The Times buys 3 magazines on real estate
TIMES WIRESPublished February 14, 2007
The St. Petersburg Times has purchased three real estate magazines to expand its coverage of the Tampa Bay area residential market and to begin in-depth coverage of the commercial real estate market.
Florida's Nature Coast Real Estate/Hernando, Florida's Nature Coast Real Estate/Citrus region and West Coast Commercial Real Estate are distributed at more than 600 outlets locally, with additional copies mailed to investors, brokers and real estate agents.
The magazines were purchased from the family of John Gonzalez, who had operated the publishing business since 1992.
The three magazines are published 13 times a year with a combined print run of 40,000 copies. Offices are in Spring Hill.
When combined with two existing Times real estate magazines - Florida's Fabulous Suncoast in Pasco County and Pinellas Home Search - the group's coverage will include a swath of territory along the west coast of Florida from Citrus County to as far south as Charlotte County, concentrating on the expanding Tampa Bay region.
"We will build on the success of Mr. Gonzalez and his family while also adding Internet visibility for these key advertisers," said Michelle Hatch, the Times classified manager who is overseeing the expansion project.
"This is a natural geographic expansion," said Times advertising director Moya Neville. "We aim to be a full-service advertising and marketing source for those in the vital real estate industry."
Shannon Gonzalez, one of John Gonzalez's children, said, "Since our father passed away last year, we've been striving to carry forward his tradition of quality and caring for each advertiser. We are confident that the Times will maintain these standards. We believe the Times is perfectly positioned to take Florida's Nature Coast Real Estate magazine to the next level."
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. A Times spokesman said the publications are profitable and will immediately add to the company's earnings.
City Backs Car Lot's Expansion
Published: Feb 14, 2007
DADE CITY - Commissioners on Tuesday paved the way for a downtown General Motors dealership to seek a zoning variance to expand across Seventh Street.
The panel voted 4-1 to change municipal regulations so Pasco Motors can ask the zoning board of adjustment for permission to use the former Case Hardware property as a new car sales lot.
Pasco Motors bought the now-vacant property for its intended expansion last year. Then the dealership, at 14341 Seventh St., discovered that city regulations dating to 1973 didn't allow businesses to ask the zoning board for variances.
Tuesday's city commission action creating the regulatory change was the second and final vote and public hearing on the matter. The first vote was held in January, with the same result.
Commissioner Camille Hernandez was the sole dissenter last month and again Tuesday. She said she didn't think the dealership's expansion plans were the right development for that block.
Resident Celestine Bush also spoke against the idea, telling commissioners that a car lot "doesn't go with the rest of the city on that end."
But the majority voted with Commissioner Scott Black, who said keeping the dealership inside city limits brings economic benefits, including sales tax revenue.
The zoning board can vote to approve or deny Pasco Motors' request, or the panel can approve it with restrictions, such as limited operating hours or lighting specifications, City Attorney Karla Owens said.
Reporter Jo-Ann Johnston can be reached at (352) 521-3062 or jfjohnston@tampatrib.com.
Shark overfishing may be reason for decline in attacks Sharks attacking humans was a common sight in the film series "Jaws." In recent years, however, the roles appear to have been reversed.A report issued by the International Shark Attack File, which looked into the number of shark attacks worldwide in 2006, shows that the overfishing of sharks may be the reason for the continued decline of shark attacks worldwide.
"What was nice is that (the report) was absolutely boring and dull," said George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida. "We'd rather be bored than active because it means there are less people being attacked."
According to the report, in 2006 there were 62 shark attacks worldwide, four of those fatal. Of those attacks, 39 occurred in the United States — 23 along the Florida coastlines.
In 2005, there were 61 shark attacks worldwide, 40 in the U.S., showing almost no change over the past year.
Shark attacks happen most often in the U.S. because of the lengthy coastline and because people have more money to go surfing and boating than in other countries, Burgess said.
"Not surprisingly, Florida has more attacks than any of the other states because of its large population and tourists," he said.
In 2006, Florida shark attacks took place in Volusia, Brevard, Manatee, St. Lucie, Collier, Monroe, Indian River and Palm Beach counties.
In fact, a square mile of New Smyrna Beach, located in Volusia County, has more attacks than any place in the world, Burgess said.
The report notes that while the population of the world is increasing, the number of shark attacks has remained steady since 2002.
Burgess said one reason for this is that the shark population has begun to dwindle because of commercial and recreational overfishing.
"Shark populations are in considerable danger worldwide," he said.
A key source of the commercial overfishing is the desire for shark fins in Asian countries, where these fins sell for $25 to $30 a pound, Burgess said.
"Sharks aren't going to stop being overfished until we stop the demand for shark fins themselves," he said. "We need to make cultural changes in the Orient. If we can do that, the demand for the fins around the world will decline."
Some sharks in danger include the whale shark, which is a threatened species worldwide, and the great white shark, listed as a protected species in the U.S., South Africa and Australia.
The smalltooth sawfish, a close relative of the shark, has become so scarce that it has become the first U.S. marine fish to receive federal protection as an endangered species.
"Once these populations have been overfished, trying to get them to recover is a long process measured in decades, rather than years," Burgess said.
The International Shark Attack File is located in the Florida Museum of History, off Hull Road on the UF campus. It is an organization that cooperates with scientists worldwide in investigating shark attacks. The organization also looks into trends involving shark attacks and passes such information along to the public.
To view the International Shark Attack File's report, go online to www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/ISAF/ISAF.htm
Environmentalists vs. bicyclists in Loop debate?
ORMOND BEACH -- There's probably
going to be a tug of war at City Hall on Thursday night.
On one side will be those who nervously -- but religiously --
ride their bikes and run through the scenic Loop as cars whiz by
within inches.
On the other side will be those who also love The Loop, so much
so that they feel a small part of them die every time a tree in the
canopied corridor is toppled for development.
While both sides cherish The Loop, there's disagreement over a
2-mile stretch along John Anderson Drive where the city is
considering road improvements that could include adding bike paths
and sidewalks.
Two of the four alternatives city staffers will suggest at the
6:30 p.m. meeting would require removing 171 trees in the section of
John Anderson Drive between Granada Boulevard and Sandcastle Drive.
That would mean losing 110 palm trees and 61 hardwood trees, such as
oak, cedar, pine and magnolia.
The other two alternatives would leave most trees in place and
cost less, but they would also exclude any new sidewalks or bike
trails.
"There'll be a very huge uproar over that number of trees
coming down," said Joe Jaynes, a former Volusia County
councilman and head of the Ormond Scenic Loop & Trail Corridor
Advocacy Group. "It'd be nice having the sidewalks, but not at
the cost of losing 171 trees."
Jaynes' group is seeking a Florida Scenic Highway designation to
preserve and protect The Loop, said Jaynes, who bicycles the route
with his wife.
"I think it would be a very serious blow to our efforts to
get the designation" if the trees come down, he said.
Jaynes said he hopes the two sides can figure out how to add
sidewalks without losing trees.
Mayor Fred Costello suspects the city has a not-in-my-backyard
dilemma on its hands.
"A number of people don't want sidewalks and bike trails,
but they're for connectivity so the whole community can enjoy the
area walking and biking safely," Costello said.
The mayor said many of the people who fight having sidewalks in
their neighborhoods wind up enjoying them. Costello, who noted he
strongly supports preserving The Loop, said it will be a loss for
the city if the bike paths aren't built.
"If they're not, fewer people get to enjoy it (The Loop) and
it's less safe," Costello said. "Sometimes we have to look
at the greater good of the community. We're not talking about
tearing down The Loop. We're talking about making is safer."
The idea to improve John Anderson Drive goes back about seven
years, when city commissioners discussed heavily traveled roads that
need improvements. John Anderson Drive was discussed in those talks,
and it's now edging toward the top of the road project priority
list.
One of the options city staff members are offering involves full
roadway reconstruction with 10-foot lanes, curb and gutter, and an
8-foot sidewalk/bike path. This option calls for leveling 171 trees
and would cost an estimated $5.2 million.
The second option is similar, with the main difference being
4-foot bike paths separate from 5-foot sidewalks. The cost is a
little higher at $5.4 million.
A third alternative calls for the same elements with no bike
paths or sidewalks. Tree impacts would be minimal, and the price tag
would be about $4.6 million.
The fourth suggestion would involve less extensive reconstruction
and drainage improvements, no sidewalks or paths, and minimal tree
impacts. It would cost about $1.9 million, but city officials warn
that the road would need resurfacing and reconstruction in five to
10 years, while a full road reconstruction provides a useful life
expectancy of 20-30 years.
At meetings later this year, city commissioners will ultimately
decide what will be done on John Anderson Drive.
Cabinet OKs $10 Million To Aid Gopher Tortoises
The Barry's Ranch land is the 10th tract bought by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to protect the tortoises, which are on the state's list of "species of special concern."
The money used to buy the land comes from fees paid by developers who build on property that necessitates the killing of the tortoises. The Cabinet and Gov. Charlie Crist unanimously approved the purchase. Attorney General Bill McCollum asked whether tortoises could be moved to the site rather than "exterminated" in developments. Gary Cochran, the commission's conservation, acquisitions and planning administrator, said that it wasn't immediately likely, though a new rule allows the transport of some turtles if their habitat is disturbed within 100 miles of an existing state refuge.
Cochran said the commission is considering downgrading the survival future of the tortoises to "threatened species," a move that might make it more difficult for developers to build on land where the tortoises are plentiful. In its current status as a "species of special concern," it is illegal to take, move or sell gopher tortoises or their eggs without a permit.
The gopher tortoise, according to the commission's Web site, can grow to lengths up to 15 inches and weigh up to 15 pounds. Its ecological value is its burrows that average 15 feet but can extend up to 48 feet long as deep as six feet underground. The burrows provide shelter for other animals, including mice and snakes.
Cochran said potential sites for gopher tortoise protection are found with the help of satellite imagery for signs of sandy soil and forest cover. He added that Barry's Ranch is an ideal fit because it abuts the Watermelon Pond area that is part of the Florida Forever land preservation program.
Warming heats up hurricane debate
Are rising temperatures creating more-intense Atlantic storm seasons?
Michael CabbageSentinel Staff Writer
February 14, 2007
There's little doubt in Kevin Trenberth's mind that Earth's rising temperatures are causing more intense Atlantic hurricane seasons.
However, a landmark international report on climate change authored by Trenberth and other like-minded scientists has done little to quell the debate over global warming's possible impact on the tropics. If anything, the Feb. 2 report approved in Paris by researchers from 113 countries has rekindled the argument.
The possible effect of climate change on hurricanes has been one of the most hotly disputed subjects among U.S. meteorologists for more than a decade. Only three months ago, a statement by the World Meteorological Organization said "no firm conclusion can be made."
Trenberth and scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are convinced there is a link between "an increase of intense tropical cyclone activity in the North Atlantic" and human-induced global warming.
Well-known hurricane expert Bill Gray and many scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the agency's National Hurricane Center disagree. They argue there is no convincing evidence of a connection so far.
Trenberth, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, was the lead author of a chapter in the new report dealing with hurricane activity. His position is based on weather observations from recent years and simple logic.
"If there is an increase in sea-surface temperatures, there will be an increase in hurricane activity," Trenberth said. "Sea-surface temperatures have gone up because of global warming."
The previous conventional wisdom was that hurricane activity came in cycles caused by recurring changes in sea-surface temperatures, the atmosphere and ocean currents. One of the biggest factors was thought to be the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, or AMO. Scientists theorized that currents of warm water circulate through the Atlantic like a giant conveyor belt.
During inactive hurricane periods such as the 1970s and 1980s, the belt moves more slowly. However, during AMO warm periods such as the present era, the belt is thought to move faster and transport hotter currents to the area where Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico hurricanes form and intensify.
A 1-degree increase in temperature in the Atlantic can make a major difference in the strength of storms. Scientists still haven't determined why the AMO periodically changes speeds.
Trenberth and a growing number of researchers contend the AMO can't fully explain the recent uptick in hurricane activity and ferocity. They argue that global warming of Earth's oceans is the difference.
Gray and some of his colleagues, including National Hurricane Center science and operations officer Chris Landsea, reply that activity is cyclical and global warming has had no measurable influence.
"The relevant question is whether we are seeing more activity now than we did during the last active hurricane period from the late-1920s to the late-1960s," Landsea said. "What we can tell is the activity is about the same now as it was then, and there is no discernible trend."
The debate between Gray and Trenberth got personal last October.
At the 31st annual Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop in Colorado, the Rocky Mountain News quoted Gray calling Trenberth an opportunist and a Svengali who "sold his soul to the devil to get research funding." Trenberth replied that Gray was no longer a credible scientist and was "one of the contrarians, some of whom get money to spread lies about global warming."
The Paris report's release has yet to change many opinions on the other side. Lixion Avila, a forecaster at the National Hurricane Center, said more research is needed to reach a definitive answer.
"There are good scientists on both sides," said Avila, who noted he is no expert on global warming. "We still are looking for new trends."
Wire services were used in compiling this report. Michael Cabbage can be reached at mcabbage@orlandosentinel.com or 321-639-0522.
Cottondale weighs annexation, residential growth
The commission did, however, move forward in several areas related to growth.
A subdivision is planned that will make the city one-and-a-half times as large as it is now. And it's definite now that Green Circle Bio Energy will open a plant halfway between Cottondale and Alford to the south, bringing 51 jobs.
Currently, there is no large employer or subdivision nearby, and the city's few blocks of business area has mostly shuttered storefronts.
Second and final reading came on an ordinance to annex the city park to the south into the boundaries of the municipality, and to annex, by request of the owner, a 40-acre piece of property. These actions were necessary for the city to be able to annex the 612 acres for the subdivision, because new properties brought into a city must be contiguous.
City manager Willie Cook reported at the beginning of the meeting that a letter had arrived that day from the subdivision developer, asking for annexation. The developer is Lisa Donaldson, owner of Marianna Oaks Golf Course.
Cook said Donaldson also plans to expand the golf course from nine to 18 holes.
Cook also said two other people were asking to have properties annexed, one a 99-acre site, the other a 49-acre site. Both are south of the city limits.
The board took no immediate action on those requests.
The city's consulting engineer Rick Pettis suggested the board have a workshop on its water and sewer capabilities and what it will need to do to provide service to the subdivision. Pettis said the commission need not make decisions at that time, but get the latest information "and chew over it."
Pettis works for Melvin Engineering, which has a contract with the city to prepare a study on the annexation and other future development. The study will include what the city's current systems are capable of handling, what upgrades will be needed, and what they will cost.
Also, Florida Rural Water, of which the city is a member, is conducting a water audit; determining revenue requirements for upgrades; looking into available financing, grants and loans, rates and rate structures; and developing impact fees.
Pettis said he had had discussions with the subdivision developer and it appears that it will be March before the actual request for annexation comes.
He cautioned the city leaders that the development will take up a lot of their time.
"This is going to be very big deal for the City of Cottondale," he said.
He advised that they be careful about committing grants "until you get your priorities set up," and said he had told the developer that the city can't use every grant it has access to "for his project," but "he's going to want you to help him any way you can with the water and sewer."
Pettis also advised the city to look at its planning and zoning regulations and its Comprehensive Plan within a year of any annexation. He said that the land-use designation for any piece of property remains what it was when in the county, even after it comes into the city, until the city takes action.
"You're about to make a significant change," he said. "his is going to be unlike anything Cottondale has seen in scope and size."
Cottondale Police Chief William Watford also had growth on his mind, the increase of violence. He asked to purchase three semi-automatic rifles and was given unanimous approval.
He said he had realized more than ever they were needed when two homicides occurred in January ? the sheriff's wife and first officer on the scene were shot to death and following the shooting deaths of the two assailants, some 100 officers converged to hunt for a third person initially thought to be possibly involved.
Watford said money for the guns was available in two funds the department has. He estimated the cost of each at around $900.
Watford also spoke of the need to start looking at enlarging the police department, now made up of three full-time and two part-time officers.
He mentioned recent overtime hours and said "in the next two or three years.. the growth is going to be more than we can handle."
The war on giant homes
Windermere council votes to rein in owners' ability to build megamansions
Rich MckaySentinel Staff Writer
February 14, 2007
WINDERMERE -- Robert Lazarus knows that his dream home is a 14,000-square-foot, concrete-block monster to his neighbors.
He knows they mock it with names such as the Taj Mahal and McMansion.
Lazarus' 8 1/2-bath, three-story French chateau rising on the coveted shores of Lake Butler is one of the largest in town. Planted on just a half-acre at 836 Main St., Lazarus' home dwarfs his neighbors' houses, which top out with a building size of about 2,000 to 3,000 square feet.
The backlash to the project sent town leaders scrambling to rewrite their building codes in an effort to fend off, if not banish, megamansions from the land of Windermere.
The five-member Town Council voted unanimously to approve its most restrictive building code after a brief public hearing Tuesday night that drew no comment from the public.
The new ordinance goes into effect immediately. It doesn't affect Lazarus' house on Main Street because the project has already started.
But any future homes will have their size tethered to the size of the lots and not be allowed to take up more than 38 percent of the land. The new rules also limit the height of a house to 2 1/2 stories or 35 feet, whichever is smaller.
Mayor Gary Bruhn said the town needs to protect its feel as an Old Florida fishing village of just 2,400 people living on a 1.1-square-mile spit of land amid the Butler Chain of Lakes.
"We need to make sure that new houses are built in character with the neighborhood," he said.
Nationwide, the trend in many upscale neighborhoods has been to build ever larger and larger homes, especially on waterfronts. Builders snap up old, smaller homes and cottages to tear down and plant a starter castle or king-sized dream home.
Statewide, Miami Beach, Atlantic Beach and Vero Beach are among other communities that have passed restrictions that link the size of a home to the size of a lot.
Across the country, other cities are doing the same.
In Evanston, Ill., for example, leaders have limited houses to no more than 40 feet high and no more than 35 percent of the lot size. Wayne, N.J., and Los Altos, Calif., also limit building to a proportion of the lot size.
Lazarus, a custom-home builder, and area Realtors said earlier Tuesday that they think it's not fair to limit the size of houses.
If you decrease the square footage of a house, you decrease the value of the house, as well as that of the land.
"I know my house caused it [the change]," Lazarus said. "But I don't think Windermere realizes what they're doing here. They're going to hurt property values all over town."
If the rules had existed when Lazarus started building, his house size would have been limited to 7,695 square feet. "If I pay $1 million for the land, doesn't it reason that I'd want to put at least a $3 [million] or $4 million home on the property? Otherwise you're spending too much on the land."
Simon Conway, who owns Picket Fence Realty in Orlando, was perplexed by the rule change.
"Windermere comes up with some strange rules," he said. "It doesn't make any sense. Most of those little homes get sold so someone can tear them down."
Orange County, for instance, has no outright restriction on the size of a house, said Mitch Gordon, a manager in the county's zoning division.
Suzi Karr, owner of Suzi Karr Realty in Windermere, said that new rule is a boon or a curse, depending on which side of the fence you're on.
"If you want to keep Windermere the way it is now, this is a good thing. But if you want to build a large, palatial home, you won't like this."
Rich McKay can be reached at 407-420-5470 or rmckay@orlandosentinel.com.
570-unit development planned
By TODD
WILSON twilson@lakecityreporter.com
The first phase of a planned 570-unit residential
development in Columbia County near the southwest city limits of
Lake City earned an exception to tap into the city's sewer treatment
system Tuesday night.
The Greater Lake City Regional Utility Authority voted 4-0 to grant
the exception to what normally is a non-flexible policy to allow
developments outside the city to tap into the current wastewater
treatment system. The city normally limits new tap-ins to
developments within the city limits because of capacity concerns at
the current treatment facility.
Under the terms of the exception, the authority agreed to allow
Amenity Developers, LLC, to use 62,000 gallons of wastewater
capacity per day in the city's sewer system. The amount was
calculated based on the completion of the first of four phases of
the development project - 208 condominium units.
Amenity Developers is planning a four-phase development during the
next four-to-six years that will see 400 three-story condominium
units constructed, as well as a collection of town homes and a
secluded area of estate lots available for single-family housing
construction. The total gated development will be 570 units and will
be built in the vicinity of Quail Heights Country Club along State
Road 47 and Interstate 75.
Amenity Developers, LLC is made up of partners Andy Moore, Tom Harl
and a third man who refused to give his name. All three were present
at the GLCRUA meeting Tuesday night.
Rory Causseaux, a Gainesville engineer working on the project,
addressed the Regional Utility Authority and described the phases of
the company's development. He said the developers were more than
willing to seek friendly annexation into the city, but the exception
was needed immediately so the project could move forward. The entire
property being considered cannot be conventionally annexed into the
city because one parcel in the middle of the development is owned by
another landowner and, by state law, the city limits cannot surround
a parcel and create an island or enclave that remains outside the
city limits.
Regional Utility Authority Chairman John Robertson pledged City
Manager David Kraus' support in working with the development group
to assist with friendly annexation of the areas where the process is
possible.
“We'll do everything we can to expedite this process,” Robertson
said.
Robertson urged the authority board to approve granting the
exception for the sewer tap with what he called the “ironclad
conditions” that all of the developed units be constructed to use
natural gas water heaters and natural gas heating units - a utility
that will be purchased from the city. He also asked that the deed
restrictions on the estate lots being sold for single-family homes
also require natural gas use. Another requirement is that reclaimed
water be used on the property wherever possible. The board approved
Robertson's recommendations and made it a condition of the approved
exception.
Causseaux said the group now will approach Columbia County officials
to obtain the proper permits needed to begin construction. “If
permitting takes four-to-six months, we could start (construction)
immediately after.”
Causseaux said that by the time the project is completed, the
development group hopes the city will have a new wastewater
treatment plant on-line that is large enough to handle the estimated
171,000 gallons of wastewater generated daily in the development. He
said the developers were planning to install a temporary wastewater
package plant that could accommodate 30,000 gallons of wastewater
per day, just in case the phases of their construction plan move
faster than the on-line readiness of a new city wastewater treatment
plant.
“By Phase 4, we're hoping the new plant will be on-line,”
Causseaux said.
Besides the residential developments, Amenity Developers also is
planning the construction of a championship 18-hole golf course as
part of the project. Members of the development group said the final
details of the project still were being finalized and more
information would be released in the future.
Residents Being Urged To Recycle Cooking Oil
Published: Feb 14, 2007
HUDSON - Cooking oil and grease poured down kitchen sinks is causing problems for the county's wastewater disposal system.
Instead of becoming a revenue drain for Pasco County Utilities in the form of sewer infrastructure repairs, the discards can be recycled, county leaders emphasize.
They have launched a campaign to get residents to drop off used cooking oil and grease at the West Pasco Recycling Center on Hays Road off State Road 52. There is no charge.
The recycling center is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call (727) 847-8041 for details.
People tend to cook food, drain the oil and pour it down the sink without thinking about the consequences, said Farouk M. El-Shamy of the Pasco County Recycling and Hazardous Waste Collection Centers.
Byproducts from meat fats, butter, oil, margarine, dairy products, poultry and fish can cause clogs, overflows and other problems in sewer lines and in wastewater treatment plants, said El-Shamy, who is leading the oil drop-off effort.
The county regulates and inspects restaurants to make sure they dispose of grease correctly. No such regulations exist for homes, however, so the county is seeking residents' cooperation, El-Shamy noted.
Getting the word out, though, is a "formidable task." He and others have been knocking on doors, distributing brochures at apartment complexes and speaking at homeowners association meetings.
Until now, residents have been left to pour used oil and grease into a can or jar and toss it in the trash. But what's being discarded can be a resource, El-Shamy said.
Cooking oil has been used in animal feed and in manufacturing cosmetics for decades. It can also be used as fuel.
The county hired a contractor to collect oil from the recycling centers to convert it into biodiesel fuel. If the program is successful, additional collection locations will be added throughout the county.
Trump Tower Condo Buyers Sue, Doubt Completion
Published: Feb 14, 2007
TAMPA - Two buyers in the stalled Trump Tower Tampa condominium say it is impossible for developers to finish the 52-story tower by the time their contract mandates. The buyers want their money back and have sued to get out of the deal.
The buyers' attorney, Thomas Long, said his clients don't believe the riverfront condo will be built and feel misled. The fact that the developers don't have financing more than two years after announcing the project, combined with unresolved ownership issues and problems with unstable ground at the site, make it unlikely the tower will be completed by the December 2008 deadline stated in the contract, he said.
In recent months, developers said it would be mid-2009 before they finish construction.
"When you do a high-rise, particularly on land on the riverfront in a marshy area, you better make sure you can build it - before you start collecting the profits," said Long, of the Tampa firm Barnett, Bolt, Kirkwood, Long & McBride.
The developers named in the suit, Tampa-based SimDag LLC and Orlando-based private equity firm Mirabilis Ventures, did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The suit was filed in Hillsborough County Circuit Court on Jan. 31 and says the buyers were lured into purchasing a $1.4 million condo because they believed Donald Trump owned "a substantial stake" of the project.
"Donald Trump has boasted that his partnership with SimDag is more than a licensing or marketing arrangement," the suit states.
Long said his clients, Louis Ricci and Joe Shultz, both of Walton County, near Pensacola, have since learned that the developers paid the real estate mogul for the naming rights of the building.
"If you look at the Web site, it says Trump is a partner," Long said. "Now, we don't know where Donald Trump fits into this deal."
Trump has said that SimDag, the original developer, paid him an undisclosed sum in exchange for naming rights. As part of the agreement, the developers must build the tower to certain specifications and standards of the Trump brand, but no one from the Trump organization is involved in the construction process.
Trump said Monday he is frustrated with the lack of progress at the site, at 111 S. Ashley Drive. Trump has 72 condo projects in various stages of development and said the Tampa project is the only one not moving forward. It is unclear how many are licensing agreements and what his involvement is in those projects.
Trump revealed Monday by telephone that The Related Group, a Miami developer partnering with Trump on three towers in South Florida, wants to purchase or to become a partner on the Tampa project.
Trump tried to buy out SimDag last fall, but the developer instead sold to Orlando developer Mirabilis. SimDag remained as a partner. At the time, Mirabilis said it had also purchased SimDag's Antigua Bay project in Clearwater and planned to buy seven to nine other SimDag developments.
David Hooks, Trump Tower Tampa spokesman, said he was unaware of the lawsuit and could not comment. Trump could not be reached.
Darryl C. Wilson, a professor of property law at Stetson University, said the suit sounds weak on the surface.
"It's pretty difficult for them to get any relief right now because there hasn't been any breach of contract at this time," Wilson said. "You have to give them a chance to fulfill their contract."
The plaintiffs, who purchased a unit through their company, NLR T LLC, made a 20 percent deposit in August 2005. The suit sayshe deposit consisted of $148,200 cash and a letter of credit in the same amount.
Wilson said it may be too early for others to sue, but if these plaintiffs are awarded their money back, "it would certainly open the floodgates for other buyers to follow."
The suit is the latest in a series of issues surrounding the $260 million riverfront project.
SimDag has dismissed two contractors and passed on at least $40 million in construction increases to buyers who have contracts to purchase. Expected completion dates have been pushed back numerous times.
The project is being rebid to subcontractors, and some companies that have completed work say they haven't been paid. Four have filed liens on the property totaling $3.3 million.
Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804 or sbehn ken@tampatrib.com.
Planners Hear Key Growth IssuesThe meetings held around the county were part of the initial work involved in the periodic evaluation of the county's growth plan to determine how well it is handling current and projected growth needs.
"These six were umbrella issues, but there were a number of components to each of them," Tom Deardorff, the county's director of long-range planning, told the commission.
The process, which is the first evaluation since 1997, is expected to lead to changes in the growth plan.
The six main issues were:
Timing and location of growth.
Preservation of open space, agricultural lands and environmentally sensitive lands.
Water resources.
Transportation.
Sustainable communities.
Planning process.
"We have 13 months to complete the process," said Ana Martinez, the county planner overseeing the evaluation. She said county planners have an additional 18 months to amend the plan.
"Where do you see the biggest change?" asked Commission Chairman John Webb.
"It will be determining where the urban growth boundaries will be and deciding where we guide development," Martinez said.
Webb asked when maps depicting the boundaries would be available for the Planning Commission to review.
"We have no idea," Martinez said, saying the maps will be part of the growth plan revisions that will come later, not part of the evaluation that will be occurring in the next several months.
Martinez said she doesn't envision sweeping changes in the growth plan, but the plan board will re-examine the rules for allowing development in rural areas.
The current regulations allow intense development in rural areas under certain conditions.
Martinez said one of the issues the evaluation will examine will be the criteria and timing for considering such developments.
Commissioner Augie Fragala asked how the changes would be reviewed.
"I'd hate for (planning) staff to sit up there in their offices and decide what people meant (in the growth meetings)," he said.
Martinez said county planners will draft some changes and present them to the public at a series of follow-up public meetings planned in October.
Deardorff said planners can schedule a work session with the Planning Commission before those meetings to go over the issues.
He said other issues are developing in the meantime.
For instance, the Polk Land Stewardship Alliance is seeking money from the County Commission for a proposal to encourage transfer or purchase of development rights in rural areas, which could affect the growth plan language, too, he said.
Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com or 863-802-7535
Mariana
Oaks gets green light After twice voting against Mariana Oaks, Leon County commissioners
decided Tuesday to approve the development on Old St. Augustine Road.
The developers say they hope to start construction within about a
month. But nearby homeowners who oppose it say the legal battle is
just beginning. They're planning to file a lawsuit to block it.
"It's not over by a long shot," said Cheryl Porgal, who
lives on Old St. Augustine Road. "This neighborhood is not going
to lie quietly."
Commissioners approved it with a 4-2 vote. Commissioners Bob
Rackleff and Cliff Thaell voted against it; Commissioner Jane Sauls
was out sick. Chad Henderson, one of the developers, was pleased with
the vote.
"We're looking forward to building a great community for all
to enjoy," he said.
Commissioner John Dailey said the neighbors and developers were
never going to agree. And he wasn't convinced Leon County would
prevail in a lawsuit developers filed after commissioners voted
against it.
"I'm not totally happy," he said. "And I know a lot
of people are not going to be happy with this decision."
The neighbors opposed it mainly because they said there would be
too many homes on too little land. They said the dense development
would be incompatible with the neighborhood. The plan calls for 52
homes on about as many acres.
The developers agreed to meet a number of conditions set by the
county, though many of them were technical and already required
anyway. They did, however, agree to close an entrance on Old St.
Augustine Road once a sister development is built next door and an
entrance is built on Williams Road.
But developers wouldn't budge on the number of home sites.
Margaret Neal, who used to own the land, said she was heartbroken
by the decision. She noted that Old St. Augustine Road used to be the
old route to that historic town. Some worry the development will harm
that rural segment of the canopy road.
"So little of our history is being preserved," she said.
Area residents vow to fight decision in court
Grove project brings two views
Visitors to Miami's landmark Vizcaya Museum would see high-rise condos mixed in with their view of the famous home's gardens if Miami commissioners approve a development.
BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ
mrvasquez@MiamiHerald.com
The view south from Vizcaya's terrace: fountains, elegant gardens and -- someday soon, perhaps -- three condo towers rising as high as 410 feet.
That last part may come as a surprise. But if Miami city commissioners approve a controversial development plan, the wedding parties, quinceańera photo shoots and hordes of casual visitors who have flocked to Vizcaya for years may notice the National Historic Landmark's view has gone a bit more condo.
A proposed 300-unit luxury condo complex on nearby Mercy Hospital land has steadily moved forward at City Hall.
Which makes some historians and Vizcaya lovers furious.
In dueling artists' renderings, museum backers and the condo developer offer competing visions of the future Vizcaya view. In both drawings, the condo towers are visible, but in the museum's version, the towers appear much larger.
' `Yikes' is my only reaction,'' local historian Paul George said of the museum version. ``Absolutely yikes. . . . Your whole sense of Vizcaya is altered because you've got that thing in your face.''
Vizcaya was the winter residence of American industrialist James Deering from Christmas 1916 until his death in 1925. The home's design mimics that of a centuries-old Italian estate -- 34 decorated rooms of 15th through 19th century antique furnishings combined with expansive gardens that mix both Renaissance Italian and French designs.
Boca Raton-based Ocean Land Investments is partnering with developer Jorge Perez's Related Group to build the nearby condos, which would rise on 6.7 acres of prime waterfront land that has been part of the Mercy Hospital medical campus.
The condos, to be sold at prices ranging from $3 million to $15 million, were controversial even before Vizcaya's recent entry into the debate -- some Coconut Grove residents complain the buildings will dwarf their once-bohemian neighborhood.
DOWNSIZED PLAN
Related Group executive Bill Thompson counters that the project has been downsized to appease the community -- from 1,000 units to 300. Two of the three towers have been reduced in height, with only one still the original 410 feet. Thompson says Vizcaya won't suffer at the hands of his project, and calls the museum's architectural drawing grossly inaccurate.
''Vizcaya is in an urban area,'' Thompson said, like New York's Central Park. The fact that part of a high-rise would be visible from a dip in Vizcaya's tree line wouldn't ruin the experience, he said.
As a neighborly gesture, the company promises to add trees to the museum land that would screen some -- but not all -- of its project, known as 300 Grove Bay Residences.
JUST LIKE BRICKELL
North of Vizcaya, Thompson notes, are the towers of Brickell -- modern buildings, visible from a portion of the museum site, that haven't kept visitors from coming.
Condo opponents call the Brickell comparison irrelevant, saying those towers are farther away. What's at stake now, they say, is one of Vizcaya's signature views -- that overlooking its famed gardens.
The City Commission voted 3-2 last month to tentatively approve a key rezoning sought by the developers.
Before the vote, a Vizcaya trustee had told commissioners that the condos would spell ''disaster'' for the museum -- though there were no architectural drawings available at the time. Trustee Max Blumberg spoke on his own behalf; the Vizcaya board still has not formally decided whether to fight the condos.
MORE SCRUTINY
A final commission vote on the rezoning is scheduled for later this month, although additional city approvals are necessary before shovels can hit the ground.
Since last month's vote, the museum has stepped up its scrutiny considerably. So, too, has Miami-Dade County, the museum's owner.
At the request of County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez, the county attorney's office and planning department are reviewing the condo proposal.
''I just consider it my duty to make sure we protect what I consider the crown jewel of the park system of Miami-Dade County,'' Gimenez said. ``Something that should be preserved for generations.''
Miami Herald staff writer Matthew I. Pinzur contributed to this report.
Growth issues await council hopefuls
Overcrowded schools, traffic problems are concerns in District 6.
Residents of the district, which covers Mandarin and stretches up to Baymeadows and San Jose Boulevard, have successfully fought high-rise condominium and commercial projects in the area and won a temporary moratorium on tall buildings.
But traffic problems persist, and parents have complained about overcrowded schools.
Candidates have heard about the issues on the campaign trail as they contend for the seat that Councilwoman Sharon Copeland is leaving after one term.
Rewriting the city's comprehensive plan is a priority for Charles Hutcherson. He said the plan needs to have "teeth" to keep developers in check and prevent the City Council from easily changing it.
In his professional work for the engineering and planning firm Arcadis US, he's working on a transportation study of the Baymeadows area for the city that's intended to alleviate congestion along the corridor. If elected, he said his experience in planning would allow him to bypass a learning curve and jump into the issues right away.
Sean Reichard said it's time to replace the moratorium with a policy that meets the needs of residents and businesses.
"Mandarin covers a huge region of diverse commercial, industrial, residential, recreation and conservation areas," he said. "No single policy could appropriately serve all of Mandarin."
Jack Webb believes an important component is protecting access to waterways. That was one concern with a condominium and marina project that a developer eventually abandoned.
"The perception was access was slipping away and the community had no [voice]," he said.
People need to realize that the community is not finished growing, he said, and promised to involve residents in developing policies.
beth.kormanik@jacksonville.com (904) 359-4619
By Mike Wright
Nearly two years after a Tampa developer bought the coveted Three Sisters Spring property, a plan has now emerged.
An Ocala engineer representing Three Sisters Spring Holding LLC dropped off plans Friday at Crystal River City Hall for 69 single-family homes and 240 multi-family units on the 54-acre property.
The preliminary plate plan includes a passive recreation area designed to protect the springs, the plans state.
The Crystal River Planning Commission will review the plan at its March 1 meeting. Its recommendation goes to the city council for final approval.
Harvey Goodman sold the property off Kings Bay Drive in March 2005 to Harry “Hal” Flowers and two business partners for $10.5 million.
At that time, Flowers told reporters he hadn’t decided what to do with the property but that residential development seemed like a logical fit.
The property sits near Kings Bay Drive and Cutler Spur.
City planning and community development director Kurt Woerner said the city council must approve the preliminary plat and a final plat.
One potential issue, he said, is traffic concurrency. The city’s comprehensive plan sets levels of service for Kings Bay Drive, Cutler Spur and Fort Island Trail at various intersections.
The Three Sisters development could not increase maximum traffic levels on those roadways without road improvements.
Your home isn't selling? Join the club
As Orlando-area housing glut builds, sales take hammering
Jerry W. JacksonSentinel Staff Writer
February 13, 2007
Spring is still more than a month away, but the for-sale signs are sprouting early this year as home sellers hope to elbow their way into an increasingly crowded field.
For Orlando-area homeowners eager to sell now, the numbers have gotten much worse, and the wait for a sale could be much longer.
Orlando Regional Realtor Association members recorded only 1,314 homes or condos sold in January, making it the weakest month for local agents since January 2002. The number of properties for sale in the core Orlando market rose by 1,729 to a near-record 21,266 -- and at January's slow sales pace, that was the equivalent of a 16.18-month supply.
"That's a lot," said Janice Leckart-Smith, who has sold homes for Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Orlando for 15 years. "If you get an offer that's halfway decent, take it. If you get an offer after three months and don't take it, it may sit another six months."
Local Realtors have not seen this many months' worth of homes on the market since February 1995, when only 649 houses sold and the 10,527 listings at the time equaled 16.22 months' worth of inventory.
And remember: The Realtors' listings don't include thousands of other homes on the market for sale by owner -- houses such as Bobbi-Jo Borges', whose upscale Seminole County pool home has an $859,000 price tag.
Borges said she has been running a classified ad and advertising on Web sites for about a month, after listing the Oviedo home through a Realtor last year. So far, she has had no offers she thinks reasonable.
"Lots of people are looking, but they're just not serious," Borges said. "I'm about to reduce it to $839,000. I'm getting a little impatient."
Buyers' opportunity
Gary Balanoff, vice president of the Orlando Realtors group, said the local resale market for homes is "definitely challenging" for sellers but offers opportunities for buyers.
"It's about as good a time as we've ever seen in terms of availability -- across every price range," said Balanoff, broker-owner for Re/Max Select in Oviedo.
Balanoff said many listings hitting the market in recent weeks are condos or town homes -- a category with more than an 18-month supply at the recent sales pace. Single-family homes account for about 15 months' worth of sales.
"That's still high," he said. It also requires sellers to be flexible with their asking price and attentive to details, he added, because "if you price the home right and it's in good condition, it will sell."
Leckart-Smith said she has sold about $12 million worth of homes in the Orlando area in recent months, partly by focusing on areas she knows very well -- such as the Orwin Manor neighborhood straddling Orlando and Winter Park.
Spring is a prime season for home purchases, but Leckart-Smith recommended that sellers get professional help in "staging" their homes with decorator touches if possible.
The average time a house spends on the market has crept up to 90 days in the Orlando Realtors' core market, which is mainly Orange and Seminole counties but includes spillover sales in neighboring counties. That's the longest wait time since February 2004, when the average was 101 days -- just before the region went on a two-year sales spree.
During 2005, for example, the average amount of time for a home to sell shrank to about 30 days at one point. And for eight of the 12 months that year the core market's inventory was below 6,000 -- or less than a two-month supply at the brisk sales pace of that time.
A six-month inventory of properties for sale is generally the dividing line between a "seller's" and a "buyer's" market, while 60 to 70 days on the market for the average existing-home listing is considered a comfortable range.
The local Realtors' January report noted that there were 3,648 condos for sale through their Multiple Listing Service, up 12.7 percent from December. Duplexes, town homes and villas accounted for 1,848 units, up 12.1 percent, while single-family homes totaled 15,770, up 7.6 percent.
Condo sales in January were off 47 percent from the same month a year ago, and association members said that's good for renters because units that remain unsold are likely to be leased to tenants.
The median price for all types of homes and condos held relatively steady in January at $249,700. That was up 3.6 percent from January 2006 but about even with the median reported for each of the previous nine months.
The total number of homes sold in January -- 1,314 -- was off by 31.46 percent, the biggest percentage drop since at least the end of 1994.
Balanoff said the average 30-year conventional mortgage rate of 5.91 percent in January was still low by historical standards, another plus for buyers in the market.
Builders dangle incentives
But the competition is intense between existing-home sales and the many new-but-empty homes marketed by builders, he said, and builders generally have more incentives to entice wavering buyers.
For people trying to sell a used home, he said, "You have to compete not only with your neighborhood but [with] the new-home neighborhood down the road."
Jerry W. Jackson can be reached at jwjackson@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5721.
Family Shows Value of Preservation
If this island had belonged to another family, bass fishermen on Lake Kissimmee would have been floating by condominiums by now.Instead, Brama Island's most visible inhabitants are bald eagles.
The island, which is mistakenly called Brahma Island on most maps, has been owned by the Lightsey family continuously since 1948, though a descendant owned the island for a time in the late 19th century.
Cary Lightsey said the name likely derives from a family of one of the previous owners and predates the introduction of Brahman cattle to Florida from India via Texas in the early 1900s.
Zachary Taylor stopped here in 1837 during the Second Seminole War and dubbed it Paradise Island.
The island's size, depending on whose estimate you use - the state's or the Lightseys' - is between 1,000 acres and 2,800 acres, the difference being on the amount of land considered lake bottom added or subtracted from the total.
The Lightseys have a cabin nestled within the island's extensive oak hammock. Besides the cabin, there is not much else besides roads and fences in the way of improvements.
That's pretty much the way it will remain, thanks to the Lightsey family's agreement in 2003 to put the island in a conservation easement by selling their development rights to the state for $3 million.
Cary Lightsey said the deal will allow his family to keep the property in their family and tocontinue the ranching tradition that has sustained them for seven generations.
If you want to understand the importance of this transaction, look at a map of the interior of peninsular Florida.
For one thing, Brama Island is undoubtedly prime real estate.
There are few large islands in any of Florida's lakes with enough high ground to support substantial development.
How many of Florida's 4,500 islands larger than 10 acres are in fresh water instead of salt water is hard to tell. State environmental officials told me they don't keep track of such things.
What is clear that Brama Island is among the largest noncoastal islands in Florida. In size, it rivals 1,870-acre Drayton Island on Lake George, which does contain more than 20 homes.
Brama Island is certainly larger than any of the other islands on local lakes.
Bannon Island on Lake Marion covers 24 acres.
Makinson Island, formerly known as Cypress Island, on Lake Tohopekaliga covers 132 acres.
Most of the rest of the "islands" marked on maps appear and disappear with the rising and falling of water levels.
For instance, Kreamer, Ritta and Torey islands in Lake Okeechobee have a total calculated acreage of 4,150 acres in dry periods when the lake level sits at 12 feet above sea level, but shrink to 440 acres when the lake rises to 16 feet. When the lake tops 18 feet, there's no dry land left there.
The other important thing to know about Brama Island is its place in the regional ecosystem.
That fact was the subject of a recent gathering at the island organized by a group in Tallahassee called the Florida Endangered Species Network.
Biologists explained the need to prevent fragmentation of habitat for the large number of imperiled species that live in Florida, which is one of the hot spots in the United States for rare and endangered species.
They talked about the critical role that large private tracts, typically cattle ranches, play in providing habitat for these species in Central Florida.
Further, they talked about how this particular piece of property fits into a regional corridor that connects ecosystems as diverse as the Kissimmee River Valley and the Lake Wales Ridge.
Finally, they talked about the value of working with ranchers and other owners of large tracts of land to protect species and a livelihood that contributes to the local economy and to the preservation of Florida's heritage.
The Lightseys used this media event to try to get the message out to their friends and neighbors in the farm community that there was value in the path they had chosen.
"I don't know why more people aren't doing this," Cary Lightsey said.
One interesting aspect of this event was that it showed how much the politics of wildlife protection has changed in the time I've been writing about environmental issues.
A joint presentation by environmental and agricultural representatives would have been nearly unthinkable 20 years ago.
Neither side trusted the other, especially on the fringes of both factions. Some farmers thought the environmentalists, in league with the government, were trying to steal their land. Some environmentalists thought the farmers were vulgarians who wanted to chop down the trees and to poison the rivers.
Fortunately, some cooler heads encouraged dialogue and once the two groups got to know each other, they realized they had more to agree on than to argue about.
The simple fact is that it's not practical, desirable or necessary for the government to own every swath of environmentally important land in Florida.
Conservation easements can play an important role in protecting rare species and family farms.
Brama Island is a good example of how it works when it's done right.
Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com or 863-802-7535
Biodiesel gets a
foothold in Marion
"We started using biodiesel, and we've seen trucks run quieter. They have more torque, less maintenance," said Mickey Thomason, Central Region Manager for the Office of Greenways and Trails in Ocala.
The downside? "Fuel economy is not so good and there are some water control issues in the locks," Thomason said.
B100, pure biodiesel, arrives in large plastic crates called totes delivered by Freedom Fuels in Gainesville.
Thomason measures out 5 gallons to top off a tank of regular diesel. He is essentially creating a blend, 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum. This is the performance blend recommended by the Energy Information Administration, a branch of the Department of Energy.
"One good thing, if any drips on the ground it is cooking oil so it doesn't hurt the environment," Thomason said as he watched the meter. Ten Greenway trucks in this local office are using biodiesel.
"What we need to see next are pumps locally," Thomason said. "We need to develop more alternatives regionally and do whatever can be done to make it compatible and competitive. Using alternative fuel is good for the environment and reduces our dependence on oil from the Middle East."
The Florida Energy Office Web site, citing the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture, cited biodiesel as yielding 280 percent more energy than petroleum diesel fuel while producing 47 percent fewer exhaust emissions.
Plus, biodiesel doesn't ignite as easily as petroleum diesel. It is as harmless as table salt and as biodegradable as sugar.
"Right now if you are using biodiesel you are either mad at the petroleum industry or saying, 'Hey, we need to be more socially conscious,'Ę" said Mark Robinson, co-founder of Freedom Fuels in Gainesville. "There is no war required to use biodiesel. Young people are not fighting to keep oil flowing."
Roger Walters, fleet manager director for Marion County, is close to adding biodiesel to some vehicles.
"We are dead on it. We are going after it. We are looking at using biodiesel. Once we get it, we'll start off light and get the proper stuff," Walters said.
One of the drawbacks, according to Thomason, is the lack of regional facilities to service fleets of vehicles, let alone the general public.
"We're trying not to make a bad jump. There are so many things on the market," Walters said. "The problem is getting the proper stuff [the B20 blend, 20 percent biodiesel, 80 percent petroleum diesel]. Our best option is to buy direct from the ports and have our supplier bring it to us. They are outfitting some trucks now."
Walters wants to start off light because there is an adjustment period. Filters must be changed. Rubber seals on older cars are corroded by biodiesel.
Biodiesel is produced from domestic, renewable resources including any fat or oil such as soybean oil. It is the only alternative fuel to fully comply with the health requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.
The National Biodiesel Board tracks sales volume in the United States: 500,000 gallons were sold in 1999 rising to 75 million gallons in 2005.
"Biodiesel is not cost effective in Florida at this time. Maybe in a year or two," said William Stephenson, deputy fleet director for the city of Ocala.
"We are looking at ultra low sulfur diesel for our fleet, and doing a feasibility study on budgeting for some electric vehicles for certain jobs like the downtown meter person," Stephenson said. "Alternative fuel and alternative vehicles are a great idea, but it has to be cost effective."
Stephenson said the electric vehicles could be cost effective for certain situations, such as a patrol officer on a school campus or a downtown meter monitor.
"We will most certainly put the request in next year's budget," he said.
Great alternative fuel and vehicle ideas are not yet cost effective across the board, but can you say fun?
City of Ocala Councilman Charles Ruse Jr. can. He bought an electric car a year ago and drives it to work every day.
"It's street legal. Has plates. A new classification called NEV [Neighborhood Electric Vehicle]," Ruse said.
His model is a two-seater Gem. "It's totally electric. Can go up to 35 mph. I live two miles from my office [Ruse is an attorney] and can be there almost as fast or faster than regular driving. It turns on a dime. I like to buzz down to the square."
And is it cost effective? "I don't know. I plug it in to charge it," Ruse said. "It is a great little car."
The Web site for all things biodiesel: www.biodiesel.org.
Pollution questions hound garbage plant
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
FORT PIERCE — St. Lucie County may set its own set of pollution standards, stricter than the state's, that a company must meet while operating a plant to vaporize garbage at the local landfill, county commissioners said Monday.
The discussion came amid one commissioner's skepticism about Geoplasma LLC's environmental claims and the company's admission that it has no data from a similar plant in Japan to show what pollution the local plant will produce.
"This project's environmental benefits are being over-sold," County Commissioner Doug Coward said. "I've been told twice less mercury will be released into the air than from the landfill, but now we hear nobody knows how much mercury it releases.
"Let's stick to the facts."
Geoplasma hopes to build a $420 million plant that eventually will process 3,000 tons of solid waste a day at the landfill by heating it to 10,000 degrees and pulling the molecules apart, instead of merely burning it.
Japan's municipal waste differs from St. Lucie's and would produce different emissions, officials said.
"Our data is based on St. Lucie's municipal solid waste and the projected emissions," Geoplasma President Hilburn Hallestad said.
The idea of setting standards in a contract came from consultants who said they still have not received information they requested about operation of a plasma arc plant that vaporizes municipal waste in Japan.
Geoplasma officials previously said the information is unavailable for competitive reasons, but they admitted Monday that Japanese data differ from what can be expected here.
St. Lucie County commissioners spent nearly five hours Monday reviewing the project's finances, environmental impacts and proposed contract.
The county will bear no responsibility for the plant's cost but probably will reduce property taxes for the first few years and give the company a job growth incentive grant for creating jobs here.
Geoplasma officials said they expect to create 57 to 70 jobs that pay an average wage of $22 an hour.
St. Lucie County has endorsed an industrial development bond issue so Geoplasma can get tax-exempt financing, but won't be responsible if the company fails to the pay the debt.
Geoplasma officials made a major concession in the contract by removing a "put or pay provision." That would have required the county to pay Geoplasma if local haulers did not provide the 3,000 tons per day of solid waste.
Commissioner Charles Grande objected at an earlier meeting that Geoplasma should share the risk, not just expect the county to pay.
The company wants a guaranteed amount of garbage because it hopes to sell electricity and steam produced at the plant.
Instead of the "put or pay" provision, the county will agree that solid waste can be brought from outside the county if necessary.
But first the company will have to start processing garbage already baled and buried in the landfill.
Lawyers will revise the proposed contract before a final document is presented for the commission's approval.
Panel wants diverse opinions for vision of Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH -- Members of a committee
charged with drawing up a vision for the future of the city talked
Monday about putting their arms around everyone in a search for
viewpoints.
Young, old, black, white, single, married, businesses, nonprofits,
new residents, old residents, seasonal residents should be included,
Vision Steering Committee members said as they talked about setting up a
stakeholder group to hear from as many people as possible.
"I want to hear from people who haven't been involved in any
way, shape or form" but were fired up by the last vision process,
said Tracey Remark, a former city commissioner and member of the
committee.
Fourteen of 15 members of the Vision Steering Committee attended
Monday's meeting, with an audience of roughly 70 people, to revive a
stalled effort to develop a blueprint for the city's future.
Public opposition persuaded the City Commission to reject a vision
plan developed last year because of its call for higher density citywide
and little protection for historic properties.
The process has been costly. Taxpayers paid $200,000 to a New Jersey
consultant for last year's failed effort. Performance Consulting will
get up to $110,000 to help with this year's renewed effort.
"I see this as a new beginning," said Anne Yordon, a
committee member. "People are starting to come out, not because
they have a gripe, but because they have a vision."
Gerald Chester, executive director of the Central Florida Community
Development Association, was one of the committee members who talked
about developing a vision that translates into action.
"I don't want to be part of something that gathers dust on a
shelf," he said.
Several committee members said they hope the vision would unite a
divided city.
"I've lived here all my life and I've never seen a community so
divided as we have been in the last 15 years," said Dave Lamotte, a
committee member and manager of Salty Dog Surf Shop.
The Vision Steering Committee's next regular meeting is March 12. The
committee is expected to finish its work by the end of the year.
Missing The Train
Published: Feb 13, 2007
TAMPA - There's plenty of enthusiasm for rail these days, but getting even the simplest system built in Tampa will take a monumental effort and be at least a decade in the making.
Federal money is limited, and dozens of cities are ahead of Tampa in the quest for rail money.
In addition, local governments that typically don't get along must unite behind a single plan that in all likelihood will hinge on a significant amount of local tax money to succeed.
Without each of those components, the region is doomed to repeat the failures of past years, when a fractious effort to land federal money went down in flames.
"Unless we all start talking about a true cooperative approach to transit, I think we are hurtling toward another big disappointment," said Shawn Harrison, a Tampa councilman and chairman of Hillsborough County's Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Even if the city and county agree on a plan, there will be years of waiting for federal money.
The first step will be to get in line at the Federal Transit Administration, the agency that allocates New Starts Program funding to rail projects nationwide.
Competition for those dollars is fierce. The funding pool for New Starts, although growing - $5.4 billion in 2007 versus $4.9 billion a year ago - is not keeping pace with requests from cities and transit agencies across the country.
"The FTA is adding more money, but the backlog is very deep. It can't keep up," said Art Guzzetti, policy director at the American Public Transportation Association, an advocacy group in Washington. "Communities are finding that they're running out of room for rights of way, and they're looking around and seeing that rail works."
As a result, projects are scrutinized closely, and cities and agencies wait years before hearing whether projects are approved.
Those approvals don't pack the financial bang they once did. Twenty years ago, the government paid up to 80 percent of construction costs for local rail initiatives. In most cases today, it's a 50-50 match.
The transit administration had only a handful of applications to pore over 20 years ago, when rail talk in Tampa was in its infancy. That's vastly different from the nearly 100 projects in the FTA pipeline now awaiting determination.
Of the projects in line, about 25 will get money, transit administration spokesman Paul Griffo said. The most money awarded to a single project generally tops out at $500 million, far less than what the city hoped to get the last time around for a system projected to cost $1.5 billion to build.
Just getting onto the transit administration's list of eligible projects can take a couple of years. Then it's two to six years of planning and engineering before the agency cuts its first check for construction.
Mayor, County Working On Plans
Tampa and Hillsborough County need to unite behind a plan before pursuing federal funding, and so far there are few signs that will happen.
County commissioners are figuring out whether they want a rail system, more buses and roads, or a combination of all three. They formed a task force three weeks ago to come up with transit options. Its recommendations are due in six months.
Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio isn't waiting to get started. She wants to build a rail system based on a six-year-old plan created by Hillsborough Area Regional Transit.
In September, the mayor asked the county's Metropolitan Planning Organization, composed of city and county leaders, to re-examine the HART proposal, called the Tampa Rail Plan.
That plan would have had passengers zipping along a light rail system connecting downtown with the University of South Florida, West Shore and Tampa International Airport.
Adding to that plan, the mayor wants possible extensions to St. Petersburg, Lakeland, Brooksville and Bradenton.
The planning organization is set to start working in about a week and take about a year. At the end, the mayor will know which details of the HART plan are applicable today and whether further analysis is needed.
If the study is complete, she can begin the process of applying for federal money, assuming the regional lines come later.
But before doing that, she'll need support from enough county commissioners to put the local funding question to voters. County voters would be asked whether they want to pay a higher tax, likely a half-cent sales tax, to build and maintain the system.
This was where HART's quest for federal money derailed the last time. A majority of commissioners did not support a voter referendum to raise local tax dollars, and because no action was taken the Federal Transit Administration dropped HART's funding request in 2005.
First Try Went Down In Flames
The decision was a rebuke to HART and signaled a dramatic shift in the local political climate from the time the transit agency started developing its rail plan in the mid-1990s to the time that plan was submitted to the transit administration in 2001.
"There was a lot of heated debate, some of which got personal," said Scott Paine, an associate professor of political science at the University of Tampa and a former Tampa councilman. "The argument was that it was too expensive, nobody will ride it, and it won't work."
Opponents charged that the local matching tax dollars were based on optimistic assumptions that New Starts would shoulder at least half of the $1.5 billion total cost. They wanted assurance about the transit administration's commitment before asking local voters to step up.
Supporters countered that the transit administration wouldn't cut a check until the local funding question was resolved.
There were other arguments, too, chiefly that HART's system provided no benefit to commuters outside the city limits, and that any rail plan should begin from a regional perspective that includes unincorporated Hillsborough, and Pinellas and Polk counties.
Supporters, however, said it made better sense to establish a system where it would get the most use. A regional plan could come later.
"There was a lot of posturing by opponents as well as advocates," Paine said.
Phoenix, which broke ground two years ago on a 20-mile rail system between Mesa and Tempe, took a different approach from Tampa's when it went knocking on the transit administration's door.
The city and its suburban counterparts decided to marry city interests with those of Mesa and Tempe before applying for federal money. In effect, they quelled local and regional sparring before it started.
By the time the cities brought the funding question to voters in the form of a sales tax referendum in 2000, "there had already been a lot of cooperation up front, in just having this vision put to the voters," said Marty McNeil, spokeswoman for Valley Metro Rail in Arizona.
Three years after that referendum, the transit administration approved the Phoenix plan, and two years later ground was broken. The transit administration is giving Phoenix $587 million; locally, $765 million is being funded by a sales tax.
The first trains are expected to start rolling late next year.
In contrast, HART didn't resolve the question of local funding when it submitted its application in 2001 or in subsequent years when the transit administration was considering its proposal. Opponents on the county commission wouldn't let that happen. They were successful in ensuring the question was never put to voters.
Suburbs Must Get On Board
Five years ago, HART estimated the local taxpayer share at $750 million. County commissioners see that as a huge sum, particularly for suburban commuters who might not ride the system.
That makes the mayor's plan a hard sell without some routes providing access to the suburbs, said Commissioner Brian Blair, a former member of HART's board of directors.
"I couldn't vote to give one community all the benefits of a large sum of money at the expense of other communities. And you're talking a lot of money," he said.
And if suburban voters won't back it, Blair said, he will have a tough time asking them to pay for it.
"It's extremely important that folks in Apollo Beach, Wimauma, Sun City Center, Town 'N Country and Carrollwood see some type of benefit if it's going be voted upon to help the constituents of Hillsborough County," he said.
Blair backs the concept of connecting the city and suburbs. The county task force studying transit options supports that idea, too.
And Harrison, chairman of Hillsborough's Metropolitan Planning Organization, supports a system that combines city-suburban interests.
"It's just a nonstarter for us to keep talking about new taxes for mass transit in the city of Tampa when it's got to be approved by the county commission to go to a referendum," he said. "That does not mean this is dead on arrival, but you have to be smart in how you approach this."
Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com.
Work In Progress
SALT LAKE CITY AREA
Opening: 2008
Project length: 44 miles (commuter rail)
FTA funding: $489 million
Local match: $122 million
DENVER
Opened: 2006
Project length: 19 miles (light rail)
FTA funding: $525 million
Local match: $354 million
PORTLAND
Opening: 2009
Project length: 8.3 miles (light rail)
FTA funding: $334 million
Local match: $223 million
PHOENIX
Opening: 2008
Project length: 19.6 miles (light rail)
FTA funding: $587.2 million
Local match: $765 million
PITTSBURGH
Opening: 2011
Project length: Two 1.2-mile tunnels (light rail)
FTA funding: $254 million
Local match: $87 million (includes $72.5 million from state)
DALLAS
Opening: 2010
Project length: 21 miles (light rail)
FTA funding: $700 million
Local match: $706 million
Leave Wal-Mart to Spring Lake
St. Petersburg Times Letters to the Editor Published February 13, 2007
Re: Wal-Mart, other forces are bad fits Jan. 31 letter to the editor
I would ask letter writers Doug and Holly Sheffield what's wrong with new development in the Spring Hill community? As a Spring Lake resident, I've read numerous letters to the editor about how the proposed Hickory Hill housing development will benefit our community. I find that the majority of the letters in favor of the proposed development are from readers who don't even live in the Spring Lake community, e.g., Spring Hill, Wesley Chapel, etc.
Think of all the benefits that a new Wal-Mart will bring. Residents living nearby won't have to drive their cars, and can simply walk across the street, thus saving gas. The crime rate will probably go down in your area because of the lights from the parking lots. And, finally, when you need that new golf club or new golf balls, you can drive your cart from the course to that new Wal-Mart.
All joking aside, I believe we will agree that the residents living in the area should have a voice as to future developments that effect their community -without outside opinions.
Lori Lee, Brooksville
How much water will we sacrifice?
I have been reading all letters to the editor pertaining to the proposed Hickory Hill project and I am confused about which side is presenting the straight facts about the impact that a community this size would have on Hernando County.
It seems to me that the Southwest Florida Water Management District, with all its warnings about the dangerously low levels of our water supplies, should be the key figure in the disallowance of the Hickory Hill project. What, if any, is its input to this confounded dilemma?
How much more are we to cut back on our vital consumption of this precious water supply? Lawns and landscaping be darned; if necessary we can live without them. It's the living beings who need to survive.
Come on, Hernando County residents, let your voices be heard!
Dick Smith, Spring Hill
City gives eastside Wal-Mart final OK After years of debate, a Wal-Mart Supercenter has cleared all the approvals required by the Gainesville City Commission and could open by the end of the year.Without any discussion, Gainesville city commissioners gave unanimous final approval to a plan that would bend NE 12th Avenue to the south to accommodate the proposed 206,000-square-foot supercenter, which would be located off Waldo Road. With the unanimous vote, Wal-Mart can now build a supercenter.
"Awesome," Commissioner Rick Bryant said as the vote was finished.
Construction on the Wal-Mart could begin by the end of March and it could be open in time for Christmas shopping, said Gainesville attorney Ron Carpenter, who is representing the Bentonville, Ark., retailer.
Commissioners and residents have been largely supportive of the supercenter proposal and have said they hope the store will bring more retail to the east side. The eastside store is the fourth Wal-Mart Supercenter the City Commission has considered in recent years and thus far the only one approved.
The first two proposals would have put the store at the corner of NW 53rd Avenue and U.S. 441. Commissioners rejected that plan because of environmental concerns about the headwaters of Hogtown Creek, which are on the site. A Home Depot is now being constructed on the site and part of the land is being set aside for conservation.
A third proposal, by former City Manager Wayne Bowers, would have swapped the city's Northside Park to Wal-Mart in exchange for the 92-acre NW 53rd Avenue property. The 32-acre park would have been used as the site of the supercenter while the other site could have been preserved. Commissioners rejected that idea.
"Wal-Mart is just excited to work with the east Gainesville community," said Quenta Vettel, a local Wal-Mart spokeswoman.
Jeff Adelson can be reached at (352) 374-5095 or adelsoj@gvillesun.com
Berry bad news for farmer
By MORGAN C. MOELLERmmoeller@hernandotoday.com
For most people, the weather is nothing more than a conversation starter — some small talk when you run out of things to say. But for Dan Ebbecke, the weather dictates his ability to make a living. For the blueberry farmer, warm weather means his blueberries ripen faster. A cold night means staying up until 2 a.m. to safeguard his crop. And a hard freeze can mean losing the berries — and his income — for the entire season.
So Ebbecke checks the weather at least three times a day, closely monitoring Mother Nature’s moods.
This year, what he’s seen is a bit unusual.
In Tampa Bay, the month of January tied record high temperatures of 83 degrees, the likes of which haven’t been felt since 1991, said John McMichael, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Ruskin.
Walking through his 11 acres of blueberry bushes, Ebbecke can see evidence of the unseasonably warm weather. Where small white flowers should be hanging, blueberries are already turning from green to violet.
The bushes shouldn’t have started flowering until last week. This year, they started flowering in early January.
“We’re three weeks to one month ahead (of season),” Ebbecke said.
That means crops that should be coming in the first week of April could come in sooner — and that’s not a good thing.
Florida blueberry farmers try to time their crops to fall strategically between the blueberry seasons to the south in South America and to the north in Georgia, said Dr. Stacy Strickland, regional special extension agent for the agricultural extension office. To get the best prices, they need to come in strong after the South American crop supplies peter out, but finish before the Georgia crop starts putting out berries. If there’s any overlap, the market tends to be saturated.
“If Chile comes in late and Georgia comes in early, it would push down our prices,” Ebbecke said.
Now he’s playing a waiting game.
If there are normal, cool temperatures in February and March, the blueberries aren’t likely to come in too early, Ebbecke said. In fact, if that’s the case, his plants could produce better quality berries because of the extended ripening period.
But the further along the ripening fruit is, the more at risk it is during a late-season freeze.
So if there’s a hard freeze that Ebbecke’s freeze protection systems can’t beat, he could lose his whole crop.
The National Weather Service gives him a 50-50 chance.
“For the next 90 days the temperature has an equal chance of being above or below normal” for the Southeastern United States, McMichael said.
Ebbecke’s trying to stay positive.
“I don’t think it’s going to be super early,” he said. “I think it’s going to be close to on time.”
On Thursday bees buzzed about in the mid-morning light pollinating the tiny white flowers that still hung from some of the bushes. Ebbecke fingered a bunch of berries.
“Oh yeah, they’re gonna be big, fat berries,” he said. “I can tell by looking at them.”
But high-quality blueberries — even coupled with high demand — won’t ensure Ebbecke and other local farmers a high price for their fruit.
Blueberry farming has become such a burgeoning business that supply may soon outweigh demand, Ebbecke said.
“The demand is growing, but the supply is outgrowing the demand,” Ebbecke said.
There was a time Ebbecke could get $40 per flat, or 3.5 pounds of berries. This season, he’s hoping to make $18 a flat. But last year he didn’t even get that.
And he’s not the only one suffering. Other Hernando County farmers are feeling the same pressures as competition throughout Florida and Latin American countries grows.
Larry Davis, owner of Spring Lake Blueberries, said Chilean farmers are planting blueberry varieties that allow them to elongate their season. He’s also heard that people are starting to grow the berries in Mexico.
Davis, who’s been in the business for about six years, said he’s seen his returns drop dramatically.
In 2005, a flat sold for an average of $25. Last year, flats sold for an average of just more than $15. Like Ebbecke, he’s hoping to at least make $18 per flat this year.
“I still made a heck of a lot better money than I would going to work for somebody,” Davis said. “Now if it gets down to $12 a flat … then that’s going to put a little different picture on things. Then there’s not going to be a whole lot of money to be made.”
Ebbecke knows he can’t survive as a blueberry farmer with just 11.5 acres in production. “I would have been happy to stay a niche farmer,” he said. “But I recognize that if you don’t get big you have to get out. The golden days are over. We’re in the silver years, and soon it will be bronze.”
So he’s getting big — or at least bigger. He’s expanding his farm from 11 acres to 31.
Davis knows he has to do something, too. But he doesn’t have the room to expand. So he’s trying to get more efficient instead.
“Once you reach one more berry than what’s out there for demand, you’re going to see a drop in the price no doubt about it,” he said.
Reporter Morgan Moeller can be contacted at 352-544-5229.
Remove waterfront dwellings, build lower-risk insurance pool
JAMES PETTICANPublished St. Petersburg times February 13, 2007
Politicians proclaim and experts expound on the high cost of homeowners insurance, and as the babble goes on, the rates get even higher.
Our high rates are not the problem. The real problem is too much insurance and too many people being fiscally sheltered by others.
All we need to do is eliminate all insurance for structures built too close to the beach (experts would work out the actual distance) and structures built on or near floodplains of lakes or rivers.
That way, those of us sensible enough and, perhaps, unimaginative enough, to build on high, dry land would not have to subsidize, through higher rates, those who build "sand castles" because the view is just "so beautiful."
Everyone would still be free to build on or close to beaches or floodplains but would have to supply evidence of sufficient personal worth to enable them to self-insure.
They might post a bond with the state or county or use other means to guarantee their post-hurricane solvency.
That would relieve the state of any responsibility to clean up their mess at government expense.
Meanwhile, the rest of us could enjoy lower rates because high-risk property would no longer be on insurance company ledgers.
No, we don't get to see the sunset over the bay or gulf from our homes, although we can by driving there now and then.
Meanwhile, we sleep better at night, knowing that those who like to take risks are still free to do so but not at our expense.
All of us would, of course, still have to contend with wind and rain, but not with flooding and storm surges.
We might need earplugs for a while to drown out the protests of the waterside dwellers, but eventually, common sense would prevail.
Sounds good to me.
Retired journalist James Pettican lives in Palm Harbor. Guest columnists write their own views on subjects they choose, which do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper
Developer Wants Mired Trump Tower
Published: Feb 13, 2007
TAMPA - Facing $3.3 million in construction liens, the stalled Trump Tower Tampa may have a new suitor with experience in the Trump brand of condominiums.
Donald Trump, who has repeatedly expressed frustration at the lack of progress at the riverfront site, is encouraging the acquisition and says the new company can turn the project around.
The Related Group, the Miami-based developer building three Trump projects in South Florida, wants to buy the development rights to the 52-story riverfront project at 111 S. Ashley Drive, Trump said by telephone Monday.
"Out of my 70-plus developments, this one in Tampa is the only one not moving," said Trump, who sold the naming rights for the tower to a local developer. "But I think it will be successful in the end. I'd like to see it be a great success."
Trump Tower Tampa was announced more than two years ago and quickly generated a waiting list for reservations to purchase, but Tampa-based SimDag LLC has struggled to get it off the ground. Plagued by rising construction costs, problems with unstable ground, and trouble lining up financing, SimDag in November sold the $260 million project to Mirabilis Ventures LLC, an Orlando-based private equity firm. SimDag remained as a partner.
Trump had tried for months to buy out the project but was outbid by Mirabilis. He said Monday that the Orlando company may choose to partner with the South Florida developer or may decide to go it alone.
Representatives for SimDag and Mirabilis did not return phone calls. The Related Group declined to comment.
The Related Group is building Trump Towers in Sunny Isles Beach and plans to break ground this spring on Trump Hollywood in Hollywood, Fla. Trump said he is working with the company to build an additional condo tower in West Palm Beach.
David Hooks, spokesman for Trump Tower Tampa, confirmed that "discussions are under way this week among SimDag, Mirabilis, Related and the Trump Organization."
"We need to settle the ownership issue before moving forward with the next step," Hooks said. "The new development program is being finalized."
As for the liens, Hooks said, "those are all going to be satisfied."
Meanwhile, the project is being rebid to subcontractors, and some companies who already completed work say they haven't been paid.
Henry Lewis, president of the City Blue Print in Tampa, said SimDag hasn't paid him since June. Lewis said his company printed construction plans on Trump Tower as well as two other SimDag projects, Plaza Channelside and Antigua Bay in Clearwater.
Mirabilis also acquired the Antigua Bay project in November, and representatives said then that plans were under way to purchase seven to nine more of SimDag's luxury condo projects.
Lewis says SimDag owes him $32,000.
"This has been going on for a long time, and we're tired," Lewis said. "I call and they don't call back, and when I do talk to them, they always have a different story."
While Lewis is waiting to get paid, the developers are already ordering work from another blueprint company. Cory Deermont, vice president of Tampa Reprographics & Supply, said his company received an order from SimDag late last week to print 75 copies of the new construction plans.
Deermont said he was told the project would be rebid. "Costs have gone up, so I don't think they can hold contractors to old prices," Deermont said, noting that he has always been paid promptly by SimDag. .
The first general contractor for the Trump project, Dallas-based Turner Construction Co., was dismissed in April and filed a $1.2 million lien against the property two months later. Case Atlantic Co., which installed foundational support pillars on the property, filed a $1.9 million lien in October and two smaller contractors, Finke Bros. and L.R. Penny & Associates, filed liens of $97,000 and $2,500 respectively in January.
"I had to file to protect my rights," said Rodney Finke, co-owner of the site preparation company. "I hope they'll get their act together, take care of whatever problems they have and pay us."
Finke said he has been paid for work he's doing on other SimDag projects, but Lauren Penny, owner of the survey company, said that company hasn't.
Penny said a lien is also being filed against Antigua Bay in Clearwater. Payment for work on both projects is more than 90 days late, Penny said.
"We've done a lot of work for [SimDag] and they're terrific," Penny said. "I feel terrible, but the situation is at such a point I had to file to protect myself."
Construction deadlines have been pushed back multiple times. The last completion date, announced in October, is mid-2009.
In the past two years, SimDag has parted ways with two contractors and passed on at least $40 million in construction increases to buyers with reservations to purchase units. Condos originally sold for $700,000 to more than $6 million.
Rebidding the project now raises questions about how much more it will cost developers to build the tower. Some Trump buyers have been asked to pay tens of thousands more to offset rising costs. Some paid; others dropped out.
Now that most purchase agreements have been converted to hard contracts, those prices can't be changed.
Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804 or sbehnken@tampatrib.com.
Crist proposes advocate for endangered panthers
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published February 12, 2007
NAPLES - Gov. Charlie Crist wants to hire an advocate to manage an increasing number of complaints about run-ins between people and the rebounding population of the endangered Florida panther.
Crist's budget proposal unveiled Feb. 2 includes about $231,000 for a state panther campaign, including a $37,567 salary and a $26,211 vehicle for a panther advocate. The Legislature must approve the position.
In recent years, panthers have rebounded from the brink of extinction, from roughly 30 to about 100 on the southwestern edge of the Everglades.
But the big cats have been blamed for killing emus from a zoo and goats and dogs from rural back yards. Documented panther attacks on livestock jumped from two in 2004 to six in 2006. Biologists also are reporting more panther deaths on Florida highways.
Warnings about keeping children close after dark and caging livestock have triggered concern in fast-growing southwest Florida, where development is pushing up against the panthers' remaining 2.5-million acres of habitat.
Residents "are quite understandably concerned," said Layne Hamilton, manager of the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuges in eastern Collier County.
"We have a lot of new people moving into t