Mecca Camp Resort owner urges Monroe County to give planning commission enforcement power over RV parks

Chris Jones, owner of Mecca Camp Resort, used the public‑comment portion of the Monroe County commission meeting on March 26 to press elected officials to give the county planning commission enforcement authority over subdivisions and RV/mobile‑home parks.

“A planning commission that has no enforcement authority is not a commission that can do much,” Jones said, telling the board that since 2020 nine new RV parks have been established in the county but only two — including his — went through the planning‑commission review he said rules require. He said ad‑hoc developments bypassing permitting and site‑plan certification create lost tax revenue and infrastructure strain.

Jones asked the commission to draft and implement an enforcement mechanism for commercial properties — to require certified site plans, consistent permitting and a single, enforceable process rather than sporadic application. He proposed the county either strengthen the existing ordinance, or create a distinct RV‑park ordinance separate from mobile‑home rules; he offered to participate in any working group.

Commissioners and others acknowledged gaps in the current ordinance. One commissioner noted Monroe County has an RV‑park and mobile‑home resolution that other counties use as a model but admitted it contains “holes” in enforcement language and triggers. Another suggested bringing the issue to the planning commission and to county legal staff for revision; several commissioners recommended a workshop during the budget‑planning season (October–November) to draft changes.

Next steps: commissioners indicated support for a workshop and for staff to research enforcement trigger points and legal mechanisms; no ordinance change or enforcement action was adopted at the March 26 meeting.