Sunshine requests rain on the city
Open meetings law probe results in subpoenas, calls for documents, interviews
By BETH KORMANIK, The Times-Union
Subpoenas and records requests sent to Jacksonville City Hall over the past month are shedding light on the direction of a grand jury investigation of possible open meetings law violations by the City Council. 
The State Attorney's Office has requested documents about four land deals the council approved and records of how district council members have spent discretionary bond money. 

The Times-Union obtained the subpoenas through an open records request. State Attorney Harry Shorstein declined to comment on them. 

The subpoenas also request routine documents such as phone records and calendars of council members and their aides from Jan. 1, 2005, through June 17 of this year, as well as meeting notices and minutes. 

Additionally, the council secretary, 11 aides and one former aide have been called in for interviews with an assistant state attorney, and new requests for interviews have come as late as Wednesday. 

There is no record of any current or former council member having been interviewed. 

The city also turned over all materials used during the council's training sessions on the Sunshine Law, as well as attendance records. 

The grand jury decided to investigate the council's compliance with the state's Sunshine Law after a Times-Union investigation in June uncovered a deeply flawed system of public notification, dozens of meetings about public business held without public notice or written minutes and several meetings in private places, a violation of the city's ethics code. 

The subpoenas regarding land deals could indicate the grand jury's focus. Land use and rezoning decisions often draw controversy and have been the subject of several lawsuits, some of which allege Sunshine Law violations. 

The city Planning Department was asked to turn over files on four completed land deals: the Black Hammock Island residential development; a condominium complex planned along the Intracoastal Waterway on land now owned by Moody Land Co.; the sale of Cecil Commerce Center property to Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire; and a rezoning of Ramona Boulevard between Cahoon Road and Estate Cove on the Westside. 

The Black Hammock and Moody projects both passed after considerable public debate, but the Moody condo complex is on hold after the Florida Department of Community Affairs rejected the proposal. 

Investigators also have asked for records that show where council members wanted to spend bond money. Typically, the money goes toward parks and public works, but council members may ask for waivers to spend the money in other ways. Some projects - most notoriously former Councilwoman Pat Lockett-Felder's statue to herself - have been criticized. Another project, in which Lockett-Felder wanted to spend $600,000 on a private gym at a church, would have been brought before a grand jury if the council had not repealed the gift. 

Meanwhile, investigators have continued interviews of council staff. The subpoenas demanding an interview went to council secretary Cheryl Brown and the following council aides: Sarah Balme, Debbie Delgado, Meghan Friel, Bridgette Green, Rhonda Goodwin, Celeste Hicks, Mina Hosseini, Jenny Huxford, Alison Miller, Suzanne Warren and Rupal Wells. Jessica Deal, former aide to now-President Daniel Davis, also has met with the State Attorney's Office. 

Council auditor Kirk Sherman and Deputy Planning Director John Crofts appeared before the grand jury last month. 

Times-Union writer Mary Kelli Palka contributed to this report. 

beth.kormanik@jacksonville.com (904) 359-4619 
Sen. Nelson joins county meeting
Democrat discusses water, property insurance, FEMA
BY CHRISTOPHER CURRY
STAR-BANNER

OCALA - Property owners, land-use attorneys and concerned neighbors headed to the McPherson Government Complex to speak their minds on the latest round of development applications going to a County Commission vote.

But first they got U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. Touring Florida during Congress' summer recess, Nelson dropped by the Marion County Commission's hearing on land-use change requests Wednesday.

Before he headed on to his next north Florida stop, Nelson talked about the need for property insurance reform and the improvement in the Federal Emergency Management Agency he sees after Hurricane Katrina.

After the state's Democratic senator spoke for 20 minutes, commissioners expressed their concerns about the county's drinking water supply and plans to pump the Ocklawaha River to supply parts of Orange and Lake counties.

Nelson said he understood water shortages and alternative supplies like surface water and desalinization plants were realities in South Florida and the Tampa Bay area. But he said he didn't expect those concerns in Marion, a county on top of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, the main source of drinking water for the state.

"You have certainly put something on my radar that I did not know," Nelson said. "I didn't know there was a question of quantity of water here in Marion County."

He left with a copy of the county's 50-year water study, which projects a shortage, and a request to see if the federal government can do anything to encourage desalinization plants in the state for future water supplies, an option county officials prefer to pumping the Ocklawaha.

"This may be a bigger question than just the state can handle," Commissioner Andy Kesselring said. "The state is reluctant or unable to do desalinization."

Nelson pointed to Saudi Arabia and said the technology was there for desalinization but the costs are massive.

On other issues, he urged the County Commission to lobby Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Legislature to schedule a special session in September on property insurance reform. He said he tells that to all local elected officials as he crosses Florida, because state government needs a "sharp whip and a tight rein" on the insurance industry.

Nelson said on their end, he and Republican counterpart U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez continue to work in Washington to try to establish a federal catastrophe fund. It would be a pool of money to back up similar state funds and insurance companies when natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina leave billions of dollars in damages in their wake.

While it has been a quiet hurricane season in Florida so far, Nelson said FEMA was much better prepared if a big storm hits this summer than the "political patronage dumping ground" agency that responded after Katrina.

Before Nelson left, commissioners praised him for his accessibility.

"Far too often we feel Washington is a different world, but you keep us connected," Commissioner Charlie Stone said.

Nelson returned the compliment.
"You know the big difference between your job and my job?" he asked. "I can always leave town."

Christopher Curry may be reached at chris.curry@starbanner.com or 867-4115.

Don't know if I will get a chance to update this page again today or tomorrow. I am moving my baby into her dorm at New College. Starting the day out with Martin County chipping away at their growth controls.

Martin growth change gets OK

By JASON SCHULTZ

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

County Should Work To Spare Parks From Four-Lane Road

Desal plant: trick or treat?

Officials say it will be ready for testing by Halloween, but they've been wrong before.

By CRAIG PITTMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published August 21, 2007

CLEARWATER - Tampa Bay Water's long-delayed desalination plant should be ready for its final test by Halloween, an official from the contractor fixing the plant told the utility's board Monday.

That's a year after American Water Pridesa was supposed to finish fixing the $140-million plant, and more than four years after the Apollo Beach plant was supposed to be producing 25-million gallons of water a day.

Tampa Bay Water now needs the desal plant more than ever. Starting in January, it will be required to begin drastically scaling back the amount of water it pumps out of the underground aquifer. The desal plant is supposed to provide replacement water -- if it's working right.

"It's a very precarious time," said Pinellas County Commissioner Susan Latvala, who chairs the regional utility's board.

Permitting and construction of the Apollo Beach plant, the largest in the United States , was launched in 1999, with the plant set to begin operating by 2003.

The plant was designed to take 40-million gallons of seawater a day from Tampa Bay , filter out the salt and turn it into 25-million gallons of drinking water.

But it has been plagued by problems, including the discovery that many of the plant's water pumps had rusted.

Company desalination manager Kent Turner acknowledged Monday that the repair of the plant has taken far longer than anyone thought. "I know you've had a lot of people stand in front of you and give you a lot of dates," he told the utility board.

So when he told them that the plant would be ready for a crucial operational test known as the "acceptance test" by the end of October, he said it depends on everything going as planned.

The desal plant produced its first 3-million gallons in March 2003, but two months later it flunked its acceptance test.

The problem has been in the pretreatment process, which removes impurities before the briny water is pumped through membranes to remove salt.

Although the plant was producing near its capacity, the expensive membranes were fouling far too quickly, which could wear them out too soon and drive up the price of water. The company that built the plant, Covanta, was unable to fix it to the utility's satisfaction.

American Water Pridesa, the German-Spanish consortium that won the bidding to take over, promised to complete the $29-million repair job by October 2006. It missed that deadline, a second one in December 2006, a third in March. Predictions it would finish by spring of this year proved wrong, too.

Turner has said the fate of the desal industry, and the future of his company, hinge on the Apollo Beach plant's success.

So, too, does the future of Tampa Bay 's water supply, utility officials said. Tampa Bay Water's state permit for pumping currently limits it to an average of 122-million gallons a day over the span of a year, and it's currently pumping an average of 114-million gallons, said senior manager Alison Adams.

But the permit requires that Tampa Bay Water cut its draining of the aquifer to a yearly average of 90-million gallons a day by the end of 2008. It means that "by Jan. 1, 2008, we need to start ratcheting that back down so that by Dec. 31 we'll be at 90-million gallons," Adams said.

"Where are you going to get the difference?" utility board member and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker asked.

It was supposed to come mostly from the desal plant, Adams said. "We should all go pray for rain."

Blue Springs water permit may be revoked by state water district

By Rachael Anne Ryals
Herald Staff Writer

HIGH SPRINGS -- A water use permit near Run Island may be revoked.

The Suwannee River Water Management District's Governing Board voted to start the revocation process for a permit issued in Gilchrist County to Blue Springs Properties.

The planning staff recommended to the board that the water use permit be revoked due to two years of inactivity.

The revocation process still has a few steps before the action is final, said Jon Dinges, director of Resource Management at the Suwannee River Water Management District.

First, the permit must go through a process that involves administrative hearings and allows the applicant to formally challenge the request for revocation.

State statues allow a water use permit to be revoked after two years of inactivity, but the applicant can challenge the request for revocation by showing that they did in fact use the permit or there was some sort of hardship that prevented the permit from being used, Dinges said.

Even if the process shows that the permit should be revoked, the applicant can appeal the decision to the District Court of Appeals and maybe even the Florida Supreme Court, Dinges said.

"It's not final yet," Dinges said.

The district issued the water use permit on Oct. 14, 2003 to Blue Springs Properties for bottled water use with an average daily withdrawal of 528,000 gallons a day and a maximum daily withdrawal of 660,000 gallons a day, according to documents from the district.

Blue Springs is located about five miles west of High Springs, near Rum Island , in Gilchrist County .

There are currently three other water use permits issued in Gilchrist County, including CCDA Waters, the Coca-Cola plant that is permitted to withdraw an average of more than one million gallons of water a day from Ginnie Springs.

Public makes suggestions for dry Lake Jackson
By Bruce Ritchie
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Speakers at a public meeting Monday alternately suggested restricting water flowing down a sinkhole at Lake Jackson to raise water levels or leaving it alone and waiting for rain.

Some speakers even suggested piping water from the Ochlockonee River to help fill the lake.

About 160 people attended the meeting called by Leon County Commissioner John Dailey.

The lake drained down a sinkhole at the end of Faulk Drive in 1999. Some residents now want to refill the lake by filling the sinkhole or placing a berm around it to restrict water flow.

In the first two hours of the meeting, several more speakers were against controlling the water flow than were for it. There was polite applause for speakers from both sides.

Forrest Granger, who has lived along Lake Jackson for 51 years, suggested building a system for piping Ochlockonee River floodwaters into the lake in combination with building the berm.

"It probably wouldn't be a solution in and of itself," he said. "It could be part of the puzzle, part of the solution."

Lake resident Glenn Mayne warned that an attempt to control lake levels failed in the 1960s when the county tried to fill another sinkhole.

"Let us be very cautious about making any more attempts about altering what nature created for us," Mayne said. "Perhaps we ought to just be patient and let nature take its course."

Dailey told the audience that the meeting was the beginning of a conversation on what to do - if anything - about Lake Jackson water levels.

"I am not advocating any plans; I'm not advocating any idea," Dailey said. "I am not pushing one idea or another."

Tom Kwader, a hydrogeologist who lives on Lake Jackson , said the lake is "perched" about 35 feet above the Floridan Aquifer. He said the lake level doesn't depend on the water level in the aquifer.

He said the berm should be built to restore the lake, block off a safety hazard and prevent dirty stormwater runoff from flowing into the aquifer, which provides Tallahassee 's drinking water.

"There is a concern that anything that you put in the lake, it could go down the sinkhole," he said. "It goes under all of our wells."

But some other scientists say other the periodic draining maintains the lake's health. Lake Jackson is managed by the state as an aquatic preserve.

"Water level fluctuation is beneficial," said Jess Van Dyke, a regional biologist with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. "A temporary marsh is not the end of the world."

The lake has periodically dried and refilled throughout recorded history, including five times during the 20th century.

"Do pray for rain," lake resident Stan Derzypolski said.

"I think we can all agree on that," Dailey said.

Gardens mayor may have stood to profit from Newell deal

By HECTOR FLORIN and JENNIFER SORENTRUE

Palm Beach Post Staff Writers

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Joe Russo may have stood to make as much as $285,000 from a company that prosecutors charge was created to help former County Commissioner Warren Newell and his business partners receive the proceeds of a secret "success fee."

Russo served as president and director of Rio Bravo Inc., which federal prosecutors said was to collect as much as $5.7 million from the sale of the Palm Beach Aggregates rock pits to the South Florida Water Management District.

In a written response to questions from The Palm Beach Post, Russo acknowledged that he was a 5 percent owner of the company but said he never profited from the sale.

"Although I was listed as president and 5 percent owner, I never received 5 percent stock ownership and the only work performed was the preparation of corporate tax returns," wrote Russo, a certified public accountant.

Russo's name was the only one that appeared in state corporation filings for the company during the majority of its existence. Newell and his longtime friend and engineering partner Dan Shalloway are not listed on any of the company's annual filings.

It is the second time in four years that Russo has been tied to a federal investigation involving a Palm Beach County public official. In April 2003, Russo's name was listed on a grand jury subpoena that demanded all Palm Beach Gardens documents concerning council votes that furthered the development of the Mirasol country club community. Russo was not charged and said he was considered only a witness.

That investigation came more than a year after Rio Bravo was dissolved and two months before a new company, without Russo's involvement, was set up to funnel money to Newell and his partners.

Prosecutors said the secret success fee went to the new company, Shalloway Engineers Inc., which was created about four months after the water district agreed to buy the pits for $190 million.

Newell, Shalloway and other associates collected $2.4 million, according to a criminal information filed against Newell.

Russo, a politician for almost a quarter of a century, the past 18 years in Palm Beach Gardens, said in the written response that he recently took over as the accountant for Shalloway Engineers. He is not mentioned in the criminal information and has not been charged.

Citing a Florida law that prevents accountants from disclosing communications with their clients, Russo said he could not answer specific questions about Rio Bravo , including questions about the secret success fee. It is unclear whether Russo had any knowledge of the fee.

Newell, a county commissioner for 15 years, received $366,000 from the success fee, prosecutors said. He also owned about 19 percent of Rio Bravo , according to prosecutors.

As a county commissioner, Newell voted in 1999 to spend $50,000 for a water storage study to determine whether the rock pits could be used as public reservoirs without disclosing that he and his business partners stood to benefit financially from the success fee, according to the criminal information.

Newell also cast votes on two unrelated deals from which he profited, bringing his total take to more than half a million dollars, according to the criminal information. He has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and filing a false federal personal income tax return.

Rio Bravo, prosecutors said, was formed at Shalloway's direction and "was created as a holding company to receive profits from an executed and secret success fee contract between the Aggregates and Rio Bravo for an anticipated contract between the SFWMD and Aggregates concerning regional water storage."

State records show Rio Bravo Inc. was formed in May 1998. Russo took over as president in May 1999 and signed off on its dissolution in December 2001, which the state made official the following month.

Russo would not identify the other officers or partners in Rio Bravo , citing accountant-client privilege.

Shalloway has not been charged. During a brief interview this month, he said he won't be.

Shalloway's lawyer, Joseph McSorley, has declined to comment on the federal investigation. But he stressed that the water district's purchase of the rock pits has benefited county residents, most recently during the drought, when the first pit to come online supplied water that helped West Palm Beach's water utility avert a crisis.

McSorley was one of two attorneys who reviewed Russo's responses that he sent to the Post, Russo said.

McSorley also represented former Palm Beach Gardens City Councilman Carl Sabatello, a longtime friend and client of Russo's, after federal investigators began looking into his business ties to Mirasol.

The 2003 grand jury subpoena given to city officials specifically sought documentation concerning Sabatello and Russo, who at the time was a councilman. Russo and Sabatello cast a series of votes related to Mirasol, a sprawling 2,145-home community on 2,300 acres along PGA Boulevard west of Florida 's Turnpike.

Sabatello, a home builder, bought plots in Mirasol and as councilman voted 46 times on issues that boosted the project's value. He eventually amassed an $83 million stake in the development, according to a 2003 Post investigation.

He cast four votes on Mirasol before seeking conflict-of-interest advice from then-city attorney Len Rubin. After that, Sabatello abstained on four votes, while voting dozens more times on matters related to Mirasol.

Russo also sought direction from Rubin because he was Sabatello's accountant.

Sabatello was never charged. A Dec. 6 letter from the U.S. Attorney's Office said Sabatello "is not the subject or target of any current federal grand jury investigation." Russo said federal authorities never investigated him and he was considered only a witness.

Earlier this year, the state ethics commission found probable cause that Sabatello and Russo may have had conflicts of interest when they voted on matters affecting Mirasol.

State ethics laws prohibit elected officials from voting on issues that provide a "special private gain" to themselves or business associates.

Russo has denied violating state ethics laws. Rubin told him he was required to vote, he has said.

Russo said earlier this year the votes state ethics officials questioned involved land in Mirasol that Sabatello was considering buying but did not have a contract on.

The state ethics commission case is still pending.

"I have a small accounting practice that only accepts clients that possess high honesty and integrity," Russo said. His clients "do no business in the city of Palm Beach Gardens, except Mr. Sabatello, who has been a client of mine since 1973."

Staff researcher Melanie Mena contributed to this story.

Wildlife board's new members seem much like the old members

Scott Maxwell

TAKING NAMES

August 21, 2007

Jeb Bush used to take flak for appointing folks to environmental boards whom critics said were no friends of the environment.

Things like that tend to happen when you appoint developers to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission -- a group that's supposed to protect animals from development.

But now comes Charlie Crist.

Charlie is supposed to be Jeb-lite -- the softer side of Republicans; a guy who hugged as many trees as he did babies during the campaign.

So, now that Crist has had a chance to fill a few posts on the wildlife commission, let's check in on the board's makeup.

Let's see. We have Rodney Barreto, Richard A. Corbett and Brian S. Yablonski. That'd be developer, developer and developer.

There's also Kathy Barco and Dwight Stephenson -- both of whom are construction-company execs.

And finally, we now have Central Florida 's own Ken Wright, who practices real-estate and land-use law and served as the attorney for our beleaguered Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority.

Quite the group of preservationists.

Hey, maybe we can't judge a developer by his profession. Maybe these guys will surprise.

Still, it seems safe to say that, despite all the hype, Crist isn't undoing everything his predecessor put in motion.

More politics

Coming soon to a bookstore near you: A book written by one of Orlando 's newest authors, Mel Martinez. Staff members in the U.S. senator's office confirm that the freshman Republican, Cuban refugee and chairman of the Republican National Committee is writing an autobiography. But it probably won't be out for a while. Given all the controversies in which Martinez has found himself lately, that may be good market timing.

Our newspaper archives must be broken. I say that because I started searching through them Monday after learning that Harris Rosen thinks residents deserve a chance to vote down the package of downtown venues. While searching, I couldn't find a single story about the I-Drive hotelier leading a fight to give voters a similar chance to reject the $750 million in public money spent on the convention center. Hmm. Maybe I need tech services.

Speaking of Rosen, if you're looking for a politically plugged-in woman Sunday night, there's a good chance you'll find her at his Shingle Creek Resort. That's where philanthropist Harriett Lake and the League of Women Voters are having their event to celebrate women's suffrage. They're expecting hundreds of women -- including former county mayor Linda Chapin; Orange County Commissioner Mildred Fernandez, and University of Central Florida medical school Dean Deb German -- at the celebration of voting rights. For details about the $75-a-head affair, you can call Harriett herself at 407-682-2488.

Speaking of the League of Women voters (OK, that's the last time I'll do that), are you still trying to decide which side you support in the debate over banning corporate donations from Orange County elections? Well, take a look at the two sides. In support of the proposal to curb the influence of special interests, we've heard from groups such as the league and the watchdoggers over at CountyWatch. On the other hand, fighting the effort are representatives from the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce and Doug Guetzloe. You pick your teammates.

Media Matters

Candice Coleman, WKMG-Channel 6's spunky features reporter since 2001, reports that the station has not renewed her contract. As for what she'll be doing after Sept. 4, Coleman says she is not yet sure, "But I have faith and know something will work out."

Denise Cullen, who became the first woman to lead a local TV sports department when she started at Central Florida News 13, has found a new job -- as the director of communications for the Orlando Predators.

The Orlando Police Department got a lot of attention last week for its "Kicks for Guns" program, in which the agency collected more than 300 guns -- and even a missile-launching accessory -- in exchange for new shoes. But somewhat overlooked were some radio guys who more often make headlines for their rowdy and raunchy ways: 104.1 FM's Monsters in the Morning. The show helped start the program to get guns off the street back in 1999. Said OPD Detective Barb Jones: "They were the reason for the success." Rumba 100.3 also helped promote this year's event, though Monsters leader Russ Rollins said: "We have more artillery per listener."

Oh, and as far as the Monsters go, with the departure of Blackbean (who reported Monday that he got a gig with Fox's Prison Break), Rollins said he is still considering replacements, including former show member Jeff Howell.

Scott Maxwell, who thinks he'll side with the league ladies, can be reached at smaxwell@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6141.

Lee County Takes A Stand For Ethics

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 21, 2007

When a local government rejects millions of federal dollars for a road project, you might think its leaders are, well, nuts. But Lee County citizens should applaud their leaders for rejecting a $10 million appropriation for a highway interchange they never requested.

Congressman Don Young of Alaska slipped the unwanted earmark into a 2006 transportation bill after receiving $40,000 in campaign contributions from Ft. Myers-area landowners and developers.

Young denied the donations swayed him, despite Lee officials having made it clear that they wanted to widen Interstate 75 before considering a Coconut Road interchange.

Even U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, who represents the area, was surprised by Young's largesse.

Last Friday, the county's Metropolitan Planning Organization voted 10-3 to send the money back to Washington , according to the Naples Daily News.

Instead, planners would like the money reallocated to help widen I-75. To prove they made the right decision, 12 of 14 speakers at the meeting were opposed to the interchange.

Lee officials are focused on their priorities and more disciplined in their spending. Young should keep his mug out of local transportation plans unless county officials seek his help.

Starting Out Crowded

By RONNIE BLAIR The Tampa Tribune

Published: Aug 21, 2007

WESLEY CHAPEL - Just three weeks ago, 8-year-old Dominique Destin lived in Broward County .

Then the third-grade student and her family did something a lot of people do.

They moved to Wesley Chapel.

Monday morning, Dominique joined about 1,100 other students who began the 2007-08 school year at Wesley Chapel Elementary, a five-year-old school that was crowded the day it opened in 2002 and has remained well over capacity ever since.

Even the opening of two new schools in Wesley Chapel this year - Double Branch Elementary and New River Elementary - did little to whittle away at the school's enrollment.

"We're definitely still overcrowded, but we have an excellent staff and administration," said Jennifer Richard, the recording secretary for Wesley Chapel Elementary's PTA. "We seem to have a system down. They handle it."

The school district was expecting more than 65,000 students countywide for the new school year, which began exactly two weeks before Labor Day, the earliest start date allowed under a new state law. The school district opened five new schools this year, as Pasco remains one of five districts statewide that is still growing.

Just how much it is growing is a matter of debate.

The state Department of Education projected Pasco would gain 1,200 students this year, but district officials are unconvinced.

Superintendent Heather Fiorentino, at a school board workshop with legislators last week, said her staff is predicting the growth will be about 500 to 700 students.

The disagreement is more than just a mathematical spat.

The state provides funding to school districts based on the number of students. If the projection is too high, the state will send Pasco too much money and the district will have to pay it back after an official count takes place in October.

Regardless of how much growth happens this year, though, the school district still will be building schools as it tries to catch up with growth from past years.

In addition to Double Branch and New River, the other new schools this year are Sunlake High and Charles S. Rushe Middle, both in Land O' Lakes, and Gulf Trace Elementary in Holiday .

Construction work was behind schedule for New River and Gulf Trace, so those schools will have midyear openings. In the meantime, the teachers and students are working out of portable classrooms on other campuses. The New River students are at Sand Pine Elementary and the Gulf Trace students are at Trinity Elementary.

Students Keep Coming

Dominique's father, Robenson Destin, said he was aware his daughter's new school is crowded, but he was more focused on Wesley Chapel Elementary's academic reputation.

"It's an A school," he said. "That's a good school."

The school is built for 618 students, but was expecting 1,068 - and counting - Monday, putting it at nearly 180 percent of capacity.

And that represents an enrollment decrease. The school was serving 1,458 students when the 2006-07 academic year came to a close.

"Parents were generally relieved we were smaller than last year," Principal John Abernathy said.

Richard, whose daughter Katie, 6, is in first grade, said some parents might have liked to see attendance boundaries drawn differently to give the other elementary schools more of the students.

She said she wouldn't characterize parents as disappointed that crowding continues even with the new schools. "I think the parents are just surprised how quickly it's grown," Richard said.

The PTA figures the high enrollment means more parents to become involved in school activities. Richard said as of Monday the PTA had signed up about 180 members and the organization's goal is to have at least one member from every family at the school this year.

Time Change And Time Travel

Many of those families found out, too late, that they could have slept a little longer Monday morning.

Last year, Wesley Chapel Elementary began its day at 8:40 a.m. This year the time was switched to 9:35 a.m., but many parents didn't get word.

Nearly an hour before the school day started, parking was already at a premium, with cars and vans parked in the grass along Wells Road.

"You're early. You can take it easy," Abernathy told Carter Ciesluk, 6, a first-grader. "No stress."

Carter hugged up to his father, Steve Ciesluk, who coaxed the boy into revealing that he loves to read.

Carter is a fan of "The Magic Treehouse" series, which follows the adventures of a brother and sister who travel through time.

"I have been reading a lot of it," Carter said.

Abernathy wore a "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" tie as he greeted children and parents.

"Some of the students are smiling, but I've noticed all of the parents are smiling," Abernathy said.

Some private schools also began the school year Monday. Among them was St. Anthony Catholic School in San Antonio, where Sister Roberta Bailey, the principal, read the children a story titled "The Woodcutter."

The story's moral: "Remember to sharpen your skills if you want to succeed."

Reporter Ronnie Blair can be reached at (813) 948-4218 or rblair@tampatrib.com

At packed Toledo Blade, organization barely contains chaos

By TIFFANY LANKES

tiffany.lankes@heraldtribune.com
NORTH PORT -- At Toledo Blade Elementary School, parents start showing up an hour before school lets out to wait for their children.

If they do not get there that early, they could end up waiting even longer. With 1,500 students enrolled -- twice the capacity of a typical elementary school -- dismissals can be chaotic.

"It's either wait now or wait later," said Frank Lancaster, sitting in his car as he waited for his granddaughter.

Even at a time when new construction is stalled -- and student enrollment in districts across the state is plateauing -- schools in traditionally high growth areas started the school year crowded on Monday.

The crowding at Toledo Blade comes despite a new North Port elementary that opened just last year. It goes to show how far school construction lags behind the growth spurt that has doubled the city's population since 2000. Another new elementary school is not expected until 2009.

"After a while, everyone just gets used to it," said Principal Chris Renouf.

North Port is not the only place bucking the state trend of slowed enrollment. Even though a new school opened Monday in northeast Manatee -- the second-fastest growing part of the county -- Mills Elementary is still over its capacity.

And school administrators expect the lull in construction will soon end in Southwest Florida, and that enrollment will pick up again, meaning more crowded campuses.

Toledo Blade already holds the record for largest elementary school ever in Sarasota County, once enrolling close to 1,600 students. No elementary school in Manatee or Charlotte county has ever seen that level of enrollment, either.

This year, Renouf expects Toledo Blade to break its own record.

"I have no doubt that we'll exceed our projections," Renouf said.

The first-grade class alone has 300 students.

Since the school has no more room in its main building, it has acquired 55 portables, a once-unthinkable number that take up about half of the campus. District officials say there is no room to add any more if the school keeps growing.

The key to coping with crowds is organization, Renouf says.

Cafeterias are always a trouble spot for crowding, so Toledo Blade added more lunch periods so each grade level can eat separately. Some students eat lunch as early as 10 a.m. Others do not finish until 2:30 p.m.

To help monitor all of the students, Toledo Blade is the only elementary school in the district to have an on-campus security guard. And this year the students wear uniforms, which administrators say cuts back on behavior problems and helps students stay focused.

There are so many children, the school had to have two separate open houses -- and will likely schedule two sets of other school activities. Administrators are afraid they will not have enough room for all of the students and their families on campus. The extra precautions help, but even then it is hard to avoid some chaos.

At the end of the first day of school, Renouf made an announcement urging the children to try to be orderly during dismissal.

As soon as the bell rang, the throngs of students flooded out of the classrooms.

"It's chaos," said parent Kelly Strauss.

Her 6-year-old daughter Khloe's eyes widened as she watched the wall of students form in front of the school as they waited for the buses.

Despite the school's efforts to make the crowding less noticeable, the first-grader says it is still obvious there are so many students.

"I'm looking right at them," she said.

City annexes 52-acre tract

HIGH SPRINGS -- The High Springs City Commission gave unanimous, initial approval for the voluntary annexation of a 52-acre tract of land into the city.

The land, located directly west of the Cinnamon Hills subdivision on Poe Springs Road, is currently zoned county agricultural.

After the land is formally annexed into the city, a future land designation and then a zoning will be applied to the land.

The owners, Santa Fe Meadows Inc., have not said what they plan to use the land for, said High Springs City Planner Christian Popoli.

The annexed land will be in the city's Urban Service Boundary, the area of the city that utilities and services will be available, and density will be higher than the rural boundaries.

Clear Springs Plan Moves Forward

The Clear Spring Land Co. is one step closer to bringing its last 6,527 acres into the city limits of Bartow.

Bartow city commissioners on Monday night gave preliminary approval to annexing Clear Springs' acreage on the city's southern border.

The city annexed the bulk of the land, totaling about 11,000 acres on the city's east side, in 2001.

Commissioners will take a final vote on the annexation measure following a public hearing scheduled for Sept. 4.

Development Gets Preliminary OK

City commissioners gave preliminary approval Monday night to a proposed 272-acre development on E.F. Griffin Road.

Interim City Attorney John Murphy recommended that the commission approve the proposed development because it would resolve pending litigation filed against the city by Highland Cassidy.

When the city initially rejected Highland Cassidy's proposal last year, the developer filed a lawsuit asking the court to review the city's actions.

The commissioners also approved, by the same 3-2 vote, a settlement agreement with Highland Cassidy that ends the developer's legal action.

But the settlement isn't effective until the commission gives final approval to the developer's zoning proposal.

If that vote fails at the Sept. 4 meeting, Highland Cassidy has said it will move forward with its legal challenge against the city.

Speculation Blamed For Surge In Foreclosure Cases

By Douglas Carman of Highlands Today

Published: August 21, 2007

Highlands County saw an alarming spike in the number of home and land foreclosure proceedings during the year, fueled in part by lowering property values that ruined the prospects of many speculators, local mortgage lenders say.

The Highlands County Clerk of Courts recorded 372 foreclosure filings from Jan. 1 to Aug. 17 this year, two cases shy of the number of foreclosure filings for all of 2006.

"And we're a little over half way through," said Bob Germaine, Senior Director of Courts. "We're just up."

David Veley, a senior lender with the Highlands Independent Bank, said the spike mostly comes from speculators who have been stuck with investment properties. During the housing boom, speculators kept jumping on properties, flipping them to other speculators and cashing out as their values kept climbing up.

Now, "lot prices are coming back," Veley said. "Somebody at the end got hung."

Making matters worse for them, the speculators usually relied on special short-term loans where they pay only the interest on the property before a balloon payment at maturity.

Usually, that comes in three years, well after the borrowers expected to sell off the property and pay off the loan with the sale proceeds.

Personal foreclosures are up as well, although just slightly. Veley attributed this partially to local job losses within broader economic downturn. Also, some of the homeowners have been caught up in adjustable interest rate mortgages after their lower "teaser rates" changed.

Sun 'N Lake Lands Abandoned

While speculators are losing out throughout the county, it's even more apparent in Sun 'N Lakes of Sebring.

Since Jan. 9, a case list from the Highlands County Clerk of Courts lists 65 foreclosures, mostly on vacant lots, because the property owners did not pay their assessments. This does not include foreclosures over mortgage payments, which could not be determined by press time.

John McClure, an attorney who represents the Sun 'N Lake of Sebring Improvement District, said many of the property owners were foreign nationals buying land here. Apparently to him, they decided to give up on the land they were holding because of the worsening economy.

"Some intend on living here one day, but those we are foreclosing upon chose not to continue payments,"

PAC standing firm in fight to halt Lake Worth beach redevelopment

By NICOLE JANOK

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

LAKE WORTH — A political action committee isn't backing away from its fight against beach redevelopment even though the city has filed suit in an effort to stop the group.

On June 5, the city commission passed three ordinances that permitted commercial development at the beach, which previously was zoned for recreation. We Love Lake Worth Inc. wants a referendum on the ordinances so that voters have a say on land use and zoning at the beach and has collected thousands of signatures to get the matter on the ballot.

On Aug. 10, the group submitted petitions with about 2,500 signatures for each of three ordinance ballot questions, which were verified through the county Supervisor of Elections Office.

Five days later, the city sued the PAC, contending that the petitions are invalid. State law, the city says, prohibits holding a referendum on land-use changes that affect five or fewer parcels of land. The approved zoning ordinance applies to the beach property, which is one parcel, the suit contends.

But PAC Chairman Christopher McVoy and his group strongly believe the beach property affects many parcels in the city and beyond. They call the suit a scare tactic.

"We're going to put together argument, because what we're asking for isn't unreasonable," McVoy said.

The newly created beach and casino zoning district restricts building height to 50 feet, with an additional 10 feet for architectural detail, and does not allow residential building, including hotels or condos. It limits construction of a new building to 15 percent of the roughly 18.6-acre beach, which McVoy and his group think still could change the beach atmosphere drastically, he said.

While campaigning for the supermajority ballot initiative during the March election, McVoy said many of the voters he spoke with do not want in-your-face retail at the beach and are content with what already exists there.

"They like the fact that these are low-key, pretty much local business, something that's very compatible with the city of Lake Worth," he said.

If the ordinances were put on the fall 2008 ballot, they likely would derail the $19.1 million proposal by developer Greater Bay Group, which seeks to build a 49,000-square-foot commercial center and restore the pool, parking, boardwalk and lifeguard areas. Greater Bay has committed to paying for at least $12 million of the project and is seeking financial backing.

Commissioners who favor the beach redevelopment project have noted that the city cannot afford to fix the beach by itself and voters rejected a bond referendum in 2002. They also have said that, although the proposed Greater Bay building will be larger, it will have the same amount of retail space, as well as additional space for a ballroom and restaurants.

"This is really no longer a battle about whether we should keep the old building," Mayor Jeff Clemens said. "This is a battle about whether we should keep a building at all ... and the current plan is the best chance of that of becoming a reality."

he said.

FAU turbine to crank up for test of zapping ocean into electricity

By KIMBERLY MILLER

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Florida Atlantic University has plunged $5 million and seven years' worth of study into a project that scientists hope will offer solutions to the world's energy problems.

Paid for with part of a $30 million Centers of Excellence grant, FAU's project will plunk a specialized turbine into the north-flowing Gulf Stream - the planet's largest, most energy-dense ocean current - to generate electricity.

The initial test turbine will be only 10 feet in diameter. It will be in place by October or November, depending on the permit process.

The ultimate dream is to have 3,000 turbines, each 130 feet in diameter, working in underwater unison to power up to 50 percent of Florida.

"Everything makes this the absolute best spot in the world for this," said FAU Professor Frederick Driscoll, leader of the Ocean Energy Technology Center of Excellence. "Nobody has ever had an ocean turbine in the water for more than a few hours."

Driscoll's project is part of a second round of Centers of Excellence grant that lawmakers budgeted for Florida's universities in 2006. The first pot of money - also $30 million - was awarded in 2002.

This year, motivated by the success of the original centers, legislators wrote $100 million into the budget for new centers, or to add to current ones.

Driscoll and his team are vying for a piece of that: $15 million that will help soup up their project and better outfit a 33-foot specialized research vessel they are building.

But they won't be alone.

Schools have until December to finalize their research proposals in hopes of grabbing the state's attention and nabbing some of the cash.

"There's so much funding now," said Driscoll, who works at FAU's Sea Tech campus in Dania Beach. "It's going to be very competitive."

Proposals requesting between $10 million and $20 million are preferred by the Board of Governors, which oversees Florida's 11 public universities and is part of the team of judges to pick the winning projects. Private universities also are allowed to compete for the money.

"Supercenter" proposals asking for more than $20 million also may be considered.

Winners will be decided by the Florida Technology, Research and Scholarship Board and a committee of Board of Governors members.

Although the proposals are due Dec. 3, money probably won't be awarded until June so judges can have several months to weigh the merits of each plan.

Projects will be evaluated in four areas: vision; leadership and research focus; economic opportunity, management and infrastructure; and leveraging resources and other collaborations.

"This is an absolutely outstanding program that will move Florida's universities upward nationally and internationally," said Larry Lemanski, FAU's research vice president. "It is very important in the state's quest for world-class universities."

The $30 million awarded to three universities in 2002 has attracted $128 million in outside research dollars, created 38 patents and helped develop eight spin-off companies, according to data gathered by the Florida Research Consortium.

FAU was awarded one of the original $10 million Centers of Excellence grants in 2002 for a proposed biomedical and marine biotechnology research center. One focus of its first center has been creating medicines from sea life such as sponges and coral.

The University of Central Florida and University of Florida also received $10 million grants in 2002.

Lemanski said that since FAU's first center opened in 2003, it has received $33 million in federal and private grants, had 24 patents issued and licensed a special underwater camera to Panavision.

"Those 2002 awards, they really had to prove their worth," said Jack Sullivan, president and chief operating officer of the Florida Research Consortium, which lobbied lawmakers to increase Centers of Excellence funding this year. "Their track record has been outstanding, and essentially we exceeded all of our own expectations."

Last year, 32 proposals were submitted. Six, including FAU's turbine project, were chosen.

Since then, Driscoll has spoken to Congress about the need to find alternative energy sources and partnered with companies such as Florida Power & Light Co. and New York-based Verdant Power, which is supplying the blades for the turbine.

FAU has to determine how turbines will affect marine life before full-scale multiple turbines can be submerged.

Driscoll's request for more money is subject to FAU approval before becoming a formal proposal for Center of Excellence money. But he thinks he has a chance.

"Florida doesn't have a source for base-load renewable power," Driscoll said. "There's no consistent wind, no hydro power from dams. The Gulf Stream is what we've got."

Residents fight to save historic train depot

BY SUSAN LATHAM CARR
STAR-BANNER

 " OCALA - Ruth J. Riley remembers when the siren at the Dunnellon train depot would sound at midday.Children knew it was time to go home for lunch," Riley said.

Riley, 82, taught at both Dunnellon Elementary School and Dunnellon High School and was active in Friends of the Library for many years.

"Our lives were completely controlled by the train," Riley said. "It was a very important part of our lives. We rode the train to Tampa to go shopping."

She remembers being put on the train when she was 8 years old and riding it by herself to Savannah , Ga. , where her sister and brother-in-law lived.

So, she is very sad that the depot, which is part of the Boomtown Historic District that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, could soon be sold to the highest bidder.

"That breaks my heart," Riley said.
Doris Magursky, president of the Greater Dunnellon Historical Society, said the organization's officers are looking for new people to get involved and take the lead. She has volunteered her time and effort for about eight years, as have most of the board members and they are tired.

"If we don't get a board to run the organization and we have to fold, we have to disburse our assets, which means we would have to sell the depot," Magursky said.The Historical Society owns the depot and the contents of the museum in the depot - the railroad paraphernalia, newspaper articles and photos. A mural painted by the late Tom Ferrie that once hung in John and Jean's antique store graces the depot's walls.

All the assets would have to be sold and the proceeds, along with any cash reserves, would be used for a historic preservation cause to be decided upon by the Society's board.

The Society recently completed a $400,000 renovation of the depot, which has a river view and sits on four lots in the middle of town. The funding for the renovations came from a $285,000 state historic preservation grant plus money the Society raised.

Because the renovation was funded by a grant, whoever takes ownership of the depot would have to maintain its identity as a renovated historic site for 10 years, Magursky said.

She said the fate of the depot will likely be decided at the Society's next board meeting on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. at the depot, located off Williams Street . If a leader does not step forward, the board could vote to disband. An appraisal is expected before the meeting.

Dr. Dane Myers, who serves on the historical preservation board and chairs the city's Community Redevelopment Area Advisory Board, said the depot couldbe a key piece of Dunnellon's historic district.

"I would very much like to see it remain in the public domain," Myers said. "My guess is we will find a solution for it. It's just a lot of people are pretty weary in this town. There have been too many battles."

Don Fineout, president of the Main Street organization said it is sad that the Society has to beg for people to step forward. He said a tremendous amount of time and effort went into restoring the depot.

"It's over 100 years old. Historically, it's probably one of the older buildings in Dunnellon," Fineout said. "I would hate to see it be sold and have somebody turn it into a thrift store or something like that."

Harold Horne, the city of Dunnellon 's community development director, said it would be important to keep the depot in the right hands.

"I think it's important because when you are doing redevelopment, the real trick to the business is to identify those things that have character, that are signatures of the community, and that depot is one of those items," Horne said.

He said the depot would be of much greater value to the community than it would to any other entity.

"If they are going to sell it, we need to get public support to maintain it in the public hands, whether it is a nonprofit or the city itself," Horne said. "It has to be there."

Susan Latham Carr may be reached at susan.carr@starbanner.com or 352-867-4156