BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — If you’ve ever taken a ride through downtown Brooksville, you’ll get a hometown feel.
Established in the 1800s, it's home to many historic buildings and homes. Today, you can still see cobblestone streets and houses with white picket fences. It’s that Southern hospitality Mayor Blake Bell grew up with and one he said many people from the area value.
Bell said one of the first priorities he and city council members focused on after being elected as the mayor was placing a six-month moratorium on growth.
“We stopped all large developments in the city of Brooksville. A big focus was making sure that any new developments coming into the city looks and feels like the city of Brooksville,” Bell said. “We were working off of really old, codes that were put into place 30, 40 years ago, before we ever would have known about the growth that was happening in Florida, after 2020.”
Meanwhile, in Spring Hill, a fast-growing unincorporated town in Hernando County, leaders approved plans to build a lagoon and a large housing development off US-19. The lagoon is similar to what we’ve seen in Wesley Chapel and will be in the North Weeki Wachee area.
Brooksville native, Jonathan Ansley said he sees the benefit a development of that size would bring to the local economy but says a project like that wouldn’t be a good fit for Brooksville.
“I think the people of Brooksville want to keep this old town atmosphere the same,” Ansley said.
“We're trying to keep small town, small,” Bell said.
Bell believes small doesn’t mean Brooksville isn’t growing. The city is in the midst of a downtown redevelopment project. Attorney Brent Lowman is part of that.
“I purchased this building with my law partner about six months ago. It’s called the Jennings building. It was built in 1915 and has been vacant for the last 40 years,” he said.
Lowman said they have big plans for the Jennings Building, including a new restaurant called Local Bite.
“We're bringing in only restaurants, bars and boutiques. Only things that benefit, the tourism and the culture of what we want Downtown Brookville to be,” Lowman said.
It’s a chic and welcoming atmosphere keeping the authentic hometown feel.
“It's really a balancing act that I think elected officials face,” Bell said. “While it’s important for your county and city to grow at a smart pace, you also have to do it in a reasonable manner to make sure that you don't lose your identity in the process.”
As part of the growth moratorium, Brooksville city leaders approved changing the height of new apartment complexes from five stories to now only two stories. They also put provisions in place to protect large oak trees.
The lagoon is set to be developed off US-19 in the North Weeki Wachee area, south of Hexam Rd.
Work is slated to begin in early 2026.