TAVARES, Fla. — After a day-long meeting, Lake County leaders decided to postpone voting on a controversial gun range's request for a permit to operate as a commercial business.

A Spectrum News 13 Watch Dog investigation uncovered more than $100,000 in damages to a state wildlife conservation by that gun range. 

Earlier this month, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend that the Lake County Board of Commissioners approve a conditional use permit, which would allow the landowners to operate Ares Firearms Training as a commercial gun range and allow for special night training for law enforcement personnel.

People living in the community say they are hopeful the operators will adhere to changes in practice.

Those changes include increasing the height of berms to prevent bullets from going off Ares' property, a reduction in operation hours, and no more than four high capacity events each year.

The operator also plans to hire off-duty law enforcement officers to help with traffic concerns along Treasure Island Road. Some living in the community say they are not hopeful the operators will follow these suggested changes. 

"What is to guarantee that any of those changes will be made when it actually happens and who is going to monitor those changes along the way? We don't know," Louise Crews said.

A lot of the concerns by people in the community are on excessive gunfire, loud explosions, and wildlife damage.

They also say keeping the gun range in operation is a matter of public safety. The Lake County Board of Commissioners is expected to discuss and possibly vote on the conditional use permit March 26.