KEY LARGO — After a long week at work, Miami-Dade Commissioner Jose Diaz likes to escape to Key Largo for a weekend of fishing and relaxation. His destination: Calusa Campground, where he and 366 other people own space to park their recreational vehicles.

Last Wednesday, the Monroe County Planning Commission said the RV site owners at Calusa Campground and other Keys RV parks can build vacation homes on their RV pads — and they can do so without waiting in line for building allocations in accordance with the county's rate-of-growth ordinance, known as ROGO.

Over the objections of critics who said RV parks are vanishing in the Florida Keys, taking with them tourists who pump money into the local economy, the Planning Commission voted 3-2 to allow replacement of RV pads with seasonal homes.

"If we pass this today as is, I believe we are closing the doors to RVs in this county," said Planning Commissioner Sherry Popham, who joined Planning Commissioner Randy Wall in voting against the change.

RV parks like Calusa Campground often serve as weekend and seasonal get-aways for mainland residents, while some full-time Keys residents have turned to the campsites as an affordable housing option.

Andrew Trivette, director of Monroe County Growth Management, said the proposed land-use change would address a growing problem of people attaching permanent structures to RVs and other violations of county code.

"I think it's an innovative approach to solving a problem we've had for five years in Monroe County," he told planning commissioners.

To convert RV spaces to seasonal homes, park owners or their condominium associations must win approval for an entire RV park from the county's Development Review Committee, Planning Commission and County Commission. The plans must show that all spaces, whether they will be maintained as RV spaces or replaced, will be in compliance with county codes.

The units also would fall under a state law that says RV space, or seasonal residential units, cannot be occupied for more than 180 consecutive days. County officials acknowledged that the 180-day rule is difficult to enforce because occupants can simply leave for a weekend to restart the clock.

"Do you see the fallacy of this six-month law? It's literally worthless," said Planning Commission Chairman Jim Cameron, who added that if it couldn't be enforced it should be eliminated.

About 150 people dressed in white shirts in solidarity, mostly from Miami-Dade and Broward counties, joined Diaz in urging the Planning Commission to approve the change.

"Guys, we are your permanent tourists. We are the ones that are always here," Diaz said. "We are the ones that spend our money at local businesses."

Calusa Campground was split into 367 condominium spaces in 1998. Initial sales of the spaces ranged from $35,000 to $75,000, but those prices have jumped to as high as $350,000 this year.

Diaz purchased his space for $205,000 in 2004, according to Monroe County Property Appraiser records.

Burke Cannon, president of the Island of Key Largo Federation of Homeowner Associations, said RV parks already are allowed a higher density than other residential properties, and said adding the permanent structures would skew hurricane evacuation calculations.

The state Department of Community Affairs mandates that all Florida Keys residents be able to evacuate in 24 hours. Building allocations are based on the ability to meet that time frame, but hotels, RV parks and residences classified as seasonal are not factored into the equation.

The proposed land-development regulation must be approved by the County Commission and DCA to become final.