Brown Rd. have expressed concern about the safety and noise of the shooting range. Animal rights activists with PETA have also gotten involved to argue against the camp's zoning requests.
O'Bannon says he is no longer looking for an exception for a shooting range - he shut it down. He is seeking a zoning change to allow hunting camps on agricultural land like the territory he owns.
There are other hunting camps in Martin County, but J&R Outfitters is the largest.
Commissioners are scheduled to take up the issue at 10AM Tuesday.
But he is hoping
