Hillsborough County commissioners voted 5-2 Tuesday to let Florida homebuilder GL Homes build on the shuttered Pebble Creek golf course in New Tampa. The decision ends a nearly three-year rezoning fight over the property, which sits just across Interstate 75 from Wesley Chapel.

Commissioners Christine Miller and Ken Hagan cast the two dissenting votes, as first reported by Tampa Bay 28. Supporters wore blue shirts and opponents wore red at the land-use hearing, which drew residents from across Pebble Creek.

The approval moves GL Homes closer to developing the former golf course. The company's attorney, Jacob Cremer, said in a statement that the site has sat vacant for half a decade. GL Homes first proposed the rezoning in 2023. Commissioners denied it then, but a court sent the case back for reconsideration.

Opponents vow appeal, allege improper contact

Leslie Green, founder of the opposition group Save Pebble Creek, said her group plans to appeal.

"It's been almost five years now, but we are willing to continue to fight and to stand up for what we believe in with our community," Green said after the vote.

Green's attorney, David Winker, alleged during the hearing that email records and call logs show illegal two-way communications between commissioners and the golf course owner while the rezoning was pending. He said those records document direct, nonpublic contact.

Critics of the project first raised concerns in June about ex parte communication, or private contact with decision-makers outside the public process, initially describing it as one-way. A July 21 hearing focused entirely on the email exchange, which included the phrase "I believe the GL Project offers the best solution for residents."

Opposition attorney has won before

Winker previously won a similar case against GL Homes in South Florida. In that dispute, a Florida appeals court voided GL Homes' rezoning of the Calusa Golf Course in Miami-Dade County after finding the county failed to properly notify the public of a meeting, according to Miami New Times.

Residents divided over golf course's future

Residents who backed the project said the dormant course needed to go. Carol Clauws, a Pebble Creek resident, said the fenced-in property has been an eyesore for years and that GL Homes would bring needed improvements.

Others saw it differently. Kim Swearingen, who also lives in Pebble Creek, called the outcome disappointing, saying the neighborhood has been built out for 40 years and was not meant for a construction zone.

Cremer also said GL Homes looks forward to developing what he called a well-planned community on the site. No construction timeline or deadline for filing an appeal has been announced.