Wayne Weatherbee, purchased property what was then A&S Auto, located across the street from his shop, in downtown Clermont. The A&S building, dating back to 1940, originally operated as a gas station and Wayne’s plan was to expand the space and eventually relocate his business there.

That plan quickly hit a roadblock. The City of Clermont denied his expansion and relocation requests, citing a 1991 zoning change that eliminated auto repair as a permitted use downtown. Ordinarily, this might fall under the category of “what happens when you don’t do your homework,” but Wayne’s case was different—he had already been operating as a downtown auto mechanic for nine years when the rule change occurred. He was never informed of the proposal or its approval.

The dispute led to years of litigation

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