FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A Flagler County ranch that serves disabled youth and veterans is at risk. After complaints from neighbors, their fate will be determined during a commission meeting Monday. 

At Whispering Meadows Ranch, Radica Aiten loves to watch her son Brandon ride horses. She says he has autism, ADHD, and anxiety — and nothing brings out his smile more than this equine assisted therapy program. It is a service she says you won't find anywhere else in the area. 

“He looks forward to it every week and it helps him, he is in a much better mood and it calms him down because he is pretty hyper sometimes,” Aitken said. 

After finding something that helps him, she’s now worried they could lose it. 

“He would be disappointed if he is not going to be able to come back,” Aitken said. 

The program director at Whispering Meadows ranch explained that after 13 years of operation behind her parent's Flagler County home on John Anderson Highway, the future of the program is unsure.

Kristine Aguirre said the problems started in January. 

“We received a phone call stating that we needed to apply for a semi use applications and that a neighbor had filed a complaint saying that they lost a real estate sale because of our program, so I was completely blindsided and said what do we need to do to fix it,” Aguirre said. 

The county said that as a nonprofit, Whispering Meadows is qualified for a special use permit, but it needed to be reviewed and approved. However, some questioned why it took so long for this to become an issue. 

"As with most jurisdictions, it is largely complaint-driven. So if we didn’t get a complaint for 13 years, it is not unusual that it would have been allowed to go on,” Flagler County Administrator Jerry Cameron said. 

Spectrum News 13 spoke by phone with one of the neighbors who complained. They confirmed they sent out a letter to their neighbors, explaining that their property next to the ranch was under contract, but claim after their buyer spoke to the ranch owners about their future plans, they pulled out.

They said while they love the work the ranch does, they feel it is a business that could expand and want their neighborhood to stay residential. Therefore, they want the permit denied.

Aguirre, on the other hand, asserted that her operation is not a business.

“There is no paid staff. It is 100% volunteers. The money that does come in to the ranch pays for the overhead to care for the horses so we can continue serving the community,” Aguirre said. 

Ultimately, it will be up to commissioners to decide what to do in their meeting Monday. 

“Very frequently, the Board of County Commissioners has to balance out the competing interests, and this is a fair mechanism to do that,” Cameron said. 

Whether or not her operation has to move, Aguirre said she is willing to compromise with the county and her neighbors, because she wants to find a way to keep this program alive.

“I don’t want the ranch or these families to look like victims. We are not victims of anything," Aguirre said. "It is a disservice to take this away, so let's figure it out. Let's figure out a solution.”

The quasi judicial meeting where the status of the permit will be decided is set to take place at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Flagler County Government Services Building. ​