- April 18, 2024
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The Whispering Meadows equine therapy ranch on John Anderson Highway is preparing for a potential move to land off County Road 13, near the Flagler County Fairgrounds.
"The reach of this program goes way beyond serving these kids, and the community wants to be a part of something that creates a positive impact, and they've found this ... through our projects and activities."
— KRISTINE AGUIRRE
The proposed move follows complaints from a handful of property owners near the ranch's current location who felt the ranch should not be operating in a residential area, and pushed the county to make it relocate.
The county's planning board considered the complaints and found in favor of the ranch, and the matter was scheduled for a County Commission vote on June 7. But by then, Whispering Meadows' leadership — it's run as a nonprofit by Helene and Richard Davis and their daughter Kristine Aguirre — was already in talks with the county about moving west.
"It looks like every step is heading in that direction," county Growth Management Director Adam Mengel said at the June 7 commission meeting. "... We think that this does have some advantages. It does move this out of the present site."
A shift to the County Road 13 site would require a number of administrative steps. Mengel suggested that the commission table a vote on the ranch until its meeting in July.
Commissioners unanimously supported the delay.
"I think there’s too many things up in the air right now," Commissioner Greg Hansen said.
Aguirre told the commission that the ranch has cleared its schedule to work on a solution. That's meant limiting horsemanship activities to a few hours a week and canceling spring and summer activities that had been planned with local scouting groups, Kiwanis and Lions Club branches, the Guardian ad Litem program and Community Partnership for Children.
"The reach of this program goes way beyond serving these kids, and the community wants to be a part of something that creates a positive impact, and they've found this ... through our projects and activities," Aguirre said. "... Let's work together and let the community give back. ... We've made this our top priority, and I hope that the county is going to make this a top priority too, so that we can come to a solution and continue this program."
