Survey
teams seek rare species
By
Terry Witt
State
survey crews have begun visiting properties along the chosen route for
Suncoast Parkway 2 in Citrus and Hernando counties to determine whether
two rare species, one plant and one animal, live there.
Florida
Turnpike Authority spokesman Joanne Hurley said residents along the
parkway route might encounter the survey teams, and if they do, the teams
are carrying a letter of introduction.
The
survey teams are looking for the state and federally threatened scrub jay
and the state endangered pond spice, a member of the laurel family that
grows in ponds and swamps, Hurley said.
The
search for the two species is being done in advance of a larger evaluation
of the parkway route. Federal agencies directed FTE to conduct the advance
survey because the scrub jays are breeding and the pond spice is in bloom,
Hurley said.
Suncoast
Parkway 2 is a four-lane toll road that will extend from northern
FTE
selected the route in 1998 and is starting the formal process of
re-evaluating the 9-year-old alignment to determine what has changed.
The
agency is negotiating a contract with Dyer, Riddle, Mills & Precourt (DRMP),
the company that will conduct the evaluation. A final contract is not
expected until June.
Additional
fieldwork is scheduled to begin in June when the contract with DRMP is
finalized.
Lull
Prompts KB Home To Sell Land
By
SHANNON BEHNKEN The
Published:
Apr 10, 2007
A
St. Petersburg development and acquisition company, The Cypress Co., is
poised to purchase seven of KB's undeveloped subdivisions in Hillsborough,
Pasco and Polk counties, said Blake Whitney Thompson, Cypress' vice
president and general counsel.
Los
Angeles-based KB isn't the only builder finding that it overestimated
demand for new homes in some markets. Thompson said he is in talks with
several other major builders that want to shed land. This could mean less
expensive homes and property for consumers and developers who have been
used to dealing with high prices in recent years.
"It's
a very poor market in
Cara
Kane, a spokesperson for KB in
Kane
said a housing slowdown in some markets, including the Bay area, has
pushed KB into re-evaluating its building plans. That means shedding
excess land in some areas of the region, she said.
The
company still plans to grow, however, and may purchase land in other local
markets, she said.
"This
is not a sign of KB Home exiting the market," Kane said.
KB
is developing or has built 20 subdivisions in the
During
the most recent real estate boom, builders stockpiled land because of
rising prices and a short supply, said Joseph Narkiewicz, president of the
Tampa Bay Builder's Association. Now that market conditions have changed,
some of the planned subdivisions no longer are profitable, he said.
"Builders
are evaluating their holdings; some are trading sites, selling some and
buying others," Narkiewicz said. "Some may want to shake loose
lots, because you can only hold on to so many lots and build so many
houses."
The
The
purchase price for the land was not disclosed, but Thompson said his
company generally is offering about $14,000 to $17,000 per home lot. By
comparison, the same types of lots typically went for $50,000 to $60,000
last year, Thompson said.
As
a result of the deal on the land, he said, consumers will benefit through
less-expensive homes.
Thompson
said his group can afford to offer lower prices because it can take its
time building. "If it normally would take two years to develop an
area, we can afford to double that," he said.
Adams
Homes was formed in 1991, is based in Gulf Breeze and builds homes in the
Southeast. The company only recently moved into the Bay area and is
building its first five homes in Riverview, said Brian Adams, regional
manager of southwest
The
Cypress Co. is an acquisition and development company and has a private
equity arm for real estate and corporate investments. The company is
active in eight states. Some of its projects include the
"This
Is Good For Consumers'
The
KB contract doesn't surprise some analysts, such as Gieber of A.G. Edwards
and Paul Puryear of Raymond James & Associates in
Sales
of new homes nationally fell sharply in February to the lowest level in
almost seven years. The supply of unsold homes climbed to the highest in
16 years, the Commerce Department said last month.
KB
said recently that it suffered a loss in its fiscal fourth quarter. KB
Home posted a loss of $49.6 million, or 64 cents per share, after a profit
of $304.4 million, or $3.44 per share, during the fourth quarter of 2005.
"All
the home builders are trying to sell off excess land, without
exception," Puryear said. "This is good for consumers who are
trying to buy."
Information
from Bloomberg News and The Associated Press was used in this report.
Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804 or
Dunnellon
halts new growth
Vote for moratorium met with pushback
BY FRED HIERS
STAR-BANNER
DUNNELLON
- The Dunnellon City Council approved a moratorium on growth Monday that
will put an end to large-scale development there for the next year.
Citing the city's inability to provide utilities to new subdivisions, an
outdated Comprehensive Plan and no development outline, the council
unanimously approved the moratorium during a public hearing. It will not
affect construction of individual single-family houses on residentially
zoned land nor construction projects already approved by the city.
Mayor Dan Rutkowski said halting large-scale construction was needed to
give the city time to "put our house in order before we move
forward."
But Clark Stillwell, lawyer for developers Rainbow River Ranch LLC and
Conservation Land Group LLC, said in an April 3 letter to the city that
the moratorium was meant to "implement a no-growth policy on these
properties."
He said there was no need for the moratorium.
The city and Rainbow River Ranch have feuded for a year over its proposed
450-home development, the project's proximity to the
Citing the city's claim of lack of utilities, Stillwell said there was no
documented shortage of utility capacity and the city had no financial plan
in place to remedy the utility shortfalls as the moratorium required.
As for the city's Comprehensive Plan being out of date, Stillwell argued
in his letter the document was approved by the Florida Department of
Community Affairs and met all state requirements.
He also said there was no basis to allow single-family development
exceptions because their impact on city infrastructure likely exceeded
expected growth during the coming year.
Dunnellon resident Carol Hewett said the City Council had an obligation to
stop large-scale growth as the
Hewett, who is also a lawyer, is currently suing the Department of
Environmental Protection, saying the agency was not doing enough to
enforce its own rules regarding the Rainbow River Ranch proposed
development.
But with an interim city manager and a development director out sick, city
resident Penny Fleeger told the council it should wait before approving
such a sweeping measure.
"We're going to be going in weak without good staff," she said.
"I don't want to see us stumble over our own feet."
Fred Hiers may be reached at fred.hiers@starbanner.com
or (352) 867-4157.
The
Sad Saga Of Piney Point Pollution
The
polluting discharges at Piney Point phosphate plant have finally stopped.
But the public has little to celebrate in this saga of industry abuse,
state neglect and federal indifference.
The
debacle has cost state taxpayers more than $100 million in cleanup costs
and fouled
And
though scientists are uncertain, many residents believe the discharges of
nutrient-rich water fueled the recent outbreaks of red tide that have
devastated beach communities.
The
accident never should have happened. But a lax state permitting system
allowed a company with a history of violations to take over the plant in
Because
acidic water in the plant's holding ponds was in danger of overflowing
into Tampa Bay, which would have caused a catastrophic fish kill, DEP
began treating the water to reduce its acidity and releasing the
nutrient-rich water into Tampa Bay.
It
tried other solutions, but none proved sufficient. The federal government
nixed the most sensible: loading the tainted water onto barges and
dispersing it over large stretches of the
So
instead, the state had to continue discharging the wastewater directly
into a shallow estuary. Algae blooms followed. So did red tide.
And
after four years, and dumping 1.1 billion gallons into the bay, DEP
finally has halted the discharges.
How
long the bay will continue to suffer is anyone's guess. But Piney Point
should reminds us all of the dangers - to taxpayers as well as public
resources - of indulging polluters.
Desalination
Operation Producing Water Again
By
NEIL JOHNSON The
Published:
Apr 10, 2007
On
Monday, the plant at
The
amount of water coming from the plant is expected to increase until it
reaches the plant's capacity of 25 million gallons a day.
The
$110 million plant was shut down in early June 2005 for repairs and has
been idle ever since.
Once
the plant is running at its capacity with no problems, the company fixing
the plant will begin a 30-day test run to determine whether the repairs
were successful.
That
test may begin this month or in early May. Once that is finished, the
plant is expected to supplement the area's drinking water supply with up
to 25 million gallons a day, easing the strain on other sources of fresh
water.
The
desalinated water will be mixed with water from rivers and wellfields and
go to customers in Hillsborough, Pinellas and
The
plant opened in 2003 but never ran properly. Ultrafine membranes that
filter salt from the sea water clogged too quickly, driving up costs and
requiring frequent cleaning.
A
lawsuit over the $48 million in repairs is pending.
Suit
may entangle new golf course
Tuesday,
April 10, 2007
"The
Water Management District in April 2006 said they were drawing a line in
the sand and not giving anymore water from the Everglades," said
The
But
just as the course is nearing completion, the final step of putting sprigs
of grass into the dirt is in jeopardy.
First
came the water hazard as drought conditions forced a planting delay. The
county had hoped to salvage the season by inserting the sprigs along just
18 holes once the rain starts. The other nine could be finished later. But
now the legal threat may pose an even bigger handicap.
"The
later we start sprigging in the summer means less growing time as we move
into fall - and cooler temperatures and less sunlight," said John
Chesher, director of county capital improvements.
If
the legal dispute isn't resolved quickly, the taxpayer-financed project
could grow even more costly. Its total tab, including interest, already
rivals that of Donald Trump's lavish Trump International Golf Club.
If
the course can't be planted this spring, the county might have to end its
$7.6 million contract with Malphrus Construction, which was to finish the
course this year, said County Administrator Bob Weisman. He couldn't
estimate how much the challenge might add to the project's expense.
"If
we have to terminate the contract, it's not going to get any
cheaper," Weisman said.
LaHart
filed the challenge on behalf of Clewiston outdoorsman Peter Bryan Garcia.
The course sits next to a natural area where he often kayaks, she said.
Other state environmental groups were reviewing the issue and may join the
suit, she said.
A
state administrative judge will hear the case.
The
challenge asserts that the county failed to meet the basic requirements
for taking water from the Biscayne Aquifer, the region's shallow source of
fresh drinking water, and the water supply for the
The
county didn't make a concerted effort to use other water sources, such as
reclaimed water or the deeper Floridan Aquifer, the challenge asserts.
Plus, the county failed to show that its wells wouldn't damage nearby
wetlands, or that its plans to mitigate that damage would be sufficient.
"We're
asking for the district to either place more stringent conditions on the
permit and comply with the obligation to force the county to seek
alternative water supplies rather than allowing them the cheap, easy
alternative," LaHart said.
The
permit gives the county permission to take nearly 1 million gallons of
fresh water a day from the Biscayne Aquifer, with a maximum limit of 209
million gallons a year.
Water
regulators approved the permit on March 15, the same day it imposed strict
water use restrictions on the public to cope with the worsening drought.
The
course puts a manicured finish on a 500-acre tract of land that was home
to a county shell rock mine. It originally was supposed to evolve into a
campground for recreational vehicles. But as gated communities grew ever
closer to the site, the West Boca Community Council lobbied County
Commissioner Burt Aaronson for something that would serve the local
neighborhoods rather than outsiders. The vote to make the site a golf
course passed with unanimous commission approval - and no discussion of
the cost or the environmental impact - in 1998.
"I
really don't understand why another golf course is necessary in
Opposition
To Istokpoga Diversion Mounts
By
Douglas Carman of
Published:
April 10, 2007
LORIDA
— As of Monday, a spokesperson from the South Florida Water Management
District said the plans to take water from
"It's
a planning issue, not necessarily an implementation issue," said
Missie Barletto, a spokeswoman for SFWMD.
As
water supplies to the south run dry, SFWMD is still waiting for the
approvals. Most businesses and residents near the lake, however, are
already up in arms.
"I
don't want to see them drop the water.... I think the property taxpayers
should have something to say." said John Wood, owner of the Lorida
Bait and Tackle shop.
"We're
very unhappy about it," said Sebring Estates resident Donna Tucker,
whose husband John regularly fishes on the 27,692-acre lake. Her
neighborhood has as almost as many boat trailers as cars sitting in the
driveways.
With
the uncertainty over whether or not the Army Corps would accept SFWMD's
request, Highlands County Tourism Director Jim Brantley measured his
reaction.
"Let's
not try to over-react until we know this will happen. Most of us are just
talking in hypothetical terms," he said when asked about the
potential impact the lake's lowering would have on a July tournament. The
tourist council helped sponsor and organize five bass fishing tournaments
on the lake for this year, with July's being the first of the multi-day
contests.
Barletto
said that SFWMD has received two phone calls and three e-mails concerning
the pending action on Istokpoga.
Draining
An Economy
Brantley
estimated that the two-day tournament in July would attract 100 anglers
and generate $50,000 in revenue for local businesses.
If
the lake was brought down to 36.5 feet, 18 inches below its level on
Monday, Brantley said this could potentially force the county to cancel
the tournament if it were to stay at that level by that time. Again,
however, he hoped for the best.
"There
are some unknown factors that have more to do with the weather than
anything else. If we get some hard rains, it could come back up and not
affect the tournament at all," he said."
Wood
at the bait shop saw it with a bit more urgency.
"It'll
keep people from fishing," he said. "It slows down enough when
the tourists leave and go
home.... We can give a little water, but not two feet. It's a hard stone
to roll."
Istokpoga
And The Okeechobee Situation
Barletto
said the current levels of
Since
the 2001 drought, farms on the southern half of the basin, which includes
the land in Highlands and Glades counties between Istokpoga and
Okeechobee, tapped the canals leading to
Okeechobee's
historical average surface elevation is 14.23 feet. This time last year,
it was at 14.30 feet. If the level drops below 10, the pumps supplying the
southern half of the basin might fail, and the water may need to come from
other sources.
Currently,
Okeechobee's surface level is at 10.09 feet above sea level. This,
Barletto said, is why SFWMD wants to divert up to 18 inches of Istokpoga's
water, which would bring it from its current elevation of 38.08 feet down
to 36.5 feet. That is a foot below the minimum level normally allowed for
the lake.
But
when will they draw the water? Barletto said that depends on the Army
Corp's response.
And
when will they make their decision?
"I
asked that question and the answer was a resounding 'huh?'" Barletto
said.
Luis
Alejandro, a hydraulic engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers in
It
Might Go Down Even Further
The
reason why, Alejandro said Monday afternoon, was in part because they are
now waiting for an amended request order from SFWMD, which would include a
different amount of water to be drained. As they wait, they cannot give a
time frame for when the diversion would begin, assuming they approve it.
"We
need to know the details for what the action is," Alejandro said.
"
Barletto
confirmed that SFWMD might draw more than the 18 inches in the original
request. "We're still calculating what the eventual lake level might
be," she added.
For
an diversion request, Alejandro said that an environmental assessment
could take anywhere from a week or two up to six months.
Push
to drop manatees from endangered listing stirs debate
NATHAN CRABBE
Sun
staff writer
The
The recommendation is based in part on a U.S. Geological Service study
that found the manatee population should remain stable or increase in the
next 10 to 15 years under the status quo. Fish and wildlife officials say
the endangered listing is no longer appropriate and the species should
instead be listed as threatened. "It's not on the brink of
extinction," said Dawn Jennings, a fish and wildlife biologist and
co-author of the report.
But the study also found population levels could decline in the decades
ahead as natural and industrial warm-water refuges are lost. Manatee
advocates say changing the manatee's listing would acknowledge the success
of protections, while leading to them being loosened in the face of rising
threats.
"While there are more manatees today ... they're not necessarily
better off," said Patrick Rose, executive director of the Save the
Manatee Club.
Manatees are mammals that in the winter migrate to springs along the
Fish and wildlife officials say the recommendation doesn't immediately
change the listing of the manatee and won't reduce protections.
Officials say changing the listing requires a formal proposal and public
comment period, which is not expected to happen in at least the next
several months.
But Rose said he believes the recommendation is the first step in allowing
development that harms manatees. Coastal counties could use the change to
increase the number of boat slips and refuse new protections for manatees,
he said.
"They don't want to see more protections put in place," he said.
The U.S. Geological Service study found that motorboats were the biggest
threat to the manatees' survival.
There were a record 417 manatee deaths in 2006, according to the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Commission, including 86 deaths caused by watercraft.
The next-biggest threat is the result of power plants that are scheduled
to go offline in the coming decades and the flow of springs being reduced
because of groundwater pumping, said Michael Runge, a research ecologist
who was lead author of the study. Those changes could reduce the number of
warm-water refuges for manatees in the winter. During cold months,
manatees have learned to stay in warm-water discharges of power plants
along the
The study is based in part on statistics kept by the Sirenia Project, the
Gainesville-based manatee research unit. Project researchers monitor
manatee refuges such as
But the study also found there is a 50 percent chance the number would
drop below 500 in the next century. And Runge said the study doesn't take
into consideration whether an increase in population could lead to more
motorboats and a greater rate of manatee deaths.
The recommendation doesn't mean the Fish and Wildlife Service will accept
manatee numbers falling to near-extinction levels, said Dave Hankla, field
supervisor for the service's Jacksonville office.
He said the service recommends keeping protections in place that have
helped the species rebound in numbers.
"It's important to maintain what we have and not let it get out of
hand," he said.
Nathan Crabbe can be reached at 352-338-3176 or crabben@gville sun.com.
Will
preserve be hurt by new homes near
Melissa
Patterson
Sentinel Staff Writer
April 10, 2007
Now home to black bears, wild turkeys and sandhill cranes, 34 acres of
pasture and wetlands off State Road 46 just east of the
The site, jutting like a finger into the Lower Wekiva River State Preserve
in northwest
Developers now want to build twice as many homes on a slightly larger
tract, adding 16 lots for a total of 31 on 39 acres.
Environmentalists and some nearby residents say that, despite encroaching
development on the south side of the road, this new project crosses the
line. They argue the developer is trying to cram too many homes near
wetlands, which could wreak havoc on the area's wildlife and the reserve.
"The more noise and more influx into wild areas you have, the more
interior species will move away from that area," said Francisco
Torregrosa, an environmental biologist who has surveyed the area, which
many Lake County residents pass while driving on S.R. 46 during their
daily commute or to go shopping at Seminole Towne Center in Sanford.
Grace Chewning, who has lived across the reserve on
"There's no denying that growth is coming, people are coming,"
Chewning said. "We just want to make sure we have the best
protections possible."
Strict land regulations for the development site -- renamed
"If they could develop within the existing rules . . . then so be
it," Chewning said. "But once exceptions are made, then you're
nibbling away to the detriment of the whole community."
The
That letter outlined several reasons why DEP officials think the project
would create problems for the reserve. Among them are fears of polluted
runoff from the subdivision and exotic plants or pets making their way
from homes into the natural landscape.
Harling said he would work to address all of DEP's issues, though some
precautions are already in place. For example, the homeowners association
would abide by strict guidelines to discourage interaction with wildlife,
such as not allowing pets outside without a leash or trash left curbside
overnight, and banning birdfeeders anywhere on the property.
Harling also said a retention-pond system would treat any polluted runoff.
"I do believe we could be good neighbors toward each other," he
said.
Critics say the development still would violate rules about leaving a
certain buffer between people and nature. The homes may be more spread out
overall, they said, but those planned in one area, near the edge of
The development would provide "wildlife corridors" for animals
to migrate through, but Torregrosa said it's not the property lines that
concern him -- it's the inevitable romping beyond those lines.
"They need to minimize the impact that the cats, dogs and kids will
have outside of the lots," Torregrosa said.
"I would prefer they not build at all," said Margie Vicente, who
also lives on
If the project is approved at the
Melissa Patterson can be reached at
mpatterson@orlandosentinel.com or 407-322-7668.
Dream
downtown now includes 25-story office towers
Tuesday,
April 10, 2007
The
plan now will go to state planners in
Also
by September, the specific zoning rules, which are basically the inner
gears that make the watch-face function, are expected to be approved after
being written over the next few months.
The
main goals of the new master plan include attracting new office towers, as
tall as 25 stories, linking CityPlace and
While
building heights would be increased, developers would be allowed to build
only the amount of square footage they're allowed to build now.
The
vote was 3-1, with Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell opposed, saying there
were too many unanswered questions about the plan's potential
consequences.
Commissioner
Ike Robinson wondered how the plan would preserve the Northwest
Neighborhood when the area already has been gutted of so many of historic
structures.
Comments
from developer representatives and a few residents Monday made clear that
the plan and the zoning rules are far from settled.
The
remarks showed that developers will continue to press for greater
development rights. One attorney pushed for his client's property to be
included in an area that would allow two extra stories of height by using
incentives, although city planners say that would be bad for the adjacent
"It's
going to require more extensive conversation," Mayor Lois Frankel
said.
Josh
Long, a planner who represents developers in the city, suggested
developers be given greater incentives to preserve more open space;
otherwise, the city will get only "the minimum."
City
urban designer Ana Maria Aponte said there are incentives for open space;
it's just a matter of using them more effectively.
But
city planners were directed to consider Long's proposal.
A
few residents asked for even more intense development rights. Susan
Stechnij, a resident of the
"How
long will it take for development to happen there?" Stechnij asked.
The
intention of planners is to preserve the neighborhood's character.
Paul
Krasker, an attorney representing developers, said a new interest in
daring building types, with tower features and other elements, may mean
irregular building styles unfit for office buildings.
"When
the pendulum swings the other way, it's going to be just as bad,"
Krasker said. "I hope we can meet somewhere in the middle."
West
Palm commission ignores staff, OKs tall condos
Tuesday,
April 10, 2007
Planners,
in recommending denial, said the "overwhelming mass and density"
of the project would be out of character with the surrounding buildings,
particularly the two-story condos next to it.
But
commissioners approved the project, called The Presidential, granting
three exceptions to development rules. One of the exceptions was to allow
69 units per acre even though the limit is 32 units per acre.
The
vote was 3-1, with Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell opposed and Commissioner
Jeri Muoio absent.
The
country club, on Presidential Way, wanted the project approved so it could
sell the land and use the money to improve a struggling golf course.
Commissioner
Ike Robinson, who represents the district, said the club residents'
concerns were critical to him. He also noted that planners have said the
building could be 12 stories tall even without waivers of rules, which he
said would create similar problems as an 18-story building.
"The
residents themselves have agreed that they can live with it,"
Robinson said. "We have to balance staff and residents, and this is
one time that I'm going to err on the side of the residents."
Mitchell
said she understood the country club's problems but said commissioners
have to "do the hard job once in a while of saying no."
"I
don't think this is good public policy for us to change the density in
order to accommodate that," she said. "It will have
ramifications further down the road."
In
approving the project, the other three commissioners also turned down a
request from Planning Director Charles Wu to force the developer to do a
traffic study once the project is completed and commit to making road
improvements if necessary to accommodate excess traffic.
"If
we have traffic problems getting in and out of that area," City
Administrator Ed Mitchell said, "it's on our dime."
Shutters
may no longer be optional
A
bill would require homeowners to buy storm protection in order to get any
type of building permit.
By
TOM ZUCCO and JENNIFER LIBERTO
Published April 10, 2007
A
bill passed out of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee Monday
proposes that starting Jan. 1 coastal homeowners who need a building
permit for any reason must also buy hurricane shutters.
And
even if homeowners have no work planned, they may still have to shop for
shutters.
The
bill also would require that those same coastal homes will not be eligible
for coverage under state-backed Citizens Property Insurance unless they
have shutters.
The
bill's sponsor, Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, said matching grants of up
to $2,500 are available through the My Safe Florida Homes program,
"and $2,500 should more than cover cost of shutters."
But
numbers provided by the Florida Alliance For Safe Homes FLASH, a nonprofit
that promotes disaster preparedness, showed that $2,500 is about the
average cost for only the cheapest protection - temporary panel shutters.
Far
less expensive plywood is not an acceptable protection under the My Safe
Florida Homes program, said a program spokeswoman.
The
bill has at least one more committee stop before it reaches the Senate
floor. It also lacks a companion bill in the House.
Gov.
Charlie Crist said he had not heard about the shutters requirement until
Monday. "But it certainly sounds wise," he said. "It sounds
like a smart thing to do."
The
Senate also unveiled in a separate bill Monday its own round of fixes to
the special session legislative package, which included a few of the same
fixes that have drawn criticism in the House.
The
bill removes some consumer protections for those businesses that purchase
commercial property insurance. For example, the state's consumer advocate
would lose the ability to review and give a grade to commercial property
insurers. Also, the bill changes provisions that force companies to pay
claims within 90 days of receiving them to apply only to residential
policies, not commercial policies.
When
Sen. Ted Deutch,
But
what drew most attention Monday was the proposal to tie the purchase of
hurricane shutters to building permits and Citizens policies.
During
the special session, the Legislature had already strengthened building
codes in the wind zones, requiring all new construction be built with
protective coverings on every window and door.
This
bill would go even further, forcing more existing homes to meet the same
requirements.
Citizens,
by far the largest property insurer in coastal areas, insures about
240,000 homeowners in the
The
affected area includes nearly the entire
The
region does not include
Shutters
can cost anywhere from about $2,000 to more than $25,000, depending on the
number of windows and type of protection. And forcing homeowners to buy
them could present a financial burden for many.
The
counter-argument, Posey said, is that
That
led to massive rate increases and policy cancellations, a problem
lawmakers tried to address in January by allowing Citizens to compete with
the private market, and insurance companies greater access to the
state-backed reinsurance fund.
But
both measures also placed the state at far greater risk for losses should
several major storms hit the state this year, and instead of premiums
being lowered an average of 24 percent, the average savings are about 11
percent.
"We
have the perfect storm set up for the economic future of this state,"
Posey said during the meeting. "If the people of this state make a
commitment to harden their property to the best of their abilities,
hurricanes will not be a major threat and the hurricane crisis will be
solved."
"This
is an issue of insurability," added Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville.
"It's a piece of legislation that will do more to reduce rates than
anything we did in special session.
"This
calls for personal responsibility."
House
insurance expert Rep. Don Brown, R-De Funiak Springs, said he understood
the idea of requiring homes insured by the state-run insurer to meet
stronger building codes, because all insurance policyholders subsidize
Citizens customers to some extent. Requiring Citizens policyholders to
meet mitigation standards reduces the financial risk for all Floridians.
However,
he didn't fully understand the idea of forcing other homeowners to buy and
put up storm shutters without first figuring out what other types of
vulnerabilities they have. Brown says that's why he's a major proponent
for home inspections to pinpoint the best way to strengthen homes.
"If
the roof is going to come off anyway, just saying, 'They must put shutters
on,' is ... well, let's just say they need to rethink that," Brown
said.
Times
staff writer Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler contributed to this report.
Tom Zucco can be reached at zucco@sptimes.com
or (727) 893-8247.
What's
next
The bill has at least one more committee stop before it reaches the Senate
floor. It also lacks a companion bill in the House.
County
staff says reject Springhills
CINDY
SWIRKO
Sun
staff writer
The
massive Springhills development should not be approved as proposed because
of traffic it will create and the construction of too much retail space,
according to
A staff report on the proposal recommends the Alachua County Commission
deny comprehensive plan amendments needed for the mixed-use development
that features about 1.56 million square feet of retail space and more than
2,200 residences at Interstate 75 and
The commission will hold a hearing on Springhills on May 1. The vote will
likely be taken at a later meeting.
Alachua County Principal Planner Steve Lachnicht said the department is
recommending denial because of several concerns.
Most pressing is the traffic it will create and the amount of money
Springhills is proposing to pay as its share to improve roads. Another
major concern is the amount of retail space it will create in one area of
the community.
"There is inadequate transportation mitigation both in the roads
being approved and the payback plan. The proportionate share proposal does
not account for all of the impacts on the transportation system,"
Lachnicht said Monday. "There is a disproportionate concentration of
regional commercial development in one location, which was not justified
by the market study."
Springhills is already approved for about 806,000 square feet of
commercial space. Proposed changes by the developers would give it more
retail space than the
The Growth Management Department said in February it intended to recommend
denial after the county and Springhills developer, the Pennsylvania Real
Estate Investment Trust, were unable to reach an agreement on road sharing
costs and other matters.
Road costs have been a major sticking point with the project.
County commissioners in 2005 gave initial approval to comprehensive plan
changes sought by Springhills, agreeing to forward the project to the
state for review. The county and Springhills were to try to reach an
agreement over sharing road costs based on a set list of roads.
At the time the total was about $40 million. Springhills would pay it all
upfront and then get paid back by the county for its share over time.
Springhills believed the county's share was up to $18.4 million.
Last year, however, the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council
released a traffic analysis of Springhills that showed that much more
extensive roadwork is needed for the project to meet state concurrency
rules that require adequate road capacity when a new development comes on
line.
The new estimated cost is $120 million, with Springhills' portion set by
the county at $58 million.
Company officials contend the original list of roads should be used and
that the state would accept that list.
"They have flip-flopped their position since last year. It is the
same project and the same facts supporting the project," Boyes said.
"Last year, for example, the same factors supported consistency with
the comprehensive plan regarding commercial need. Suddenly, the same facts
support inconsistency with the plan. That's a basic flip-flop and it will
be interesting to hear their justification at the hearing."
Considerable public opposition has arisen in the past six months. It
started with an effort to prevent the extension of
The Coalition for Responsible Growth grew out of the opposition. Coalition
Vice President Kim Davidson praised the recommendation for denial.
"I think the staff came out with a very thorough review about the
proposal and was very clear in the commentary as to why they are
recommending denial," Davidson said.
Boyes said she does not anticipate the company making a new proposal to
the county before the May 1 hearing.
Commissioners do not always follow staff recommendations. Recently, for
example, staff had recommended denial of changes sought for the
Cindy Swirko can be reached at 352-374-5024 or swirkoc@ gvillesun.com.
Council
to cast final ballot on building county's ninth CDD
BY RICK NEALE
A
If
approved tonight, Mayfair would contain 13 "residential
villages" near the
"I
think it's a great in-fill project," said Cindy Dittmer,
The
community would be gated.
The
developer, Southern Homes, owns one of
Assuming
2.5 people occupy each housing unit,
The
Melbourne City Council is scheduled to cast a second, final vote tonight
on creation of the 257-acre
A
CDD is an independent taxing authority that is governed by a five-member
board and subject to Florida Sunshine Laws. The Mayfair CDD would levy
special assessments on its housing lots to finance construction of roads,
waterlines, sewer service and other infrastructure, according to a memo
from City Attorney Paul Gougelman.
Estimated
If
established, Mayfair would become
"We
haven't had any other projects of that scale," she said. "It is
new to the city."
Elsewhere
in
Some
residents are concerned about the development's lasting effects on the
area.
During
a rezoning hearing, Lakeside subdivision resident Harold Philips
complained the nearby
Southern
Homes previously built one development in Brevard, the 96-unit
Contact
Neale at 242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com.
lowdown
Creates Roadblock
By
JULIA FERRANTE The
Published:
Apr 10, 2007
The
cost of building roads continues to rise. Fewer homes are being built, and
The
county commission at a meeting today in
The
Impact Fee Advisory Committee on Monday voted 6-1 in favor of raising
transportation impact fees over time, increasing the gas tax by 5 cents
per gallon and allocating some property taxes to road projects. The
measures could raise $500 million during the next five years, although the
county still would not have enough money for all the projects on the
books, said Michele Baker, program administrator for engineering services.
Revenue
from impact fees also will depend on the number of building permits
issued. A slump in the housing market has decreased permits significantly
during the past few years. In 2005, permits peaked at 8,544 issued,
compared with 4,723 last year. This year, growth manager Sam Steffey said
he would be surprised if the number reaches 3,000. Impact fees are
collected when certificates of occupancy are issued.
The
impact fee advisory committee's recommendations Monday are nearly
identical to those of a subcommittee that analyzed transportation plans
and funding. The difference is the subcommittee suggested raising the
property tax rate by $1 per $1,000 of valuation to gain revenue rather
than redistributing what already is collected.
Tom
Smith of the impact fee committee supported the subcommittee
recommendations but suggested reallocating property tax revenue rather
than increasing the tax rate.
"I
believe government has spent more money overall," he said. "As a
taxpayer, I firmly believe that. We have to cut somewhere."
Ray
Gadd, an assistant superintendent for the school district on the impact
fee committee, was the lone dissenter in the vote. He questioned the
ramifications of taking property tax revenue from the general fund, much
of which is allocated to state-mandated programs and needs of the sheriff
and other constitutional officers.
Advisory
committee member James Dean asked what would happen if nothing is done.
"The
ideal situation is you try to get transportation ahead of growth, and
that's almost like a mission impossible," he said.
Michael
Nurrenbrock, the director of management and budget, noted that the county
commission had a hard time last year when it cut $6 million from the
sheriff's proposed budget. A $1 per $1,000 of valuation cut would require
eliminating $25 million in expenses.
At
the same time, the Florida Legislature is considering property tax
reductions that would cut further into revenue and force counties to
reduce spending.
"It's
going to affect services somewhere," Nurrenbrock said.
Commissioner
Michael Cox, who attended Monday's meeting, said he is not so sure a tax
cut is the best idea.
"It's
easy to say that, but in order to do that, you actually have to make those
cuts," he said.
Reporter
Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.
Board:
Double road impact fees
An
advisory panel rejects a property tax hike and tells the county to use
money it has.
By
DAVID DECAMP
Published April 10, 2007
NEW
PORT RICHEY - A month ago, a group of developers and business people
thought they found a way to fix
Double
the impact fees for roads. Hike the gas tax 5 cents a gallon. And raise
$25-million in new property taxes.
The
county's Impact Fee Advisory Board gave its blessing Monday to the plan,
but with a tweak: Skip the property tax hike and find $25-million from
money
"That's
not a very well thought-out suggestion," said Commissioner Michael
Cox, who attended the advisory board's meeting. "I think the rest of
the comments are very appropriate."
The
commission will have a public hearing today in
The
proposed hikes would cover a shortfall for building and widening roads
through 2012. County officials blame rising prices for asphalt, land and
other materials for a 300 percent increase in the road-building costs over
the past few years.
Under
the latest proposal, road impact fees on new homes would double to $8,000
beginning Oct. 1, then ratchet up annually. That would make
But
the road impact fees for new offices, industrial projects and shopping
centers would drop to entice more development.
Finding
property tax dollars for road projects could be harder to do, top county
officials said. A more likely option, County Administrator John Gallagher
said recently, would be to increase the road impact fee to $9,500 for new
homes and phase in a higher gas tax.
Facing
a public outcry, the Legislature is pressing local governments to cut
property taxes. Under various legislative proposals,
Mike
Nurrenbrock, the county's budget director, warned that shifting money to
roads could affect other services that rely on property taxes, such as law
enforcement and parks. For example, the parks department operates on an
$11-million budget.
"I
certainly don't think you can do the property taxes. ... We don't know
what the Legislature is going to do," Commission Chairwoman Ann
Hildebrand said.
However,
developers fear a steep hike in impact fees will cost them business. A
consultant for the county recommended last year that impact fees for homes
rise too, prompting the county to create a fact-finding committee of
mostly development and business interests. That was the group that
recommended the gas and property tax hikes last month.
At
Monday's meeting of the advisory board, member Tom Smith suggested using
an existing $25-million in property tax revenue to avoid a politically
difficult property tax hike.
Smith's
rationale: Fueled by growth and rising property values, Pasco has
increased property taxes in the general fund from $96-million to
$154-million over the past five years, despite cutting the tax rate.
Only
one board member, Pasco School District assistant superintendent Ray Gadd,
voted against Smith's proposal.
He
said the fact-finding committee's original proposal should go to the
County Commission intact.
The
business group recommended increasing the property tax rate $1 per $1,000
in property value, which would raise about $25-million based on the 2007
budget.
For
the owner of a $225,000 home with a $25,000 homestead exemption, that
would add $200 to the tax bill.
Jim
McBride, a member of the fact-finding committee, said he didn't think that
would hurt taxpayers.
"I
think it's going to help the county," he said.
David
DeCamp can be reached at 727 869-6232 or .If"ddecamp@sptimes.com.
If
you go
Public
hearing
What:
County Commission hearing on impact fees and taxes
When:
1:30 p.m. today
Where:
Historic county courthouse, Dade City
Residents
angle for noise walls
Palm
Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday,
April 10, 2007
Imagine
living with two major highways in your back yard.
The
noise from the traffic can be bothersome, at times really annoying when
the wind blows from the east, say residents of Palm Beach Country Estates,
the rural, close-knit community in northern Palm Beach County that's
situated just west of the only spot in the state where Interstate 95 and
Florida's Turnpike run side by side for several miles.Now think what it
would be like if both roads were widened, sending a quarter of a million
cars and trucks whizzing up and down the highway every day. And it could
get even worse if a new interchange for a bioscience hub is built nearby.
But
the expansion plans may not include a wall to shield homes from the
highway noise.
That's
the situation the 1,500 families in Palm Beach Country Estates find
themselves in.
Construction
to widen I-95 to 10 lanes is set to begin in the summer of 2008. About
10,000 feet of sound walls will be put on the east side next to the Egret
Landing and North Palm Beach Heights communities, but no walls will be
built on the west side because of the proximity of the turnpike.
Widening
the turnpike in this area is at least 12 years away, maybe longer. A study
to be released this summer will outline where noise walls will go.
However,
there's a good chance Palm Beach Country Estates will not be eligible for
a sound barrier because of its density: Most homes are on lots of 1.2
acres or larger.
Resigned
to that possibility, residents want the state to change the criteria or
issue a waiver because of the parallel highways.
"If
they look into it, it makes legal sense," said Mike Danhuk, president
of the estates' landowners association. "Our ears are no different
than the people on the other side."
The
debate once again casts a spotlight on the complicated process of
protecting homeowners from highway traffic noise with tall, concrete
walls.
According
to the Federal Highway Administration, traffic noise depends on three
things: volume of traffic, speed of traffic and the number of big trucks
in the flow of traffic. An increase in traffic, higher speeds and more big
rigs generally will increase the loudness of the traffic noise.
Sound
moves in waves or vibrations and is measured in decibels. For highway
noise, a weighted scale is used because the human ear does not perceive
all sound frequencies equally.
Noise
levels in the decibel scale are logarithmic and cannot be added
arithmetically.
For
example, if the current noise level of traffic on a busy road is 70
decibels and the volume of traffic doubles, the noise level won't increase
to 140 decibels, but rather to 73 decibels.
An
effective noise barrier will cut the loudness of traffic by 5 to 10
decibels. That's comparable to a reduction in sound from a tractor-trailer
to a car.
That's
the basis of the turnpike's noise evaluation program. The agency uses 21
"reasonableness and feasibility" factors in determining where to
put sound barriers, spokesman Joseph Hansen said.
In
short, projections must show future traffic will exceed an average of 66
decibels over a period of time and will decrease a minimum of 5 decibels
with a wall.
Also,
the cost must be reasonable: no more than $35,000 per home in the
protected area, known as the shadow zone.
A
number of factors determine the size of the shadow zone, including the
height of the wall and its elevation compared to adjacent homes and
surrounding terrain. Noise reflects off water and asphalt but is partially
absorbed in grassy areas.
A
22-foot-tall wall would cast a shadow about 300 to 400 feet long. Outside
the shadow, the wall would provide no relief because sound waves seep over
the barrier and eventually fall toward the ground.
Still,
perception is reality, and some people believe they cannot hear what they
cannot see.
A
common misconception, highway engineers say, is that noise increases when
a wall is built on the opposite side of the road.
Even
if all of the sound were reflected back to the other side of the highway,
the increase would be limited to 3 decibels. But some noise travels over
the wall, some reflects to other areas besides the homes, and some is
blocked by vehicles on the road.
There's
no questioning the need for a wall next to Palm Beach Country Estates if
the turnpike is widened to eight lanes and an exit is built for The
Scripps Research Institute, as requested by Palm Beach County, said
longtime resident Bob Berman, one of the community's original developers.
"If
that moves forward, sound walls should also be included in that
package," Berman said.
VOICE
urges support for hike in impact fees
Brad
Buck
Dailey Commercial Staff
Writer
TAVARES
- A Lake County school parents' group is circling the wagons to support a
proposed 150-percent increase in school impact fees.
Bob Foley, co-vice chairman of Voter's Organization Interested in
Children's Education, e-mailed group members and the public last week,
telling them to mark their calendars for April 17.
That's when the consultants who proposed the impact fee increase will make
a presentation to county commissioners. However, that presentation will
not be public, county officials said Monday.
The county will consider the school fees sometime in May, county Attorney
Sandy Minkoff said. County commissioners have the final say-so on impact
fees.
Foley
urged VOICE members to e-mail and call county commissioners to vote for
the new impact fees.
He said Monday he thinks there's about a 50-50 chance county commissioners
will approve the fees as recommended.
Meanwhile, Jean Kaminski, executive director of The Homebuilders
Association of Lake County, said Monday she plans to attend the April 17
meeting so she can stay informed on the status of the impact fees.
"Forget the amounts and the emotions," Kaminski said. "We
have some questions about their methodology."
For example, the homebuilders do not think interest should be included in
school impact fees, as suggested by the consultants.
Opponents to the proposed impact-fee increases also say they will price a
large segment of the county's population out of home ownership. Impact
fees are to be paid by developers, who pass along the extra cost to the
consumer.
Assistant Schools Superintendent Noah Powers defended the inclusion of the
interest payments, saying to leave them out would set the system further
behind in paying for new schools.
"These interest charges are real; they are as real as brick and
mortar," he said at the March meeting of the Impact Fee Review
Committee.
In 2004, the county did not include the interest payments on the grounds
they were illegal. Minkoff said the new study more fully justified
including interest fees but said no legal review had been done yet.
In his e-mail, Foley defended the impact fee increases.
"As most of you are aware, the cost of construction for anything has
risen steeply in the last few years," Foley wrote in his e-mail.
"School construction costs have not been excluded from these
increases and maybe more affected due to the intensive requirements for
public school facilities."
The school board and the county's impact fee panel have recommended county
commissioners approve the higher fees to pay for new schools necessitated
by development.
If approved, the county's school impact fees would be among the highest in
the state, at $17,513 for a single family home, up from $7,055.
"There is opposition to this, primarily from the development,
construction and real estate groups who are again declaring
doomsday," Foley wrote. "While that opposition makes claims that
economic disaster will occur and market segments will be deprived of
opportunity, one has to look at the high foreclosure rates and wonder if
all of this is nothing but smoke and mirrors by an industry that lies to
itself."
Builder
promises to fill 'marketplace needs'
By
ANNE SPENCER
Jackson
County Floridan
Tuesday,
April 10, 2007
New
job opportunities in the Graceville area are bringing about new housing
developments.
One
is planned for the heart of Graceville and will fill a gap, according to
the developer, Fred Clark of South Florida.
The
project will be for members of the working class who want to buy new
houses but on smaller lots and prices they can afford, said Clark, who
told about them from his Flag Properties office.
He
envisions the buyers as employees at the new state prison under
construction in the Graceville Industrial Park, Baptist College of Florida
students who may have families, others who are renting, and retirees
waning to downsize.
"We're
going to build what the market demands and needs," Clark said,
"We know what the marketplace needs."
He
plans 12 or 13 houses and 24 townhouses on a few acres at the corner of
White Avenue and Brown Street.
"In
fact, it's going to be called the Brown and White Development," Clark
said.
He
described the homes as entry level, one-story, 1,200 square-feet, three
bedroom and two bath, lapsided and carpeted, with front porches and
appliance.
He
said they will sell for $125,000 and under.
The
exteriors will be low maintenance but durable, he said, having no vinyl or
aluminum, but sided with a cement and fiberglass product with a woodgrain
appearance.
The
lots will have 50-foot frontage.
"They'll
still have plenty of room for a side yard and a back yard," said
Clark, "but they won't have to spend two days mowing."
The
townhouses will be available in two bedroom, two bath, and in three
bedroom, two bath.
"They're
actually being designed for young working people and the students at the
college," Clark said.
"We
think there's enough people out there building big houses," he said.
"We're building smaller, which most builders don't like to do because
they don't make as much money."
Clark
said he's been a builder since 1975 and is 68 years old. He said he's
built such homes in the past, has three such homes in Wakulla County, and
has a home under construction in Campbellton similar to what will be built
in Graceville.
JFB
Builders will be the construction company.
Clark
said the potential owners can see the homes while they're being built, and
mortgage assistance programs will be available.
He
expects permitting to be completed by the end of the year and construction
to start in the first quarter of 2008.
The
new prison is expected to open in September.
Another
housing development is expected to start soon in Graceville, one of
20-plus units across from the high school on State Road 77.
David
Taynor, the owner of Cornerstone Energy Efficient Homes, and Phillip
Register are the developers.
Taynor
is also considering Graceville as the location for a new plant to
manufacture the building system he uses, structurally insulated panels
known as SIPs.
He
has said he won't make a decision on the plant until later this year.
Wal-Mart
wins first round
BY
MICHAEL D. BATES
mbates@hernandotoday.com
Hundreds of residents packed the planning and zoning chambers Monday to
protest a proposed Wal-Mart Super-center directly across the street from
Pristine Place and near other subdivisions.
Carrying
signs that read, “Say No to Big Box,” and “Protect our Children,”
they took their turns at the podium expressing concerns that Wal-Mart
would snarl traffic along Barclay Avenue, spike the neighborhood crime
rate and lead to excessive noise and light pollution.
Three
hours later, planning and zoning commissioners voted 4-1 to recommend the
county approve the retailer’s master plan for the store.
Now
the project heads to county commissioners who, at their May 9 land use
hearing, will again listen to residents and consider the P&Z
recommendation before rendering a final decision.
Residents
seemed to take the initial rejection in stride Monday. As one member of
the Pristine Place Homeown-ers Association said, their fight is at the
land use hearing.
The
P&Z board is only an advisory board that follows a prescribed
checklist dealing with land use issues, said association member Rob Starz.
Starz
said he was actually encouraged because the P&Z only approved the
Wal-Mart plan if the retailer restricts its operating hours from 8 a.m. to
10 p.m.
Wal-Mart,
he said, wants to open 24 hours and may decide to back away from the
project if county commissioners back up the P&Z recommendation, Starz
said.
The
contingent of Wal-Mart representatives at Monday’s meeting tried hard to
get the P&Z board to remove the restrictive operating hours but gave
no indication afterward that it was a deal-breaker.
The
meeting started with a flourish when P&Z commissioner Bob DeWitt asked
for the meeting to be postponed 30 days so a county-mandated public
neighborhood meeting could take place. That meeting is still scheduled for
Wednesday.
When
his colleagues told him the county ordinance did not obligate Wal-Mart to
hold that neighborhood gathering in advance of the P&Z meeting, DeWitt
let loose with an invective.
“Be
damned with (the ordinance),” he said.
But
the meeting continued, albeit with a few emotional outcries from the
audience.
Several
in the crowd murmured when Planning Chairman Anthony Palmieri granted the
Wal-Mart representatives extra time for their presentation and vigorously
enforced the three-minute speaking rule for the public.
When
the first speaker went seven seconds over the limit and tried to wrap up,
Palmieri banged the gavel hard to stop discussion.
Peter
Sutch, one of the project engineers, said every effort was made to
alleviate light and noise pollution from nearby homes. For example, the
185,000-square-foot store would face south, away from Pristine Place.
The
entrances into the store would have specially designed turn lanes and a
signal to help with traffic flow, said engineer Christopher Hatton.
But
the residents didn’t buy any of it.
Fred
Maier of Pristine Place questioned why Wal-Mart needed four stores in
Hern-ando County. It’s not a case of need, he said, “just greed.”
The
supercenter is proposed for the east side of Barclay Avenue, between
Suncoast Villa Apartments at the Publix-anchored Barclay Square.
Resident
Dave Houser said Barclay Avenue is no place for a big box store, even
though it is slated to be widened to four lanes in the coming year. Other
Wal-Marts are located on major highways, he said.
“This
will be too high a price for low prices,” Houser said.
Others
worried that Wal-Mart’s parking lot would become a hangout for drug
dealers, rapists and other undesirables.
Many
were concerned about the proximity of Powell Middle School, only 1,500
feet to the north of the proposed site. With an estimated 1,100 more cars
headed to Wal-Mart each day, the chances of students getting hit increase,
they said.
Planning
commissioners listened attentively to the litany of concerns but admitted
their hands were tied legally because the property is already zoned
commercial. The best they can do, they said, is make sure the site is
developed as unobtrusively as possible when it comes to designing nearby
roads and making infrastructure improvements.
“I
don’t feel we have a legal way of turning this down,” DeWitt said.
DeWitt
voted against his colleagues because he didn’t want to restrict
Wal-Mart’s operating hours. It’s against free enterprise, he said.
Palmieri
said it isn’t the P&Z board’s job to dictate how many stores
Wal-Mart wants to build in Hernando County.
“That’s
up to the Wal-Mart board to decide where they want to put their stores,”
Palmieri said. “It’s an economic decision. We deal with land use.”
Barclay
is going to be four-laned with or without Wal-Mart, he said.
Planning
member Anna Liisa Covell wondered how much of the public protest was a
result of the Wal-Mart brand.
“I
heard Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart and nothing about a big box,” Covell
said. “If this was Target or Sears, do you think you’d hear this kind
of outcry?”
As
residents filed out, they spoke amongst themselves and planned the next
step in trying to defeat the retail juggernaut’s attempts to locate in
their neighborhood. Most are expected to show up at the neighborhood
meeting, scheduled from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 11 at the Best
Western Resort Weeki Wachee, at U.S. 19 and State Road 50.
The
public will get to air their concerns in a more informal setting as they
prepare for next month’s land use hearing.
“As
Yogi Berra said, it isn’t over till it’s over,” Maier said.
Reporter
Michael D. Bates can be contacted at 352-544-5290.
Planners
approve Wal-Mart site
Spring
Hill residents tell the county they fear the location will bring crime and
more traffic near homes and schools.
By
DAN DEWITT
Published April 10, 2007
BROOKSVILLE
- Does Hernando County really need a fourth Wal-Mart Supercenter, which is
planned for Barclay Avenue in Spring Hill?
The
county Planning and Zoning Commission couldn't even consider that issue,
chairman Anthony Palmieri said at its meeting on Monday.
"The
question of need - that's not our job," Palmieri said. "We deal
with land use. Do we have adequate roads? Are the surrounding land uses
compatible?"
Basing
their decision on these factors - and the site's previous approval for
commercial use - Palmieri and three other commissioners voted to recommend
the store's plan, which will seek final approval at next month's County
Commission land use meeting.
Bob
DeWitt was the only planning commissioner to vote against the
recommendations, saying that by limiting the store's operating hours to 8
a.m. to 10 p.m., as the commission recommended, "we are restricting
free enterprise."
Commissioners
voted after listening to objections from a roomful of residents from
Pristine Place and Silverthorn. Most said they were worried the store
would bring crime to the area and overwhelm it with traffic.
Though
Barclay will soon be widened to four lanes, it is currently a crowded
two-lane road. It must handle all of the store's traffic until an access
road linking the store's parking lot to Spring Hill Drive is completed
with the expansion of the nearby Suncoast Villas Apartments.
Also,
three schools are slightly more than a mile away from the proposed
Wal-Mart site and one, Powell Middle School, is about 1,500 feet away.
"Whoever
is planning and allowing a big box store ... this close to a subdivision
and schools should go back to school or start going to church," said
Linda Kidwell, who lives in Pristine Place.
Commissioners
told residents they had little choice but to approve plans for the store.
The
22-acre site was designated for commercial use as part of the Holland
Springs development of regional impact, which the county approved in 1983,
said James J. Porter, a Tampa lawyer representing Wal-Mart. The approval
for Pristine Place had also originally been part of Holland Springs, he
said, as was the land for Powell Middle School - so schools and
residential neighborhoods were just as far from the store as the original
plan had anticipated.
The
land is zoned for commercial use, DeWitt said, and because of its historic
approval, "I don't think we have a legal way of turning this
down."
He
did, however, suggest the County Commission might be more susceptible to
the pressure of facing so many potential voters. "They are a
political body," he said. "They have to stand for
re-election."
Anna
Liisa Covell also suggested the pressure might be greater because the
proposed store is a Wal-Mart.
"If
this was a Target or a Sears do you think we'd have the same
problems?" she asked.
Besides
the three existing supercenters, Wal-Mart operates a Sam's Club retail
outlet on State Road 50 near Mariner Boulevard, and opponents have
previously said the company has become too dominant in the local market.
But
many of the speakers on Monday were careful to use the phrase "big
box store" rather than Wal-Mart, and some said they did not want to
single out the retailer.
"If
this was Joe's Widget Shop I would have the same concerns," said Josh
Vilardi.
Dan
DeWitt can be reached at dewitt@sptimes.com
or 352754-6116.
Deltona
officials, investors offer interstate activity center plans
By
SARA KIESLER
Staff Writer
DELTONA
-- Development of the Southwest Volusia Activity Center begins with a
16-screen movie theater, and from there, the dreams only get bigger for
this residential community. City officials and local investors presented
plans to develop 150 acres of Deltona's 900 available acres of land near
the State Road 472 and Interstate 4 interchange at a meeting Monday.
For
too long, Deltona residents have had no other choice but to commute to
Daytona Beach and Orlando for jobs and shopping, Sally Sherman, Assistant
City Manager for Economic Development, said during a presentation.
"We're
not Heathrow, that market's taken," Sherman said. "But we want
to find the market we can be successful in."
Sherman
and Planning and Development Services Director Greg Stubbs see things
beginning to change. Along with an Epic Movie Theatre, brought in by Frank
DeMarsh of I-4 Howland Investments, Weingarten Realty Investors envision
multi-family residential housing and office space.
City
Manager Steve Thompson said there is also talk of a JC Penny going into
the area, and land clearing for a Nissan auto dealership was supposed to
begin earlier this year.
But
many roadblocks still sit in the way of the activity center becoming the
high-tech manufacturing and corporate headquarters that transformed
Seminole County a decade ago. Control of the total 1,800 acres is still
divided between hundreds of owners, including Deltona, DeLand, Orange City
and Volusia County.
Also,
said Stubbs, the development of regional impact approval given to the
property in the late 1990s only allows for 20,000 vehicle trips per day,
and the property has endangered scrub jay habitat on it.
Before
all of that can even be considered, the city must face a "tricky
timeline" to make the development a reality, said Thompson. That
involves amending the future land use agreement, making planned unit
development changes, building streets, assuring the project meets
commissioners' desires, and coming up with a funding strategy that makes
all of it possible.
Stubbs
said the future of the city depends on economic development to generate
sales tax and employment. It is unclear whether ticket takers and retail
sales associates will fulfill that need, but the search for high-end
office jobs has not ended yet.
"That's
900 acres of future . . . 900 acres of opportunity and challenges, all
rolled into one," Stubbs said.
Median
price of existing homes slips to 2006 levels
$15,000
decline in price is for Orlando area in March
Jerry
W. Jackson
Sentinel Staff Writer
April 10, 2007, 10:21 AM EDT
The median price of existing homes sold in the Orlando area in March
slipped to 2006 levels, $240,000, as the inventory of homes for sale
continued to swell and sales fell more than 40 percent, the Orlando
Regional Realtors Association said today.
Sales of homes and condos rose to 1,665 in March from 1,541 in February in
the core Orlando market as the spring selling season kicked off. But that
was down 42 percent from March 2006 when home sales were still on a hot
streak.
The number of homes for sale by local Realtors rose to a record 23,547
from a revised 22,055 in February, up 1,492, a 14 month supply at the
recent sales pace.
The one bright spot in the report is that the $15,000 decline in the
median price -- half sold for less and half for more -- improves
affordability slightly. The local Realtor group's affordability index rose
to 93.6 percent in March from 87.1 percent in February. But that still
means that buyers earning a statewide median income of $50,762 are 6.4
percent short of income recommended to purchase a median priced home.
Bradenton
condo converter cuts prices
By
PATRICK WHITTLE
patrick.whittle@heraldtribune.com
BRADENTON
-- When Matt Kihnke paid $15.5 million for a Bradenton apartment complex
in March 2005, the Chicago investor looked primed to become the architect
of another condo conversion success story.
That was before the real estate market went soft and became saturated with
converted apartments. Kihnke's property, a 272-unit complex about five
miles north of Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, is still about a
third unsold.
But if Southwest Florida's condo conversion game really is a game, Kihnke
is an old pro.
He has converted four Sarasota and Bradenton apartment complexes into
condominiums in the past five years. And he knows what he has to do to
move units at his Sanctuary of Bradenton spread.
Cut prices.
As a result, Sanctuary of Bradenton may be one of the most affordable
options for first-time home buyers between Tampa and Fort Myers. Kihnke
said sales are already picking up.
Studios at Sanctuary of Bradenton, which was once called Saddle Creek
Apartments, sell for $89,900. The most expensive units, 1,055-square-foot
lake-view 2-and-2's, sell for $139,900. Some of the units were listed for
at $160,000 or more 18 months ago.
With the aggressive pricing, Kihnke expects to sell out Sanctuary by the
end of the year. In an odd twist, local affordable housing advocates are
cheering on the big-city investor's low-cost, low-down-payment approach.
"I think we can beat anyone in that market," Kihnke said from
his office on West Ohio Street in Chicago. "We're starting to see
people that sat on their hands for a while come out of the woodwork."
Kihnke said he spent "multiple millions of dollars" renovating
the apartment complex into a condominium. Cabinets, counters, appliances
and mechanical units were replaced. Pools and tennis courts were
renovated. Kihnke redid the clubhouse and weight room and added a new spa
and secured entrance gate.
Had the units sold out in 2005, a year when more than 100,000 rental units
across the country were sold for conversion, Kihnke could have doubled his
$15.5 million investment in less than a year.
But that did not happen.
Advocates for low-cost housing call the slow sales a blessing in disguise.
Evelyn Treworgy, president of Palma Sola Bay Club Development and a local
affordable housing advocate, lived at Sanctuary years ago when it was
called Saddle Creek. She said Bradenton "needs to have things
starting at that price point."
Rob Rogers, director of the Manatee Housing Authority, agreed. He cited
the fact that a 30-year mortgage payment on a $109,900 2-and-1 could be
less than $650 per month.
"You can hardly find a two-bedroom apartment in town for that,"
Rogers said.
Kihnke is trying to use affordability and accessibility as Sanctuary's
selling points. Buyers, often first-time homeowners, are moving in for
only $500, he said. Many buyers, even those with suspect credit history,
are benefiting from competitive financing, he said.
"We're not financing at 8 or 9 percent," Kihnke said. "A
lot of these rates we're getting at the 6 percentile."
Kihnke's firm, MK Equity Corp., deals in Chicago, Michigan and Florida. He
has been at the center of six real estate deals in Sarasota and Manatee
counties.
The first was the City Walk condo conversion in Sarasota. The 70-unit
project, which sold out in five weeks in 2002, was a foreshadowing of the
condo conversion craze that hit the Gulf Coast in 2004 and 2005.
In March 2005, Kihnke paid $1 million for a 15,600-square-foot piece of
downtown Sarasota land at 300 Pineapple Ave. He said he's "playing
around with" ideas for the well-situated property.
Kihnke also sold out Garden Walk, a 174-unit Bradenton conversion. Two
other Bradenton projects, which Kihnke attempted while the condo
conversion market slowed, were not as successful.
Harbour Point, a 242-unit complex, was modified but will remain an
apartment complex. The 352-unit Hampton Bay condo conversion was sold to
another developer after the units failed to sell as fast as expected.
But Kihnke is convinced Sanctuary of Bradenton's story will have a happy
ending.
He said his upgrades turned the complex "from a B-minus property ...
to a strong B-plus or maybe an A-minus." And the low prices have
started to attract young professionals and home buyers: "A lot of
teachers, firemen, police officers."
Kihnke, 39, grew up in western Michigan and attended Aquinas College in
Grand Rapids, Mich. He moved to Chicago in the early 1990s and started his
firm in 1996.
He is also a partner in a Chicago real estate player that does high-rise
and mid-rise condo projects in the Windy City.
His Chicago office is just four miles from Wrigley Field. But now, he's
more concerned with selling condos down the road from Bradenton's
McKechnie Field.
"We used to have a lot of investors who would sit on our product for
six to eight months," he said. "We're starting to see those
investors again. ... Buyers understand there is a deal to be had right
now."
State's
advice to home buyers: Be sure you get sinkhole policy
A
flier from the state calls sinkholes a "part of the Florida
landscape."
By
DAVID DECAMP
Published April 10, 2007
In
January, state Sen. Mike Fasano and Rep. John Legg ballyhooed the option
of dropping sinkhole insurance as a way to "protect our
consumers" and drop premiums as much as 60 percent.
There's
something else consumers should know:
"Sinkholes
are an unpredictable part of the Florida landscape, especially in West
Central Florida and the greater Tampa Bay area," according to a flier
for home buyers from the state Department of Financial Services.
Over
a drawing of a crack across a brick wall, the flier gives another nugget
of advice:
"Make
sure that sinkhole coverage is included in your policy, or in a
rider."
Citizens
Property Insurance Corp. intends to make the option available by Sept. 1,
if regulators approve the state-run insurer's final filings. Private
insurers will make it optional, too.
By
law, customers across Florida will get 100 days' notice of the change,
then may begin deciding whether to drop the coverage. In Pasco and
Hernando counties, and to a lesser extent in Pinellas and Hillsborough
counties, they may drop it and pay lower premiums.
Insurers
blame a rash of sinkhole claims in Pasco and Hernando counties for driving
up rates there. However, dropping the coverage shifts the burden of paying
for repairs to policyholders.
Florida
sinkhole ombudsman David Fisher, who works in the financial services
department, said consumers should think hard before dropping coverage.
Like the flier, he recommended that consumers get advice from an insurance
agent and figure out how to pay for sinkhole damage if they drop sinkhole
coverage.
"It's
really difficult to make a recommendation. But personally myself, if I
lived in a sinkhole-prone area, I'd want it," said Fisher, whose data
from the past year showed 67 of the 112 sinkhole insurance complaints to
him came from Pasco, Hernando and Pinellas counties. "And it's not
just for Citizens, it's for all insurers."
Saying
people's need for savings and options justified the changes, Fasano
brushed aside the flier prepared by the department run by Chief Financial
Officer Alex Sink. That department's duties include consumer advocacy,
with former state comptroller Bob Milligan as the insurance consumer
advocate.
Fasano
cast Sink and Milligan as millionaires who don't need the savings his
constituents do.
"I
think Mr. Milligan hasn't a clue about what's going on in Pasco and
Hernando counties," Fasano said.
Downplaying
the differences between the advice contained in the flier and the January
rhetoric, Legg said dropping sinkhole coverage is a reasonable option for
those whose only other alternative would be to sell their house.
"All
things being equal, we would prefer to have sinkhole coverage," said
Legg, who wrote with Fasano the change making it an option.
The
state's Office of Insurance Regulation - which is connected to but not
overseen by the Department of Financial Services - approved the basics of
the Citizens plan Jan. 29.
"We
want them customers to have a choice," said office spokesman Bob
Lotane, though he acknowledged the option comes with risk to consumers who
want lower rates. "The temptation is there to go without it."
Lotane
said regulators - who recommend as much coverage as possible - will work
with insurers to make sure customers get the right information to make a
well-informed decision.
While
customers statewide will get notices by law at least 100 days before
changes are made, Citizens is planning to reach out specifically to Pasco
and Hernando customers.
Spokesman
Rocky Scott said Citizens is looking at sending letters and having a
public meeting to help people decide.
Fasano
said he has asked that any letter for area customers mention the potential
savings.
Citizens,
the Pasco market's largest insurer, plans to file its finished policy
plans by Friday.
The
changes could cut unfounded claims for cracking and settling of homes, a
key talking point for Fasano, Legg and insurers.
Lotane
said claims rejected by insurers end up costing $7,500 to $8,000 to
investigate, and he blamed such cases for causing rates to rise.
Policies
without sinkhole coverage would cover only catastrophic damage.
Lesser
damage would not be covered, even if it was clearly caused by a sinkhole.
If
someone lives in Jacksonville, where sinkhole claims are scarce, the risk
and savings would be minimal, Fisher said.
But
west-central Florida - which geologists report is more susceptible to
sinkholes - is a different story, even with higher rates.
"If
they were calling from Tampa Bay, I wouldn't tell them to drop it,"
he said.
David
DeCamp can be reached at (727) 869-6232 or "ddecamp@sptimes.com.
Majority
may not be enough
Most
residents - but not a two-thirds majority - vote to buy a mobile home
park.
By
SHEELA RAMAN
Published April 10, 2007
LARGO
- Even after a poll of residents, the controversy continues at the Palm
Hill mobile home park.
On
one side, the board of the residents' co-operative remains determined to
purchase the park and plans to go to court to make that happen, according
to its attorney.
On
the other, opponents protest that the poll didn't get the two-thirds
majority that had been established as a key benchmark of support, so the
purchase should die.
Many
Palm Hill residents have argued that they could secure the park's future
by having the co-op buy Palm Hill from its current owners, the Taylor
family, for $76-million. The residents had hoped that owning the park
would prevent exorbitant rent increases in coming years.
In
a recent poll at the 55-and-over park, 625 residents favored the purchase,
while 368 opposed it.
But
before the poll, the board had said that it needed at least 731 positive
votes - a two-thirds majority of the total - to go forward.
Last
week, however, after the results were announced, the board indicated that
it was moving forward anyway.
Opponents
yelped in protest.
"What's
happened is mind-boggling," said Pat Coughlin, 62, a teacher who
voted against the purchase. "The no's carried it to vote it down. ...
We were absolutely flabbergasted."
Joe
Gaynor, the attorney for the co-op's board, said a two-thirds majority
should not be required, and he plans to go to court in search of a legal
ruling that will make clear that the purchase can go forward.
The
co-op board had originally decided to mandate a two-thirds majority rule
because of conflicting clauses in the lease paperwork that required a 75
percent majority and a simple majority of 50 percent plus one,
respectively, to decide land acquisitions.
Gaynor
said when there is no clear percentage specified in the paperwork, it is
customary to use a two-thirds majority. He also said the board wanted to
protect itself against naysayers in the community who thought the price of
the land was too high.
"We
were overly cautious because we thought we would be accused of rigging the
election," Gaynor said. "In hindsight, it was the wrong thing to
do. We should have just gone with the 50 percent. That is legally
justified anyway."
Gaynor
said he believes the court will come to the same conclusion.
Palm
Hill, one of Pinellas County's largest mobile home parks, covers about 165
acres north of Ulmerton Road and east of Seminole Boulevard and includes
1,096 homes.
The
1,500 or so residents own their homes and all the park's improvements,
such as the streets, sewer lines, pools and clubhouses, through a
co-operative. But the land the park sits on belongs to the John S. Taylor
family of Largo, which leases the land to residents.
The
co-op's board proposed purchasing the land from the Taylor family in late
March in order to acquire the property before the next appraisal in 2010,
which would likely cause rents to increase significantly.
If
the 2010 appraisal matched the Taylors' recent appraisal of $81-million,
the residents could pay as much as $493 per month beginning in 2010,
Gaynor said.
In
contrast, the $76-million purchase price would require each resident to
pay $399 per month.
The
proposal has caused a deep rift between residents, some of whom believe
that $76-million is far too much to pay. They contended that the price did
not account for the fact that the residents own all of the improvements.
But
Andrew Rodnite, the attorney for the Taylors, said the appraisal is based
on the terms of the current lease, which allows for the highest and best
use of the property.
In
other words, the appraisal is based on the amount the land could fetch if
it were undeveloped.
Gaynor
agreed. He said an independent appraiser hired by the firm lending the
money to the co-operative board to purchase the park conducted its own
appraisal, and came up with a $77-million value for the land.
Dottie
Symmes has lived in the park for seven years and said she voted for the
purchase.
"It's
the old saying: It's better to own than to rent," she said.
"This is one of the best and cheapest parks around right now. If we
don't buy it, that is going to change."
Symmes
said tensions in the neighborhood have been so high that there have been
fistfights and police have started patrolling the area.
Rex
and Rose Ann Fowler said they have felt the tension too, and they try to
stay out of it.
"Everyone
here is over 55," Rex Fowler said. "Nobody has to get that
radical."
The
Fowlers also voted to purchase the property.
"I
think it will allow people to afford to live here," said Rose Ann
Fowler. "I voted yes, but I could end up being wrong. I don't know
for sure. I guess only time will tell."
Conversion
of mobile home park advances
JEFF
ADELSON
Sun
staff writer
A
plan to redevelop the Alamar Gardens mobile home park as a mixed-use
apartment complex advanced Monday night when city commissioners gave
approval to the proposal and ruled that adequate affordable housing was
available to take in the displaced residents.
Commissioners, who have been critical of other plans to redevelop mobile
home parks, referred to provisions made by the developer, Biltmore Corp.
of Gainesville, as an example for others to follow.
"I think this was maybe a model for us as we move forward into the
future," Commissioner Rick Bryant said.
Five Gainesville city commissioners gave unanimous support to move ahead
with land-use and zoning changes required to turn the mobile home park at
4400 SW 20th Ave. into a mixed-use development. Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan and
Commissioner Ed Braddy were absent.
The changes will still need to be approved by the commission twice more,
and the project, called SoHo, will need specific approval before it can go
ahead.
Plans for SoHo include about 700 apartments and 40,000 square feet of
commercial or retail space on the 40-acre property.
Jon Wershow, an attorney representing Biltmore, said the company was
trying to help residents transition to other housing by offering moving
assistance, paying for the cost of moving or permitting a mobile home and
providing incentives or discounts to buy mobile homes that had been rented
by Alamar Gardens.
There were 125 occupied mobile homes in the park when the development was
first proposed, including 52 that were owner-occupied, Wershow said. As of
April 4 about 26 had been relocated, he said.
Wershow noted that only a handful of residents showed up to raise concerns
about the plan, as opposed to the dozens that packed City Hall during
other mobile home park redevelopment hearings.
"As you can see tonight, this room is not filled with people like
that and the reason, as you'll see in my presentation, is we've worked
with the residents of Alamar Gardens to alleviate their problems,"
Wershow said.
But not all residents were happy.
Nancy Shepherd, a disabled resident of Alamar, said she was worried by the
plan, and said it would be difficult to find a place to move. Shepherd
also said a mobile home offered for sale by the developer was not
"suitable to live in."
"I'm disappointed in our government for not stepping up to figure out
how to give residents a place to live in their community," Shepherd
said.
But commissioners said they were impressed with the proposal offered by
Biltmore, and Bryant said it was dramatically better than the situation
with another mobile home park, Buck Bay on NW 39th Avenue. In that case,
the commission gave permission to the park owner to build "site
built" homes on lots in the park, with an oral assurance that
residents would not be forced to leave. The park was sold, however, and
the new owner has said he plans to empty the park and build a subdivision.
Affordable housing remained a concern for commissioners, however.
Commissioner Jack Donovan asked about the possibility of including
affordable units in the complex, and Bryant said the commission should
keep the issue as one of its focuses.
Jeff Adelson can be reached at 352-374-5095 or adelsoj@gvillesun.com
Plan
to restore wetlands may aid Paynes Prairie
JEFF
ADELSON
Sun
staff writer
A
plan to better filter stormwater running into Paynes Prairie Preserve
State Park by restoring wetlands on about 120 acres near the outlet of
Sweetwater Branch received conceptual approval from the City Commission on
Monday.
The plan will require the city to swap land with the state Park Service to
gain control of about 90 acres around a city-owned property near S. Main
Street and Williston Road that would contain the new wetlands.
The improvements are required to bring Gainesville Regional Utilities and
the city's Public Works Department in compliance with regulations on the
level of nutrients, phosphates and nitrogen that can flow into the Alachua
Sink, said Rick Hutton, who is leading GRU's efforts on the project.
In the 1930s, ranchers drained wetlands on what is now the city property
and built a canal to connect Sweetwater Branch with the prairie, Hutton
said.
The project is designed to restore the wetlands and fill in the canal to
allow water to flow into the prairie in a more natural manner, he said.
The public could be given access to the finished wetlands, which would
then serve as a park as well, he said.
The project is expected to cost between $20 million and $25 million. City
officials now anticipate splitting the costs of the project between GRU
and Public Works, but money from the state or other sources could be used
as well.
The project is supported by several agencies, including the Park Service,
St. Johns River Water Management District and the state Department of
Environmental Protection.
However, the state chapter of the Sierra Club has objected to plans to use
preservation land for the project.
Paula Stahmer of the Suwannee-St. Johns Chapter of the Sierra Club, said
the state Sierra Club could not support the project because
"appropriating preserved land" could set a bad precedent.
However, Stahmer said she supported measures to restore wetlands on the
property and reverse a "badly damaged" property.
"The Paynes Prairie reserve belongs to all the people in Gainesville
and the United States and should not be used to clean polluted
water," Stahmer said.
Jeff Adelson can be reached at 352-374-5095 or adelsoj@gvillesun.com
Orange
Crop Numbers Lowered Again
By Kevin
Bouffard
The Ledger
The
projected 2006-07 Florida orange crop on Tuesday was decreased by another
1.3 million boxes to 130.7 million boxes, still the lowest production
since the 1989-90 freeze season of 110.2 million boxes, according to the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. The report also lowered the projected
2006-07 tangerine crop to 4.6 million boxes, down 200,000 boxes from the
March forecast. It held grapefruit at 28 million boxes and tangelos at
1.25 million boxes.
For more information, see Wednesday's Ledger.
Commission
OKs CR 653 Development
More
development is coming to the County Road 653 area of Winter Haven.
City commissioners voted 4-1 Monday to approve a 60-acre development west
of Lake Cunningham. Commissioner Jeff Potter voted against the proposed
single-family homes, saying CR 653 cannot currently handle the growth.
"I'm not going to support development down there until 653 gets
developed," Potter said.
Up to 225 single-family homes are expected to be built at the development.
Commissioners
OK Mims study
BY SUSANNE CERVENKA
FLORIDA TODAY
Brevard
County Commissioners approved a study of Mims’ future growth and
development.
The Small Area Study suggests future zoning north of Grant Line Road be
limited to one home per 2.5 acres, as opposed to the one to two homes per
acre the land use plan now suggests. The study also proposes decreasing
density for all residential areas by one zoning designation.
Even though the commissioners approved the study, it is not officially
part of the county’s comprehensive plan and future land use map,
documents that guide the county in development.
State officials will review changes proposed by the study to make sure
they fit with the geography and is consistent with other state and local
land use plans
Ex-builder
admits to bilking clients
John
Barrington faces 20 years in prison
Jerry
W. Jackson
Sentinel Staff Writer
April 10, 2007
A convicted felon who changed his name before tricking dozens of would-be
homeowners and investors out of millions of dollars with his
John E. Barrington, 45, who legally changed his name from John Stuart
Jakows to help conceal his criminal past when he launched Barrington Homes
Inc. in 2002, faces as much as 20 years in prison. He had previously spent
time in state prison on mortgage fraud and other convictions.
Through the plea agreement entered Monday,
Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg said he could not comment on the
case, beyond the facts in the plea agreement, which includes a lengthy
admission of guilt on the three counts and a pledge by
Jason Wells of Orlando, who with his wife, Heather, lost more than
$130,000 after closing on a lot and home that was never built in a
now-stalled Apopka subdivision, said repayment is not likely.
"We're not hopeful we'll see a dime of that," Wells said of
Federal agents have so far tried and failed to find any substantial
assets, Wells said, from the deposits and other money lost by individuals,
families and companies victimized by the builder and his wife, Deanna
Barrington, both of Ocoee.
Deanna Barrington pleaded guilty last week to three counts of tax evasion
in return for a chance at a lighter sentence. Sentencing in her case is
set for June 27 before U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell.
Wells said he and the dozens of other victims have been frustrated by the
case for many reasons, including the complexity and legal hurdles.
"It's been devastating to our family," he said, and
Wells and more than two-dozen other families recently settled with R-G
Crown Bank, which voluntarily agreed to restructure their loans and
provide other monetary relief. The Casselberry bank was also duped by
"We're pleased with that," Wells said of the bank settlement,
though he added that "there were a lot of players in this" who
failed to detect that a convicted felon was running a home-building
business. He said that he and other victims have made preliminary
overtures to the title company that handled the closings on the lot sales,
but so far they have been rebuffed.
Bryan McMinn, a Maitland lawyer who helped the families negotiate the
agreement with R-G Crown Bank, said Monday that he is "carefully
evaluating" representing Wells and other victims with any possible
claims against First American Title Insurance Co.
A representative in an Orlando-area office of the title company, whose
parent company is based in
"I'd like to help these people any way I can," McMinn said.
"It has been a nightmare for them."
Jerry W. Jackson can be reached at
jwjackson@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5721.
Jim
Stratton
Sentinel Staff Writer
April 9, 2007
CEDAR KEY -- To grasp this small, funky city on the Gulf of Mexico, stand at
the corner of Second and C streets and check out the post supporting the
balcony on the historic
It lists like a drunken frat boy, knocked off-plumb decades ago by either a
clumsy road crew or a bad driver. But the balcony hasn't collapsed, so
locals never bothered to replace it.
"It's held up OK," said John Andrews, a retired doctor. "It's
just a little off."
Much about Cedar Key is a "little off," and residents like it that
way.
For decades, the tiny island town has been the place that time forgot and
developers overlooked. A quirky, shabby haven for fishermen, artists and
iconoclasts, Cedar Key has no McDonald's, no chain hotels and few of the
tourist shops that have grown like hydrilla in other parts of
But a town with a waterfront can hide for only so long, and now rising
property values and development pressures are reshaping the face of the
village.
A luxury resort is planned for the middle of town, bringing with it new
money and new life for some of Cedar Key's sagging 19th-century buildings.
But while many locals welcome the historic restoration, they fear that the
newcomers might threaten the very thing that makes their home different.
"That risk is definitely there," says Doris Hellerman, a
real-estate agent who has lived in Cedar Key for 27 years. "Up until
now, most developers haven't seen the potential here -- and that's what's
saved us."
At the end of the road
It's hard to stumble across Cedar Key.
It sits at the western end of State Road 24, about 30 miles from pretty much
anywhere. An early port town, it prospered during the 1880s as a center of
shipping, timber and fishing. At its peak in 1885, it had almost 1,900
residents. But the boom was short-lived.
By 1900, only 700 people lived here, and the town's course was set. It spent
the 20th century as an obscure fishing village that few outsiders had heard
about and even fewer visited. Those who did discovered a blue-collar
community with a laid-back charm and addictive pace of life.
Locals of the town that now has about 900 residents have jealously guarded
their island, welcoming visitors tourists but insisting that Cedar Key not
become a tourist town.
"We don't have any beaches, we don't have any golf courses, and we
don't want any," Andrews said. "That's not what we're about."
Instead, Cedar Key is about rickety docks, clam boats, cracked sidewalks and
life on the water. Locals focus on what works, not necessarily what looks
nice, so the town has the jumbled, lived-in feel of a real place -- not the
straight lines and fresh paint of a theme park.
City Commissioner Heath Davis says Cedar Key has "character." And
"character," he said, "isn't something you can just build;
it's just there."
Coming:
Roy and Julie Norton say they value that character as much as anyone.
The Nortons are the driving force behind
As big as a city block, the resort project will include shops, restaurants,
a private marina, a small, upscale hotel and a 5,000-square-foot
full-service spa with a rooftop sun deck.
But the keystone of the development is The Residence Club at
Members will get access to a private marina and a small fleet of pleasure
boats. A members-only lounge, the development's Web site says, will
"feature a brandy and cigar collection" and a billiards room.
There will be tennis courts and two rooftop swimming pools.
The project is more posh than anything else in Cedar Key, but the Nortons
say it poses no threat to the town's scruffy charm. All it will do, they
say, is bring in some well-heeled visitors eager for a taste of Old Florida.
"We're looking to attract people who like Cedar Key the way it is
now," Roy Norton said. "It shouldn't affect the overall feel of
the community."
So far, the project has racked up about $6 million in sales, the Nortons
say. It is running behind schedule, however, because of a downturn in the
real-estate market. The first phase could be open by late 2008.
Supporters of the development say it will help preserve the city's heritage.
The Nortons are restoring six of
The structures, built between 1875 and 1910, had been neglected for years
and were falling apart. The offer to save them -- a plan that even project
critics applaud -- was key in getting city approval for the development.
"We have a deal with the city," Roy Norton said. "We're going
to save the old buildings and bring them back to life, but they had to allow
enough economic activity to pay for that."
As he tools around town in a golf cart tricked out to resemble a 1940s
roadster, Norton talks about the importance of embracing Cedar Key's relaxed
personality. It's "unique" and "magical," he says, and
any growth in the city must be "careful and measured."
But scratch the surface a little, and it's clear the Nortons are growing
weary of defending their project.
"
Dick Martens isn't complaining.
Martens owns Curmudgeonalia, a bookstore just down the street from the
Nortons' project.
It's the sort of place where visitors browse and chat with the crusty owner,
but big sales are relatively rare. Martens hopes the Nortons' clients will
be more apt to open their wallets.
"They'll drop $100 in a heartbeat," said Martens, a retiree from
Wary of impact
Other small-business owners hope to cash in as well, but the feeling is far
from universal.
Carmen Day owns The Barefoot Artist Gallery, a few doors from Martens'
bookstore. She realizes that a stream of affluent visitors might put more
money in her pocket, but she's wary it might come with a price.
She doesn't want Cedar Key to become
"I'd rather see us stay the same," she said.
Commissioners know people feel that way, and they wonder, too, where the
town is headed. After the
Text would explain how each image fit into the town's history. The overall
message would be, "Welcome to Cedar Key. Please don't try to change
us."
"The idea was to let people know how things work here,"
Jim Stratton can be reached at jstratton@orlandosentinel.com
or 407-420-5379.
Busy
roads a threat to development
Future
development projects on some
County commissioners will discuss the situation Tuesday when they get new
data showing that 11 segments of roadways in the county are considered over
capacity, while several others are nearing capacity.
"The noose and the issues related to concurrency continue to get more
and more pressing," County Manager Randall Reid said. "The
latitude for us to make decisions on how developments can be done is
increasingly getting tighter and tighter."
Commissioners have begun mulling the idea of boosting impact fees and the
county gas tax to generate more money to widen existing roads or build new
ones.
New traffic figures are based on an annual report by the North Central
Florida Regional Planning Council, said Michael Fay, the county's assistant
public works director.
The report is a compilation of road usage from the state Department of
Transportation, the county and the city of
Fay said the county uses the actual traffic counts from the Planning Council
and adds the car trips that have been reserved by new development that is
not yet built.
The result is that 11 road segments in the western half of the county are
effectively over capacity, five are at 95 percent capacity and six are at 85
percent capacity.
"Some of the roadways will have a considerable amount of reserved trips
from projects like Oakmont, Town of
Some of the roads that are over capacity include
State growth management laws require that road capacity exist for new
development when that development comes on line, a requirement called
concurrency.
"We would have to tell them right now there is not capacity on the
roadway for us to issue a final certificate of levels of service
compliance," Fay said.
But adding capacity will take money. Options include increasing impact fees
on new development, raising the gas tax and putting a referendum for a sales
tax increase to voters.
Reid said the cost burden will fall increasingly on developers.
The county currently has a transportation residential impact fee of $1,052
per 1,000 square feet of house.
The county has recently calculated it would take a residential fee of $4,348
per square foot to cover the true cost of development.
New calculations on commercial impact fees are substantially higher than the
current amounts, particularly for some development including large retail
stores such as Wal-Mart and Target.
Developers and business leaders have questioned some of the factors used by
the county in the new calculations.
Adam Bolton of Robinson Inc., an officer for the Builders Association of
North Central Florida, said he believes builders understand that money is
short but that increased impact fees should not be the only source
considered by the commission.
"There is a consensus in the Builders Association that
"Our biggest contention lately is that it cannot be the only one. It's
not going to generate the kind of revenue to do anything. Even if they
quadrupled them for what they are now, the couldn't collect enough to do
much of any improvement."
Residential impact fees are generally passed on to the consumer.
Some builders believe an increase could make homes too expensive for some
prospective buyers.
The
Power Of One Voice
Published:
Apr 9, 2007
The
U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last week affirming federal authority to
regulate carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases delivered a strong
message about global warming: The question isn't whether it exists but what
action to take.
On
the national level, policy-makers from both sides of the political aisle are
charging into action.
But
for a
She
decided to quit her job at a south Tampa Montessori school and join the
Climate Project, an organization that teaches people how to spread the
global warming message. Armed with facts and tips, Fernandez gives
presentations around town, speaking to church groups, schools and
businesses.
She
advises Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and plans to take
"We
only have one way to go from here - up," Fernandez said.
Green
Tips
Carpool,
walk, ride a bike, use mass transit. If every
Get
better gas mileage. Every three miles per gallon improvement can save 3,000
pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
Replace
your bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. If every house used only
one CFL, it would be equivalent to removing a million cars from the roads.
Set
your thermostat at 78 in the summer and 68 in the winter. Heating and
cooling your home accounts for about 45 percent of a home's total energy
use.
Seal
your doors and windows, and insulate. The average home causes more pollution
than a car because of the fossil fuels burned to supply the power.
Unplug
everything you are not using. Standby power can account for 9 percent to 10
percent of household energy.
Take
shorter showers - aim for five minutes. Low-flow shower heads can save
pounds of carbon dioxide.
Stop
junk mail. The production of junk mail consumes as much energy as 2.8
million cars.
Use
refillable and reusable containers, and recycle. Eight out of 10 bottles end
up in landfills.
Use
the power of your voice and your votes. Write your local, state and federal
officials to let them know you think this is a critical issue.
Source:
"The Little Book of Convenient Things You Can Do to Stop Global
Warming" by Roberta Fernandez
Keyword:
Greenhouse, to see a video about Roberta Fernandez's transformation to
global warming expert.
SOME
'GREEN' THUMBS UP
•
Gov. Charlie Crist just announced plans to put solar panels on the
governor's mansion.
•
A bill on tax rebates for hybrids is pending in the Legislature, as well as
dozens of other "green" bills.
•
The county government saves more than $1 million every year on its electric
bill by employing energy-efficient techniques such as lowering thermostats,
turning off lights and using environmentally friendly bulbs.
•
Mayor Pam Iorio recently signed the
•
She traded her Lincoln Town Car for a Toyota Camry Hybrid. The city plans to
purchase 10 Ford Escape Hybrids for the growth management and code
enforcement departments. If the cars save money, the city could buy more.
Natasha
Del Toro
|
|
Mike
Thomas
COMMENTARY
April 8, 2007
Just when you thought nothing good can come from global warming, there is
this headline in the Palm Beach Post: "Could
One certainly hopes so because that would give us another shot at the
Scripps Research Institute.
With the seas rising and the hurricanes roaring, it seems Palm Beach juts
out into the ocean in such a way as to make it particularly prone to washing
away.
This journey to Atlantis could take place within 100 years. You'd have to
find the place by looking for Donald Trump's American flag flapping over the
waves.
Normally you hear this kind of doomsday rhetoric from Greenpeace. But in
this particular case, it comes from Stephen Leatherman, director of the
That most of
The question is how much our SUVs are speeding up the submerging cycle.
We currently keep the sea out by dredging up sand and silt from the ocean
bottom and pumping it on the shoreline. But just like the real beaches
before them, the fake ones also wash away. So more sand is needed.
But beach-quality sand is a finite resource.
This happened when St. Lucie County discovered that the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers was snooping around a sand pile about three miles off its coast.
The plan was to park a dredge ship, lay a network of pipes all the way to
Technically, the sand was not in St. Lucie County. But the uproar caused the
Corps to back off.
Now there is a bill in the Legislature that would forbid counties from
raiding one another's sand piles unless lawmakers are notified of it. The
presumption is that the legislative delegation from the offended county
would kill the deal.
It is like counties here fighting over access to cheap water from the
aquifer. Sand is the new water.
In some cases, the lack of good sand has caused engineers to turn to silt,
which covers much of the ocean floor. It is much finer than traditional
sand, meaning it washes away faster, fouls the water and smothers reefs.
The environmental damage has the state on a continuous hunt for the good
stuff. One idea is to truck it in from the interior. Another is to barge it
in from the
And like oil, engineers are looking for deep-water sand.
There also is
During spring break, Broward could become sand self-sufficient. Wouldn't
some ground-up Heinekens with a Budweiser border make for a beautiful
shoreline?
Things have gotten this bad during a time of relatively calm weather and
mild rises in sea level.
Now consider an uptick in hurricanes, which can wipe out beaches overnight,
and a sea that could be rising three times as fast this century as it did
the last one.
Maybe one day the Saudis will have us over a barrel on sand too.
Folks in Broward better drink up.
Mike Thomas can be reached at
407-420-5525 or mthomas@orlandosentinel.com. His blog is at
orlandosentinel.com/mikethomas
Bee
Man's Worry: Colony Collapse
By Dan Dewitt
FORT
MEADE - After prying open a bee box and pulling out a half-dozen frames of
honeycomb, David Hackenberg found the only single bee worth looking for, the
queen.
Her
large, golden abdomen announced her as ruler of one of nature's most elegant
social orders, a marvel of reproductive efficiency able to lay 1,500 eggs
per day.
"She's
going to get her head pinched," Hackenberg said before squeezing her to
a smudge of pulp between his fingers.
He
and his crew killed dozens of queens on this day in mid March - and, with
them, most of the standard ideas about bees and beekeeping.
Forget
about beekeepers as the gentle guardians of a natural process.
They
treat their hives - an insect colony, after all - with insecticides. They
weed out underperforming queens and replace them with mass-bred imports.
They truck their bees around the country to capitalize on the highest
pollination fees. Recently, Hackenberg began sanitizing empty bee boxes with
low doses of radiation.
The
farmland where the bees forage has also been pushed to the limit - or
beyond, as seems likely with the sudden appearance of colony collapse
disorder. Beekeepers have reported the abandonment of about 700,000 hives
throughout the country, including 35 percent to 40 percent of the colonies
in
Almost
as disturbing are the early signs of trouble inside Hackenberg's bee boxes.
Instead of order and industry - the little utopias we've all heard about -
he found queens laying eggs randomly, two in one cell, none in the next. He
saw workers wandering listlessly over the comb.
"Chaos
is a good word for it," Hackenberg said. "Mystery and chaos at the
same time."
Sign
of something big
Hackenberg,
58, is an expansive man: 6 feet 2, a loud and entertaining talker seldom
unplugged from his ear-mounted cell phone. For fun, he and his wife, Linda,
cruise around on a three-wheel Honda Gold Wing with stainless steel mud
flaps and purple-and-green light bars.
He
likes beekeeping for the usual reason - the fascinating view of society in
miniature - but the opposite is true as well. Beekeepers, he said, are the
farmers of the whole countryside.
Driving
south from his winter home near
It
is the same in
"I
see things the average person doesn't even notice," he said.
Mostly,
in 40 years of traveling the country with his bees, he has seen things go
bad.
Back
in the 1970s, Hackenberg and other beekeepers had plenty of time to hunt and
fish after they set their hives.
Development
has since consumed orange groves and flatwoods covered with palmettos, a
prime source of wildflower honey.
Invasive,
blood-sucking mites appeared 20 years ago, forcing him to treat each hive
with a strip of chemical insecticide. He now uses a more natural
alternative, formic acid.
He
has seen careless applications of pesticides on crops leave the ground
beneath his hives blanketed with dead bees.
So,
stunning as the recent collapse has been, it is not a complete surprise.
As
bees forage for nectar and pollen, they can pick up chemicals or new strains
of disease, all of which they faithfully deliver back to the hive. If
colonies fail, it usually means something in the environment is fouled up,
Hackenberg said.
"It
seems like everything is."
Creating
healthy hives
Beekeepers
always lose bees in the winter, but starting in November, Hackenberg found
his hives deserted by the hundreds - 2,000 in all, two-thirds of his stock.
"I
had tears in my eyes many a night," he said.
The
spring citrus bloom, though, is a time when beekeepers look to rebuild their
colonies for the coming pollination season.
Hackenberg
and his son Davey - driving trucks loaded with empty bee boxes - rolled into
a weedy pasture next to a grove near
These
64 troubled hives had been set out two weeks earlier in hopes that the
strong nectar flow could flush them of the pesticide - an insect neurotoxin
- that Hackenberg thinks has caused the mass die-off.
Then,
ideally, the nectar-fed bees will go on to build hives big and healthy
enough to be split into two or three new colonies.
Right
away, though, Davey noticed an agitated, high-pitched whine rather than the
steady thrum of vigorous hives. He saw workers flying in circles around the
pasture rather than making the proverbial beelines to and from the grove.
The
late-season cold snap, Hackenberg said, probably drove the bees back into
their hives, where they ate contaminated pollen that had been collected and
stored up North.
He
and Davey found more evidence of this after opening the bee boxes: the
"shotgun" laying patterns of weak, confused queens; neglectful
workers; swarms of common pests, such as small hive beetles, that healthy
bees usually repel.
"This
one is just crawling," Hackenberg said, looking down on the wooden base
of a hive where he saw as many black, BB-sized beetles as he did bees.
"This thing is polluted!"
After
two hours of lifting bee boxes, sifting through hives and hunting down
deficient queens, they counted 20 collapsed hives. They created only 30 new
hives, about half as many as they had expected.
"A
couple of months ago, I thought we might be able to make up our numbers (of
lost hives), but now I don't think so," said Davey, 35, part owner of
the family apiary.
"When
you go through a bee yard like this one, seeing nothing but dead stuff, it's
depressing."
An
appeal for help
His
father has now taken on another job. Though unpaid, this one is going well.
After
finding his deserted hives last fall, the elder Hackenberg, former president
of the American Beekeeping Federation, went public.
He
has been quoted in newspapers and has appeared on television and radio
shows. He has helped convince agriculture officials of the need for the team
of scientists now studying the collapse. He is lobbying Congress to allocate
more money for research.
From
the beginning, he maintained that the massive die-off is not just a problem
for beekeepers, but a national crisis. Because of mites and dwindling
forage, the number of bees and keepers has declined sharply in recent years.
Unless
things turn around, he says, there will too few bees to pollinate the crops
that depend on them: almonds, apples, cherries, melons and several varieties
of citrus.
In
this context, bad news is good news. It helps the cause.
On
the drive home, Hackenberg called fellow beekeepers, a blueberry grower, an
importer of queens from
"I've
been talking to guys in
"Seventy
percent seems to be the magic number on bee losses."
By
CHUIN-WEI
Published April 9, 2007
So
it comes as a surprise to find the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce
joining the opposition to a proposal from a
But
the chamber leaders have their reasons: They sense considerable community
opposition to the project from businesses and residents.
"They
are not too happy about the landfill," said Phyllis Smith, the
chamber's executive director. "They want to know more."
The
chamber is organizing an informational forum on the issue, tentatively set
for April 26, and has joined forces with
Angelo's
Aggregate Materials wants to build the landfill, which could eventually
cover more than 1,000 acres.
At
that size, residents and nearby businesses fear their neighborhood would
become a major dumping ground for trash from out-of-county and out-of-state.
Angelo's has reportedly volunteered to the county that it would only take
in-county trash.
But
county officials worry that antitrust laws could rule out such an agreement.
As they search for a longer-term solution, officials are exploring options
that include a deal to truck
That's
what
Commissioners
told them a full slate of options would be publicized in coming months.
The
state Department of Environmental Protection is still evaluating the
proposal.
At
a
"We
all have trash, and we need to get rid of it, but we don't want to be the
dumping ground for other counties," said Sean Ashburn, Dade City Main
Street's president and owner of SugarCreek gift shop. "That's our
biggest concern."
Smith
and Ashburn said they also feared the impact on the city's water and
environment, should accidents happen at the landfill.
An
engineer for Angelo's, John Arnold, has said the landfill would be
double-lined, with state-of-the-art technology.
But
still, the landfill is a major concern, "business-wise, financial-wise,
transportation-wise, water-wise," Smith said.
Opponents
of Angelo's are working to collect data that might show a landfill's
negative economic effects on local business.
There
is also fear in the city that accountability would be sacrificed if a
private-sector group were to steward such an environmentally sensitive
project.
"Once
it's there, what do you do?" Ashburn said. "If it were the
government doing it, I'd feel better about it."
Angelo's
officials and their supporters have sought to allay neighbors' concerns.
They
have invited residents to their own information meetings as well as to a
tent the company set up at the recent Steeplechase at the Little Everglades
Ranch event in
"We
are good neighbors, and we'll certainly listen to every comment and concern
that (residents) have,"
Times
correspondent Kit Ingalls contributed to this story. Chuin-Wei Yap can be
reached at (813) 909-4613 or cyap@sptimes.com.
Fast
Facts:
To
learn more
The
Dade City Chamber of Commerce's informational meeting on the east
Landfill
plan
-
Angelo's Aggregate Materials proposes a landfill for 92 acres, but it could
eventually cover more than 1,000 acres.
-
It would accept raw household garbage and other trash, such as construction
debris, but not biohazardous material.
-
The proposal is under review at the state Department of Environmental
Protection and
By
SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA
Published April 9, 2007
For
hours Wednesday, dozens of residents protested the latest
A
different redevelopment proposal approved in 2005 by the city's Board of
Adjustment - and so far successfully fought by area residents - remains an
as-yet unresolved court case.
In
2005, Board of Adjustment approval of a complete redevelopment was
successfully appealed to Circuit Court by the Bayou Bonita Neighborhood
Association.
When
the court overturned the Board of Adjustment, the city appealed the decision
to the 2nd District Court of Appeal. There has yet to be a ruling in the
case.
"This
application is fundamentally different," Assistant City Attorney Al
Galbraith said as he told the EDC it had the "obligation" to hear
the new proposal.
Westminster
Shores wants to construct a $19-million, six-story building that would
contain 40 new dwelling units and common facilities serving all residents
within the property at the end of 57th and 58th avenues S and abutting
Little Bayou and Tampa Bay.
The
property is already developed with mostly 1950s-era 38 small one-story
apartment buildings, two two-story apartment buildings, five single-family
homes and a chapel. A 120-bed nursing home was demolished in 2004.
Most
of the buildings need to be replaced, according to
The
new proposal calls for only one new building instead of six as in the 2005
plan. The proposed density of the retirement complex has also been reduced
from 341 units to 239 units - a number the city says is granted by right
under the property's zoning.
The
proposed new Mediterranean-revival building is located in the northwest
corner of the site, immediately adjacent to the surrounding community, but
buffered, according to the city, by a row of single-family homes owned by
According
to design drawings, the new building will have precast stone or brick at
lower levels and smooth stucco on the upper levels. Other architectural
details include decorative stucco parapets, terra cotta appliques and a tile
roof.
However,
the apparent attractiveness of the proposed building did not dissuade
opposition to the project.
Most
of the residents objected to the height of the proposed building, which one
resident described as the "
"This
will have a devastating effect on our property values. Please do not let
Kathy
Michaels, president of the nearby Bahama Shores Neighborhood Association,
said the building was to "contextually appropriate" for the area.
Some
residents criticized
EDC
members were repeatedly asked: "Would you want this to happen to
you?"
Larry
Williams, a former
"You
can see the level of discontent," said Barbara Heck, president of the
Community of Neighborhood Associations. " We ask you to deny this. It
is not harmonious with single-family homes and the surrounding bayou."
EDC
members, obviously uncomfortable in the face of strenuous opposition,
acknowledged that residents were "unhappy" with the project.
"This
is a dilemma, but the height of the building is legal," said EDC
commissioner William Klein.
In
a series of votes, the EDC rejected a request for a parking variance but did
approve the site plan incorporating the new six-story building.
Don
Mastry, an attorney representing
Zoning
official John Hixenbaugh predicted this latest proposal will likely be
appealed by residents
One
Of The Greatest Rulings On Earth
Published:
Apr 9, 2007
On
the first Earth Day in 1970, James Milkey picked up garbage along a river
bank with his eighth-grade classmates in
The
court narrowly ruled, 5-4, that the Environmental Protection Agency, despite
cowardly protestations to the contrary, has the power to regulate the
greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Environmentalists believe the
ruling will put pressure on industry and Congress to come up with
comprehensive federal solutions for the first time.
"I
now know what the first line of my obituary will be," Milkey laughed.
It
was the first time the Supreme Court addressed the issue of global warming.
The
The
United Nations' latest reports predict that in this century, global warming
will cause massive water shortages and floods, and do things like bleach the
Milkey
countered by saying that global warming is no longer conjecture. "The
injury doesn't get any more particular," he said, "than states
losing 200 miles of coastline, both sovereign territory and property we
actually own, to rising seas."
Milkey
thought a turning point during those arguments might have been when the
justices asked him what the strongest cases were that the states were
relying upon to prove they had standing. Milkey mentioned one case. But
Justice Anthony Kennedy, considered a swing vote on many issues, offered up
a 1907 case where the state of
The
Supreme Court ruled in Georgia's favor, with Chief Justice Oliver Wendell
Holmes writing, "It is a fair and reasonable demand on the part of a
sovereign that the air over its territory should not be polluted on a great
scale by sulphurous acid gas, that the forests on its mountains ... should
not be further destroyed or threatened by the act of persons beyond its
control."
A
century later, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the majority that the
pollutants of global warming should be treated in a like manner. He wrote
that "the risk of catastrophic harm, though remote, is nevertheless
real." Stevens quoted another part of the 1907 ruling saying that a
state has the right to protect its citizens"in all the earth and air
within its domain. It has the last word as to whether its mountains shall be
stripped of their forests and its inhabitants shall breathe pure air."
That
was pure air for Milkey, who joined the attorney general's office in 1984
and has defended the state's air and water in relative anonymity against
automakers and other industrial polluters. In a 1996 dispute where
Northeastern states called upon Midwestern states to curb the drifting soot
and smog from their coal plants, Milkey declared, "It's time to level
the playing field."
Last
week, he and 11 states could say they leveled the playing field for the
planet. "The Bush administration and the EPA never disagreed with us on
the main point that global warming is real," Milkey said. "What
the court is saying to them is that you can't say that and not do anything
about it."
Derrick
Z. Jackson is a columnist with the Boston Globe. His column is distributed
by the New York Times.
Senate
proposes funds for infrastructure
Plan aims to counter revenue decline by stimulating growth
By Aaron Deslatte
This
year's biggest budget fight in the Florida Legislature won't be over
schools, health care or state-employee salaries.
It's
whether to shave more from your property-tax bill or cut time off your
commute to work.
Facing
the first year-ending revenue decline in three decades, the Florida Senate
is pushing a plan to lubricate
The
spending plan includes $585 million for ''construction-ready'' roads that
reduce traffic gridlock; $650 million to build schools; $100 million for
research facilities at campuses like Florida State University, the
University of Florida and the University of South Florida; and $160 million
for prison construction.
The
Senate's jump-start includes:
$350,000
for renovations at the historic Hays-Hood House
$240,000
for the Museum for African-American History and Culture
$240,000
for Friends of
$240,000
for the
The
concept is a throwback to the post-Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when
lawmakers poured billions of dollars into building schools and roads to bail
the state out of its economic doldrums.
''It's
not just spending money on infrastructure, but spending money in the right
place,'' said Senate Majority Leader Dan Webster,
''The
plan we have in the Senate will have immediate tax relief.''
Conversely,
House Republicans have countered with a private-sector alternative focused
on tax cuts, most notably a $6 billion reduction in local property taxes.
House
leadership argues there's no better way to stoke consumers.
Over
the next four weeks, one of the two philosophies will win out, and the
difference will be measurable on highways, ports, and property-tax bills
statewide.
The
House's $70 billion spending plan is built on banking $2 billion in one-time
dollars, while the Senate would spend half that on construction projects.
House
Republicans argue taking a big bite out of the property-tax increases local
governments have enjoyed will stimulate the private sector in ways
government spending can't.
''If
you have a plan that puts more money in people's pockets, that's the better
way to have long-term stimulus in the economy,'' said
''The
thing that stimulates the economy is private-sector activity, not government
spending.''
The
private sector - specifically a cooled real-estate market - is at the root
of the problem.
''You
want to know why this year we have $1 billion less to spend in government?
People have $1 billion less to give us,'' House Speaker Marco Rubio implored
his members at the session's halfway point. ''When people have more money in
their pocket, they spend more.''
But
economists disagree over which plan would produce the biggest bang for your
bucks.
''The
Senate plan has much more economic impact than the House because it has a
multiplier effect,'' said
He
pointed to specific examples in the Senate plan to devote $43 million to
expanding capacity at the
''When
the
But
House Budget Chief Ray Sansom, R-Destin, said priming
''People
can't afford the airport anymore,'' Sansom said. ''There's not going to be a
hotel to stay in if people can't afford the taxes to keep it. And there's
not going to be a restaurant if people can't afford to spend money to keep
it open.''
By
saving roughly $1 billion more, Sansom said
''The
time to restrain is when there is plenty,'' Webster said. ''When it's lean,
it's time to do what we can to turn that around.''
Meanwhile,
businesses, homebuilders and developers are lining up behind the Senate's
plan and insist both chambers are likely to pass some form of property-tax
relief.
''If
you just infuse that money, it's going to put a lot of people to work. It
drives goods and services. It's a rounded package,'' said Keyna Cory, chief
lobbyist for the powerful Associated Industries of Florida.
The
House tax cuts ''would put some extra money in individuals pockets, but
we're going to have to be careful that we don't hurt local governments to
the point where we're losing services we need from them,'' she said.
House
Democratic Leader Dan Gelber of
''That's
money that's already being spent in the same community on goods and
services, whether it's spent by a family or by local government on the
salaries of police officers,'' Gelber said.
''We
ought not to be giving property taxes for some specious economic theory, but
because we're taxing property taxes too much.''
Drought
still squeezing lakes
By
Terry
Witt
Weather
scientists last fall said they hoped the dry spell in this region of
It
wasn’t.
They
warily forecasted a wetter-than-normal winter, saying warm waters in the
It
never happened.
Now,
after 15 months of below-normal rainfall, water levels in the Tsala Apopka
Chain of Lakes on Citrus County’s east side are three to six feet below
desired levels for the three pools.
The
county has closed four boat ramps on the 19,000-acre lake chain. Some canals
have dried up. Fishermen are frustrated.
At
the Moonrise Resort near
“There’s
no water to launch boats or anything,” he lamented.
Friddle
takes some comfort in the fact that the Withlacoochee State Trail passes
near the resort and gives him some tourist traffic.
But
a little more water in the lake wouldn’t hurt his feelings.
Drought
conditions are nothing new for Friddle. He said he has seen similar water
levels at the resort five times during the past 20 years.
He
blamed the Southwest Florida Water Management District for part of the
problem. He said he heard the district partially emptied the lake system
last fall to create storage for expected tropical storm systems.
The
storms never came, Friddle said, but lowering of the lakes accelerated the
water-loss problems.
District
spokeswoman Robyn Hanke said the district did not lower the lakes last fall.
Friddle
said the Floral City Pool generally loses its water first because it is the
shallowest of the three pools on the lake chain. The other two pools,
Hernando and
The
weather forecast for the next three months is for near-normal rainfall,
according to Meteorologist Jennifer Colson of the National Weather Service
in Ruskin. But above-normal precipitation is needed to restore lake levels,
according to Colson.
Michael
Molligan, communications director for the water district, said total
rainfall since January 2006 is nearly 20 inches below normal.
He
said that is why the lakes are extremely low.
“It’s
like a bank account. If you keep spending money without adding to the
account, it empties,” he said.
Don
Ruths with Florida Division of Forestry in Brooksville said the dry weather
has increased the possibility of wildfires to “high threat level.”
In
March, six escaped fires (barrel or trash) burned 225 acres in
Firefighters
have been fortunate thus far, he said. Fires that start in the morning can
be more quickly contained when the wind is calm. But he said afternoon winds
are beginning to increase in intensity.
Lightning
was once the primary cause of forest wildfires, Ruths said, but he said the
leading cause now is escaped fires. He said more people are living in forest
areas.
Lake,
Ruths
is a public information officer for the Division of Forestry in Brooksville,
but he is also a fire mitigation specialist. He works with forest rangers
and foresters to identify areas that might have large amounts of dry grass
and underbrush that could fuel a fire and threaten neighboring communities.
By
CURTIS KRUEGER
Published April 9, 2007
On
a night of fierce winds and savage waves, the freighter Miss Beholden
started taking on water. The 142-foot ship was 5 miles off
The
scientists have nursed dozens of tiny coral fragments in a lab in Ruskin,
and transported them to Western Sambo Reef in the Keys.
It's
all part of a complicated experiment to find a new way to save
Ilze
Berzins of the Florida Aquarium, who is in charge of the effort, said it's
more than an interesting scientific pursuit. Because of all the dangers
facing
"If
we can't come up with answers to our environmental problems," she said,
"we're not being good stewards."
*
* *
Coral
are animals related to sea anemones and jellyfish, whose skeletons can form
rocklike structures that make up reefs. They have tiny mouths that they can
open to swallow plankton, and also get nourishment from algae in the
surrounding water. But two species of coral last year were listed as
"threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.
Reefs
are not only a big attraction for divers and tourists, but they also are the
backbone of an ecosystem that supports a wide diversity of fish and other
undersea life. Scientists want to protect the coral to save the surrounding
environment.
This
project has its roots in a conversation about the state's coral that Berzins
had with Craig Watson from the Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory in Ruskin,
and an official from the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
They
developed a plan: Take some tiny bits of coral from a construction site in
the Keys. Study the coral in a lab, watch it grow, make sure it's healthy.
And then find a way to return it to the wild in hopes that it will flourish.
A
look around Berzins' office - it's one of those nooks you can't see on a
normal tour of the Florida Aquarium - shows what makes her a good candidate
to lead this effort: posters from academic conferences and pictures of
seascapes, just as you would expect from a marine biologist with a
doctorate.
But
her shelves also contain books with titles such as Goat Medicine and Zoo and
Wild Animal Medicine. That's because she also is a veterinarian. She
specializes in aquatic medicine - a fish doctor, you could say.
After
obtaining government grants, she and colleagues studied the coral and
developed health certificates for the tiny animals - a way of determining
whether they were healthy enough to be put back in the wild. Scientists from
the University of South Florida, Florida Atlantic University and Mote Marine
Laboratory in
Some
of the tiny corals from the Keys came to the Aquarium. Others went to
A
challenging process
Scientists
at the Hillsborough lab went to work with equipment similar to what you
might get from Lowe's or Home Depot. They cut the corals with a tile saw,
and used epoxy to glue them onto small concrete disks. They monitored the
different species of brain coral, boulder coral and others.
In
December, scientists went to Western Sambo Reef and used more epoxy to glue
the disks in place.
"I
like the challenge," said Ryan Czaja of the Aquarium, who dives to
place and inspect the coral. "It's something I always felt, why can't
it be done?"
Everyone
in the project stressed that growing coral in "farms" and placing
it in the wild is a complicated process that may take years to accomplish
and study. But they have high hopes.
"If
restoration of coral reefs is going to occur, you need corals," Watson
said of the aquaculture lab. "If we can't grow them outside of the
coral reef, you're not going to get them."
Curtis
Krueger can be reached at ckrueger@sptimes.com
or (727) 893-8232. Information from the Miami Herald was used in this
report.
Published:
Apr 9, 2007
We've
heard this one before: renewable energy is good for the environment. But
it's more than that - its important to our continued prosperity, economic
growth and our country's security. Putting an end to our dependency on
foreign oil is a goal we can all agree on and to succeed in that goal, we
need to transition to domestic, renewable energy sources. In other words,
going green is patriotic.
As
we look to develop new energy sources in the state, Floridians are demanding
that we not forget about solar energy. According to a new poll (conducted by
the well-respected Mason-Dixon Polling & Research company), an
astonishing 90 percent of Floridians think that the Legislature should
support investment in solar energy. It is, after all, our greatest green
resource: homegrown, clean and reliable until the end of time. And 78
percent say they would be willing to pay up to a dollar a month on their
utility bills to pay for it.
Solar
is a natural fit for our state. We know we have plenty of sunshine. And the
technology is game-time.
What
would an investment in solar do for us? The
Looking
at the issue from a security standpoint, an investment in solar could very
well be the most significant thing we can do to become more energy
independent. And the most patriotic.
Its
time we got serious about declaring our energy independence. As an architect
of last year's energy bill and a member of the Florida Energy Commission, I
know we can do this - and it's abundantly clear that Floridians are ready
for it and that's why I'm sponsoring legislation to jumpstart the solar
industry in
By
PETER WHORISKEY The
Published:
Apr 9, 2007
Of
a population of about 3,200, 416 died in 2006, the highest number of deaths
recorded in 30 years of statistics. Many died in collisions with boat
propellers.
Now,
according to an internal memo, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been
drafting plans under which the celebrated marine mammals would lose their
protection as an endangered species.
The
planned reclassification of the slow-moving sea cows from
"endangered" to "threatened" is expected to elicit a
barrage of criticism from environmental groups who see it as a part of the
Bush administration's push to poke holes in the Endangered Species Act.
The
new status would make it easier to loosen boating speed limits and
restrictions on waterfront development that have been instituted to make
Florida safe for the species, environmental leaders said.
"This
is absolutely the wrong time to down-list manatees," said Patrick Rose,
executive director of the Save the Manatee Club and an aquatic biologist who
served as the first federal manatee coordinator.
"The
terrible thing is, while the last year for manatees was bad, the future
could be even worse."
What
The Memo Says
According
to the memo sent from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the White House,
the agency was going to say that the manatee "no longer meets the
definition of an endangered species."
"In
The
agency had reached those conclusions after completing a "Five-Year
Review" of manatees. However, an agency spokesman, while confirming
that the recommendation in the memo, dated March 26, reflected the agency's
thinking at the time, said it was possible it might be altered by the time
the review is released this month.
"Until
it gets final signatures on it, it could change," said Chuck Underwood,
a spokesman with the agency's
He
deferred comment about the matter until the review is released.
The
Legal Fight Over Manatees
Environmental
groups already are critical of the move.
"We've
entered the witching hour of the Bush administration where there are going
to be frantic lame-duck attempts to do under the table what they cannot pass
through Congress," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of PEER, an
environmental group that obtained the memo.
The
Boating
groups and developers have lobbied for weakening some rules meant to protect
manatees, arguing that the population is big enough and has become stable
Monday,
April 09, 2007
HOBE
SOUND — In Martin County's contentious debate over housing developments,
there will be some unusual allies this week.
Environmental
activists ordinarily try to run proposed developers out of the county,
accusing them of harming sensitive land and covering the county in urban
sprawl. But they are praising
"I can't thank you enough," Hobe Sound activist Jeff Wittman said
to Carlos Garcia-Velez, vice president of Micha's development company.
Micha,
best known for developing western Jensen Beach, wants to cluster 650 homes
on about 460 rural acres and move the county's urban service boundary to
allow water and sewer service to the homes. In exchange he will give the
county another 2,300 acres to preserve for habitat.
"We've
come up with a plan for this piece of property where everybody benefits, the
developer and the community," Garcia-Velez said.
Slow-growth
activists including Wittman, County Commissioner Sarah Heard and former
commissioners Maggy Hurchalla and Donna Melzer normally criticize plans to
cluster homes or to change the urban boundary as conspiracies to cover
Martin County in urban sprawl. But they all vocally support Micha's plan.
"I'm
an ardent environmentalist, and this is the best environmental project we've
attempted since I've been a commissioner," Heard said.
Most
of the land has never been cleared and contains wetlands, uplands and scrub
habitat, said biologist Tom Fucigna, who is working on the project. On a
tour of the property last week, wild hogs and turkeys could be seen in the
grass marshes and dense forests around the property.
"It
really has that Old Florida type of feel to it," Fucigna said.
Environmentalists
point to the donation of so much pristine land as the reason for their
blessing.
"We've
bought properties where the restoration is going to take years or decades.
This isn't the case here," Heard said.
Garcia-Velez
said the developers would like the county to give the land to the state to
become part of the adjacent Atlantic Ridge State Park.
The
county also is exploring using part of the land as a "gopher tortoise
mitigation bank," where other developers would pay the county a fee to
relocate tortoises from land where they want to build.
Melzer
said the fact that Hurchalla helped write the language of the proposed
ordinances allowing the project also caused environmentalists to support it.
The strict wording of the amendment would make it difficult for other
developers to use it to expand the boundary.
"It's
not something we came to easily, but at the end of the day we have a
stronger urban service boundary than we did before," Melzer said.
One
of the biggest targets of criticism by environmentalists is a county study
that suggests allowing clustering of homes on rural land in western Martin
County where current rules allow one home per 20-acre lot.
County
growth management officials have suggested using the Micha development as a
test case to see how the clustering proposed in the study might work in
other places.
Garcia-Velez
said he thought the two cases were totally different because his land is
directly adjacent to the existing urban service boundary and is already
zoned for clustered development much denser than one home per 20 acres.
Environmentalists
also say that the Micha case has nothing in common with the clustering
proposed in the study, so they can support Atlantic Preserve without
supporting the study's recommendations for western clustering.
"If
they're going to tie their hands to an amendment like this, that's great for
us," Heard said. "We'd never see clustering out there."
But
not everybody has come out in support of the project.
Commissioner
Lee Weberman said he is undecided about the project and has some serious
concerns about the traffic problems the homes could create on nearby Bridge
Road. Weberman said he will ask Micha to improve Bridge Road, donate about
$227,000 to a trust fund for low-income housing and name the preserved land
after Arnold Stanberry.
Stanberry,
the former Martin County NAACP chapter president and an affordable-housing
advocate, died in February.
"I
think that would be a great tribute to Arnold," said his brother,
Lawrence Stanberry.
Commission
Chairman Michael DiTerlizzi, more commonly known for supporting business and
development efforts in the county, said he probably won't support the
project. He said the environmentalists were flopping their position for
Micha while he has never supported moving the boundary.
"The
politicians who cry the most not to move the boundary are now offering to
move it," DiTerlizzi said. "Short of doing away with my oath, I
don't see how I could vote to move the boundary."
DiTerlizzi
said Atlantic Preserve appeared to be patterned after the recommendations in
the county's growth study.
He
thinks that without the urban boundary issue, the project could become an
example for using clustering elsewhere.
"It
should be looked at for that," DiTerlizzi said. "What's good for
the goose is good for the gander."
The City Council this week will review a proposal that could bring 180 town
houses to undeveloped land along
The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of The Villas at
The town houses would cost between $280,000 and $400,000, said Stephen
Thompson, an attorney for the developer.
City planners believe the project fits with
The City Council meets at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at City Hall,
Monday,
April 09, 2007
STUART
— When Greg Braun first glimpsed a bald eagle in the wild in 1979, he was
captivated by its majestic beauty and sheer size.
But
it wasn't until 1982 when his passion really took flight with a 2,160-mile
hike on the Appalachian Trail from
|
|
"That gave me more of an interest in birds," said Braun, executive
director of Audubon of Martin County.
"You're
accompanied by birds the whole way. That probably broadened my horizons from
just
He
joined the local Audubon's board of directors in 1982, serving stints as
president and vice president. In 1995, the group hired him as its executive
director, a part-time position renewed on an annual basis.
Locally,
his name and Audubon are practically synonymous.
Every
year, he leads a popular course for beginner birders with classroom
instruction, field trips and his collection of photographs of native
species.
He
joins bird counters for the annual Birdathon, a one-day fund-raiser that
collects pledges per species spotted: from hummingbirds to buzzards.
"This
supports our programs and activities, including an annual scholarship to
send a local teacher to a week-long ecology camp," said Braun, 50, of
Jupiter.
Every
year, he spearheads the chapter's annual Christmas bird count, a tradition
in
Sadly,
the chapter's mascot - the scrub jay - is in dire straits.
"The
population of the scrub jay is pretty pathetic in
Five
years ago, Audubon needed no study to know the sandhill crane was in danger
after several were killed by motorists on busy roads. Members rallied to
erect crossing signs to save the federally protected species.
"It's
an innovative project, and I don't know of any other Audubon chapter that's
doing it," Braun said. Last summer, Audubon took steps to re-create a
habitat to attract wading birds and wildlife to its 130-acre preserve in
The
work, at a cost of nearly $500,000, was done through the federal Natural
Resources Conservation Service and ranged from filling in ditches to retain
water on the property to the removal of exotic plants and trees.
"This
year has been very dry, so we're not going to see the full effect,"
Braun said. "But when it rains, it's not only going to increase the
number of wild birds but also improve the quality of water that eventually
runs into the St. Lucie River."
With
pride, Braun leads a tour through the chapter's building that's a public
resource for learning about native birds as well as the programs that
perpetuate them. A reference library is a treasure trove of Audubon
magazines, collections and rare books.
Volunteers
serve in various capacities: from docents and eagle watchers to newsletter
contributors. Their dedication has won several awards, including the Florida
Audubon Society's outstanding chapter in 1998.
While
winning accolades for his leadership, Braun has disturbed others with his
actions.
In
2002, a project supported by Braun and state and
Though
done with the best of intentions, their actions outraged some, who
complained that populations of the brown pelican, the wood stork and other
birds have been greatly diminished because their habitat was lost through
human interference.
Braun
blames recent hurricanes for the birds' decline but says their numbers are
back and stronger than ever.
"Absolutely,
the birds are back," he said.
Not
so, says Nancy Beaver, a boat captain who leads year-round boat tours of the
island.
"The
island is certainly not what it was before," she said. "The number
of birds has not come back. I can't imagine anyone calling this project a
success."
Audubon
also has been at odds with several in
"We
do think there are benefits to clustering, provided preservation is not held
at the whim of a county commission," Braun said. "Because of
subjective political pressure, they may come back later and want a golf
course or something else. We need a conservation easement that somebody like
Audubon or the Nature Conservancy has authority over."
Location
of the proposed cluster is also key, he says.
"If
this is proposed adjacent to the existing urban services boundary, we're for
it," Braun said. "But (not) in the middle of nowhere, where you're
going to be bringing in water and sewer."
Last
November,
Braun,
a key campaign advocate, chairs the Lands Acquisition Selection Committee.
This year, its members will evaluate nominations for land purchases and make
recommendations to the county commission.
Pointing
to existing pockets of preserves on a
"What
we lack right now is a corridor for wildlife crossings, the connection
between major hubs of preserves," he said. "And that's part of
what this program is trying to do."
Meanwhile,
one of Braun's latest endeavors is the
In
a year or so, Audubon will launch a multimillion-dollar campaign for
improvements, such as a museum and education building, a covered pavilion
and a nursery of native plants.
Along
with the new look, Braun hopes to cultivate a new generation of
environmentalists.
"Have
you heard about nature deficit disorder?" he asked. "A lot of kids
these days are scared to go outside and walk in the woods. They're more
comfortable with computers and video games than with the natural world.
"Even
though
Bunnell
commissioners OK annexation
By
LAUREN SONIS
Staff Writer
BUNNELL
-- It wasn't until a few weeks ago that landowners with visions for
development realized they were coming up 22.88 acres short, said City
Manager Richard Diamond. That's because a mistake in a land survey from the
1990s accidentally left some of the property outside city lines, he said.
"They
didn't realize they weren't annexed in," Diamond said.
The
scenario changed Tuesday night when the City Commission unanimously annexed
the land, 10.46 acres north of State Road 100 in the Deer Run development
and 12.42 acres on the east side of U.S. 1 in the Oak Branch planned unit
development.
And
Bunnell officials are still working on larger annexations.
About
10,500 acres extending 5 miles south of downtown were annexed in 2005.
One
factor at stake for Bunnell and owners of the annexed land is a shift from
county agricultural zoning to city agricultural zoning, in that the county
allows one home per 5 acres and the city one home per acre.
In
2006, the city annexed 37,000 acres south of the 2005 annexation, down to
the
Earlier
this year, officials from the Florida Department of Community Affairs halted
city plans to designate the property annexed in 2005 as agricultural,
raising concerns about the future use of land.
Department
officials asked for a plan that accounts for future population estimates and
development needs including urban sprawl, impacts to public school
facilities and water availability for new residents. They asked that Bunnell
officials discuss development plans with school officials and work with the
St. Johns River Water Management District.
The
outcome may affect whether other landowners will want to add about 60,000
more acres to the city.
Bunnell
officials are looking to hire a planning consultant to help landowners and
city staff devise a future land use map amendment complete with detailed
data and analysis that could help meet state criteria for growth management.
Seven
companies sent proposals. City officials would like to hold a meeting with
property owners before hiring a consultant, Diamond said.
"I
hope it would be in the next few weeks," he said.
Real
estate consultant Suzanne Konchan represents landowner William B. Austin,
who with Donald Lerner, bought 1,270 acres. Bunnell annexed the land in
June.
Konchan
said she'd look forward to the hiring of a consultant who is well-versed in
the state department's process and has dealt with large tracts of land.
"I
think the city's request for a proposal was a milestone," she said.