Developer gets green light on long-delayed plan
By DAN DEWITT
Published January 11, 2007
BROOKSVILLE - Gary Schraut has received permission to build the subdivision he first proposed nearly a year ago, a 184-lot "rural cluster" development on hay fields and woods in northern Hernando County.
Only one commissioner, Diane Rowden, objected to the plan, but she objected strongly, saying the clusters are just another name for placing dense development in the countryside.
"I think this opens up rural areas to urban sprawl," she said. "It's going to put us in a position where it will be very hard to deny proposals on other properties."
The County Commission had earlier approved adding a policy to the comprehensive plan allowing such developments in rural areas; the commission had also approved a cluster for 184 acres on County Road 491 that Schraut owns with a group of investors.
On Wednesday, it approved a comprehensive plan change to allow clustered development on an adjacent 251-acre parcel, which Schraut said will allow him to do what the new policy intends: conserve land.
Last year, he proposed the clusters as an alternative to the 10-acre parcels typically allowed in rural areas. The new policy allows denser development: For example he may now create 184 lots on his 435 acres, rather than 43. But each lot may cover only 1 acre, leaving about half the property undisturbed.
Having 435 acres to work with rather than 184, Schraut said, he will be able to move the houses farther back from the highway and preserve more than half the woods on the north side of the property that abuts the Citrus Tract of the Withlacoochee State Forest.
The state Department of Community Affairs, which reviews changes to local comprehensive plans, had earlier offered a long list of objections to the county's approval of the rural clusters. These were answered, in part, by changing the standards that would allow properties to qualify.
Answering Rowden's concerns that this pattern will spread, Schraut said after the meeting that he did not know of any other property in the county that meets the revised criteria for rural clusters.
* * *
In an unrelated action, the commission approved a 44-lot subdivision just east of Silverthorn, but without the access to the subdivision by golf cart that the developers had sought.
Don Lacey of Coastal Engineering Associates in Brooksville assured the commission this access would be minimal - a 15-foot-wide lane for "golf carts, not cars, and only for residents who are members of the Silverthorn golf course."
Residents didn't see it that way, calling the proposed cart path an "intrusion" and a "security breech."
"A 15-foot-wide cart path - that's a street," said one Silverthorn resident, Sandy Potter. She and other residents worried that the 40 acre property to the south would also be developed, meaning another subdivision would eventually have access to their community.
Lacey said after the meeting that the developer, Silverthorn Hills LLC, would continue with plans to build the project. The commission's action, however, made selling golf course memberships more difficult because residents of the new project will have to drive north on Jumper Loop and the south on Barclay Avenue to reach the course.
Dan DeWitt can be reached at dewitt@sptimes.com or 352 754-6116.
Developer plans 999 homes in Charlotte
BY ZAC ANDERSON
The proposed development would bring the total number of homes slated for Burnt Store to more than 4,000 within the next several years.
The homes are spread out among a handful of major projects, the largest being Lennar Communities' 1,400-home Tern Bay development. Tern Bay sits directly across the street from the land Bonita Bay wants to develop.
Bonita Bay is the first major developer to propose a project in Charlotte County in months, but the soft real estate market means opportunity to Regional Vice President Kitty Green.
"Our plan has been to get ready during this market downturn," Green said. "We want to have the permitting done and everything ready to go when the market begins to pick up."
Green's company led a group of developers who pressed Charlotte County in 2005 to allow higher-density communities in the rural Burnt Store region.
As a result, Charlotte County adopted the Burnt Store Area Plan, which allowed more homes to be built in the region south of Punta Gorda between U.S. 41 and Charlotte Harbor.
Bonita Bay controls 630 acres in the 22,000-acre area governed by the plan.
Local residents have speculated about the Bonita Springs-based developer's plans for years.
"We've been anticipating this for a while," said Noreen McCarthy, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker's Burnt Store office.
Bonita Bay submitted a concept plan that will be reviewed by Charlotte County's Development Review Committee this month.
The concept plan is the first step in a permitting process that can take months.
Construction on the 330-acre project should begin in mid-2008, Green said.
The proposal calls for 999 housing units on what is now an orange grove and cow pasture, but does not spell out the precise mix of single-family homes, condominiums and town houses.
For the project to work, the land must be rezoned from agricultural estates, which allows one house per 10 acres, to village residential, which allows five houses per acre.
The company also has set aside 27 acres for commercial use in an area where residents must drive to Cape Coral or Punta Gorda for groceries.
Home prices in the unnamed new community -- modest by Bonita Bay standards -- will range from $250,000 to more than $600,000, Green said.
The developer is known for building luxury communities in Collier and Lee counties.
This proposal is the company's first foray in Charlotte County, but it won't be the last. Bonita Bay owns another 300 acres along Burnt Store Road.
With so many houses planned for Burnt Store in the next few years, Bonita Bay may wait to develop the second parcel, Green said.
But Green was confident that the market in Burnt Store would only get better.
"The Burnt Store corridor is the next great place," she said. "It's one of the last areas close to Charlotte Harbor that has yet to be developed."
WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
Riviera Southshore moves ahead
Bradenton allows developer to plan scaled-down condo towers
Riviera Southshore would be the tallest condominium project in Bradenton, and perhaps the biggest gamble in its development history. The stakes got higher for Maggio, however, as the proposed towers got smaller.
City officials were wary of a "condo wall" on the Manatee River, chipping away at designs as Southshore fell from 19 stories to 14 and finally nine.
After 18 months, the project is finally moving forward -- leaving a trail of bad blood, legalese and a rift between city leaders about whether condo towers and traditional neighborhoods are a good mix.
While the City Council voted 3-2 Wednesday on a deal with Maggio -- avoiding a pair of lawsuits in the process -- the Southshore saga was hard fought and full of venom, leaving wounded feelings among city power brokers.
Council members Bemis Smith and Marianne Barnebey each voted against the project Wednesday, with Smith growing red-faced and flustered at the tenor of the negotiations. After the vote, Ed Vogler, Maggio's lawyer and Southshore's main spokesman, walked quickly into a nearby hallway to decompress.
Perhaps the fiercest land-use attorney in the city -- and certainly one who shepherds controversial projects into fruition -- Vogler said the scope of Southshore isn't the problem.
"People are afraid of change," said Vogler, as he slouched against a wall and rubbed his temples. "That's what it boils down to -- change. Sometimes people can't deal with it."
While the City Council meeting made for great theater -- with raised voices and huffs from the crowd -- the future of Southshore could be equally intriguing. The city gave Maggio approval of an outline for the project: two 108-foot towers, two 84-foot towers. Now his development firm, First Dartmouth Inc., has 90 days to finalize the design, which the City Council again has to OK.
Despite losing some height from the original plans, Maggio has increased the density to 700 units -- from about 575 originally.
As the Southshore development plan languished, with the city voting against it last August, the surrounding neighborhood of Old Manatee languished as well.
The site -- now between Ninth and 14th streets East -- was where some of the city's earliest pioneers built homesteads in the 1860s. Since then, Old Manatee has been beset by poverty and crime. Several years ago, Maggio bought about 70 homes in the area.
With $25 million invested there, most of the tenants were kicked out and the homes boarded up. Old Manatee has remained that way -- a "ghost town," according to residents -- while Maggio and the city fought over Southshore.
When the project was denied, the developer turned to an independent negotiator to work out the kinks. Known as a special magistrate, Hamilton Rice worked with the city and Maggio to come to a solution.
"It is certainly a compromise on our part," Maggio said after the meeting. "In fact, I would say it's on the edge of viability for us. I have a lot of money invested in this."
The chief problem for Smith and Barnebey is growth outside of the city's downtown core, and how to develop neighborhoods such as Old Manatee that are in bad need of a facelift.
Is there, some wonder, a line of demarcation that prohibits certain types of projects such as Southshore?
For example, the city recently voted for a bigger proposal, Tarpon Pointe, just several blocks to the west. Also, opinion in Old Manatee seems to support Southshore, including a petition delivered Wednesday to City Hall.
But some questions remain, specifically about the city's giving away part of Glazier-Gates Park and several rights-of-way to make room for the condos.
"And I don't think that's right," Smith said.
2 beachside condo towers proposed for Broadway Bridge
DAYTONA BEACH -- Sharp questions about
"massive" buildings greeted plans Wednesday to build a $300 million
condo-hotel-retail project at the foot of the Broadway Bridge.
But the project also drew praise from those hoping for a new gateway
development to spur a renewal of the beachside corridor of International
Speedway Boulevard.
More than 70 people jammed a small room at City Hall for the review by the
Main Street-South Atlantic Avenue Redevelopment Area Board. The City
Commission was using the only larger room.
"I think it would be one great building for a gateway to our
city," said Tom Brown, one of three residents supporting the project.
"Let's get the project in there so it does look like you're coming into a
decent city."
Tracey Remark, one of eight residents critical of the proposal, said the
project would dwarf the surrounding neighborhood.
"No matter what you do, it's a massive building," she said.
Edith Shelley, chairwoman of the city's Visioning Committee, said her group
is seeking a moratorium on projects during her group's work to develop a
future plan for the city.
"We are concerned about things moving forward during this vision
process," she said.
Blue Water VI, a Fort Lauderdale-based developer, wants to build a
27-story, 350-unit condo-hotel and 30-story, 170-unit residential condominium
at the northeast corner of the Broadway Bridge.
Plans include a marina with two restaurants facing the Halifax River and a
promenade of retail shops extending along International Speedway Boulevard.
"Traffic coming in and out of the project is going to be a huge impact
on surrounding neighborhoods and I think a negative impact," said Dave
Lamotte, a member of the redevelopment board.
Rob Merrell, an attorney representing the developers, said improvements
would have to be made to Halifax Avenue and traffic studies would be done.
He welcomed the public comments.
"We're ready to meet with neighborhood groups," he said.
"We'll meet with whoever wants to meet with us to discuss our
plans."
Board members were mostly supportive of the plan.
"It looks bad down there," said Mark Robertson, a board member.
"Nothing has happened down there for decades."
Construction could begin in 2008 and take two years to complete.
Wednesday's 5-3 vote approving submission of the general concept does not
commit the city's redevelopment board, Planning Board and City Commission to
approve more detailed plans in the future.
Luxury condo developer bets on location, lake views
Jack SnyderSentinel Staff Writer
January 11, 2007
The residential real estate market may be cooling, but a Heathrow-based developer announced plans Tuesday for a $20 million luxury condominium on Keller Road near Maitland.
"We think the market is fine for the right product," said Wesley Geys, president of Wescar Cos. "This project is unique in location and lake views."
Each of the condos at Solis would have western views of 70-acre Lake Shadow, he said. "Everyone gets a sunset."
The project at 775 S. Keller Road would go up on 2.5 acres. The seven-story building would have 47 condos priced from $300,000 to more than $800,000 each.
Geys said features would include a pool overlooking Lake Shadow. HHCP Architects of Maitland has been hired to design the project.
Geys said sales will start this spring, with construction targeted for this summer, depending on sales.
Wescar, a developer of both residential and commercial properties, recently bought the former Dixon Ticonderoga office building on International Parkway in Heathrow. The building has been renamed the Wescar Building.
The company also recently bought the former Lunch Basket property at North Magnolia Avenue and Marks Street in downtown Orlando for a possible condo tower.
"We're tossing around ideas for that property, but we're not moving forward with anything at the moment," Geys said.
Several downtown condo developers are pushing sales now for their projects, hoping to sell enough units to trigger construction financing.
Jack Snyder can be reached at 407-420-5094 or jsnyder@orlandosentinel.com.
Fee Boost Could 'Tarnish' Pasco
Published: Jan 11, 2007
HUDSON - Proposed increases in Pasco County's transportation impact fees could price builders out of the market and set the county's fate as a bedroom community for Tampa, an economist told a panel of officials and developers Wednesday.
Hank Fishkind, an Orlando economist commissioned by the county to analyze the one-time construction fees, said two- and threefold increases would put Pasco at a "huge competitive disadvantage" in the regional race to attract retail and office developments.
"Impact fees at this level will compromise Pasco County's desires for economic development," Fishkind said to the group assembled at the Hudson Library. "Some of the target merchants looking at this metropolitan area will go over the [county] line, and there are a lot of places to go over the line."
In addition, the high fees will "tarnish" the county's reputation as an affordable place to build, Fishkind said. Even if the increases are phased in, Pasco's charges would far outpace comparable fees in Hillsborough and Hernando counties.
Transportation impact fees are collected when building permits are issued. Proceeds are used to pay for new roads and other traffic improvements necessitated by growth.
Pasco officials are considering raising the charge for a single-family home from about $4,000 to as much as $13,000. If the fees are phased in, the charge still would be $9,362 per home in the first year.
Fees for office developments could rise from about $7,000 to between $12,000 and $22,000. Charges for retail space could go up to about $9,000 and later more than $16,000.
The increases would add significantly to the cost per square foot of retail and office developments, in some cases making projects not feasible, Fishkind said.
Fishkind predicts that development, which has slowed significantly in recent months, will resume at a slower pace in 2008 and 2009. If Pasco implements the higher fees, however, the county could miss out on opportunities to diversify its heavily residential economy with office and retail developments.
Pat Gassaway, an engineer with Heidt & Associates of Tampa, said many of his retail and office clients are balking at the proposed fees.
"They are not just saying, 'No,' but 'Hell, no,'" Gassaway said.
Fishkind suggested a balanced approach to collecting more revenue to pay for road improvements. Options include increasing sales and gas taxes, allocating a portion of property taxes to transportation needs and levying special tax assessments in developing areas where road improvements are needed.
County Administrator John Gallagher noted that other tax increases still will cause residents and developers to dig deeper. Impact fees, on the other hand, affect new residents and business owners.
Ben Harrill, a developers' attorney in New Port Richey, said the special tax assessments and public-private partnerships among developers are more palatable than impact fees because they may be paid back over a period of years.
Stu Gibbons, a developer of Connerton in central Pasco, said the uncertainty about impact fees has created trepidation among developers. He agreed assessments are more desirable.
The committee is expected to come up with recommendations and report back to the county commission as soon as next month.
Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.
A question of trust on preserve pumping
By HOWARD TROXLER, Times Columnist
Published January 11, 2007
Even as we face watering restrictions across Tampa Bay, Pinellas County has not ruled out pumping up to 1-million gallons a day out of its Brooker Creek Preserve to water a privately owned golf course.
Oh, and to water clay tennis courts, too. More about that in a minute.
Pinellas County is still pursuing permission to pump. The county just answered a bunch more questions from regulators.
The process is continuing, as well, although a citizen board created by the county for environmental advice voted in December 9-4, against the pumping.
The fact that the county is proceeding "is proof positive that the (citizen board) is just window-dressing," alleges Lorraine Margeson, a regular critic of the county's environmental policies.
On Wednesday, I asked Steve Spratt, the county administrator, what was going on. Is the county dead set on pumping? Is the county disregarding the December vote of the citizen board?
Not at all, Spratt replied: "We have not made any final decisions as to activating the wells at Brooker Creek."
Spratt said getting permission is just part of the information-gathering process. What the regulators say, as well as what the citizens say, will be presented to the County Commission for the final decision.
"There are no games being played here," Spratt said in a memo he sent this week to the seven commissioners in reply to Margeson's criticisms. The board gets the last word.
Well, okay. I believe him. There's nothing sneaky about the county still going through the bureaucratic stuff.
On the other hand, it isn't a "no" either. Looks to me like the staff folks would pump if the regulators allow it, barring a "political" decision (as I have heard it described) by the elected commissioners.
How to say this politely? I don't trust it. Don't trust the environmental assessments. Don't trust the pumping figures. Don't trust the promises of no impact.
Heck, when Pinellas County was just testing these wells in Brooker Creek, it managed to blow the limits of its permit. The county's explanation, more or less, was that Barney was over at Aunt Bee's eating pie when he was supposed to be checking the meter.
Neither is the county's "average" pumping of 284,000 gallons a day, the figure it likes to cite, a useful number. On "average," as the old saying goes, you and I and Bill Gates are billionaires. The truth is that in some months it's to be 1-million gallons a day (assuming Barney is checking the meter), and in other months, none.
Now, about the clay tennis courts, 14 in all.
"If appropriate water content is not maintained in the courts," the county explained to regulators, "the surface will become dry. Surface material will blow away if dry and footing on the court becomes slippery and uneven."
In no way do I speak disrespectfully of golf courses and tennis courts, since I have spent time on both, to the amusement of others around me. They are fine games played by fine people.
Neither is the question here whether the county can tell the golf course to get lost -there's a contract and all that. The water's gotta come from somewhere; the only question is whether the county should turn to the Brooker Creek Preserve. If saying no is a mere "political" decision, well, heck, so be it
New signs are for springs' protection
Be on the lookout for another road sign.A batch of blue markers calling attention to the region's springs will soon be installed in Alachua County.
The signs, with the silhouette of a cave diver and the words "Springs Protection Area," are meant to let people know they are in an area where runoff from activities such as car washing or lawn fertilizing can pollute springs or the aquifer, said Chris Bird, Alachua County environmental protection director.
"To protect the springs, you have to protect a large land area around the springs called the springshed, which is basically the area where the water that goes into the ground ends up feeding that spring," Bird said. "The signs are to try to raise public awareness and to remind not only our residents but our visitors that they are traveling in an area that is sensitive and where what is done on the land can pollute the springs."
Some of the roads on which signs will be placed are county roads 236 and 241, US 27/41 and Interstate 75.
The signs are being installed in conjunction with the state Department of Transportation. District DOT spokeswoman Gina Busscher said similar signs have been installed in neighboring counties along the Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers.
Signs are also being put up around springs elsewhere in Florida under a state Department of Environmental Protection initiative.
Officials believe the area's drinking and recreational waters are increasingly under threat from growth and development. Most of the county's springs are in the northwest corridor along the Santa Fe River.
The city of Alachua and High Springs, the two cities closest to the river, are experiencing considerable residential and commercial growth.
Officials with Alachua County and the cities along the river corridor are starting to discuss a joint planning effort to protect springs.
"The springs are the canary in the coal mine. If our springs go bad, that means we have a lot of bad water," Bird said. "They are really symbolic of the health of the entire aquifer."
Cindy Swirko can be reached at 374-5024 or swirkoc@gvillesun.com
We need a lasting commitment to conserve
A St. Pete Times EditorialPublished January 11, 2007
The last time the Southwest Florida Water Management District forced the 16 counties in its jurisdiction to limit lawn watering to one day a week, as it will beginning next week, was in April 2000. That restriction lasted 18 months. During that time, residents who had witnessed the damage of a severe drought became painfully aware of the need to conserve Florida's most precious natural resource.
They took meaningful steps to conserve water, including landscapes designed for plants and grass that require less water. And, under the threat of stepped-up enforcement of the rules, they became accustomed to the curtailed watering schedule.
Then the rains came and Swiftmud, as the water district is commonly known, told counties and municipalities the effects of the drought had been overcome and they could revert to twice-a-week watering. Unfortunately, the Citrus County Commission jumped at the chance to do just that.
That decision was shortsighted and showed a lack of substantial commitment to water conservation. The commission should have followed the example of most counties to the south and retained the one-day-a-week watering rule. Doing so would not have prevented the upcoming re-imposition of the restrictions, but it certainly would have precluded residents and business owners from having to readjust their watering habits, and eliminated the need for local governments to re-educate the pubic.
It is easier on consumers and the water supply to not alter watering schedules once they are in place. Every time the rules change, it needlessly confuses residents and, from an enforcement standpoint, that is a significant problem because violators can claim - many legitimately - that they were unaware of the changes.
Switching back and forth not only frustrates residents, it causes them to question the credibility of the governments whose leaders can't seem to make up their minds about the ongoing need to conserve to offset cyclical dry weather patterns.
This county has undergone sustained residential and commercial growth. The strain this places on man-made infrastructure - roads, schools, sewers, public services - gets many of the headlines. But the adverse impact on our most precious commodity, water, is too often overlooked.
While Swiftmud focuses on restricting residential use, it historically has been too lenient on major water users, including county governments, who pull much more than their allotted amounts. Agricultural uses and businesses, especially golf courses that are not using reclaimed water systems, draw millions of gallons of fresh water each day from the aquifer, often in sizeable violation of their permitted allotments.
The response from Swiftmud is not to crack down on these abusers, but to rewrite the permits to allow them to use more water, as neighboring Hernando County is now seeking to do after exceeding its cap all last year.
If Swiftmud truly is interested in conserving the dwindling water supply, it must apply the same standards to all users. Homeowners in violation of local watering ordinances should not be fined for a first offense when the biggest users, and wasters, of water escape any meaningful penalty from Swiftmud.
That said, the County Commission must be prepared to enforce the watering regulations. But it should explore using a portion of the money it collects from violators to fund an aggressive public education program about how to get the most out of once-a-week watering. People who understand the need will meet the challenge.
The more restrictive rules, which limit watering to between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m., Monday through Friday, will be in place until at least July 31. The commission should not wait until then to discuss permanently switching to the once-a-week schedule.
Protecting 'an amazing focal point'
By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer
Published January 11, 2007
LECANTO - The Tourist Development Council on Wednesday vowed its support of federal wildlife officials' ongoing manatee protection work.
That stand came after the council heard an extensive description of manatee protection and other preservation work done through the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Calling manatees "an amazing focal point" for the Citrus community, refuge manager Jim Kraus described challenges facing the refuge, ranging from a growing pressure on the natural resources to a shrinking of the already limited fiscal resources.
"When you have a county so highly dependent on ecotourism, this subject is as important as any subject you could be talking about," Kraus told the council.
He noted that the entire community would share whatever the future holds for the resource. "Will you help us shape it?" he asked.
The council's support for the refuge efforts will come through several initiatives.
The council voted unanimously to send a letter to Dirk Kempthorne, secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, urging him to provide the refuge with adequate funding.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service budget allocations will be slicing nearly two dozen refuge employees throughout Florida over the next three years. That includes one local position from the complex, which includes both Chassahowitzka and Crystal River.
"It is now time to fund the programs for which the refuge was established including the provision of endangered species protection, land management, adequate law enforcement, important staff positions and educational programs," states the letter signed by council Chairman Gary Bartell.
The letter piggybacks similar calls for adequate refuge funding from U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite and other members of the Florida congressional delegation.
Bartell said he would also be bringing the issue to the County Commission seeking a similar letter of support.
Manatees and the unique natural features available in Citrus County are what drew many residents and tourists here, Bartell reasoned.
"I just think that it is something urgent. It's something we need to do," he said.
Kraus updated the council on the agency's work to establish a comprehensive management plan for the Crystal River refuge, the refuge known for its unique swim with a manatee experience promoted by local dive businesses.
This fall, the first in a series of public meetings will examine the public uses now taking place in the Kings Bay and Crystal River areas.
The rules for such public use will likely change when the plan is finalized.
One thing that would help with that process, according to Kraus, would be hard data on just how much cash Crystal River's cash cow really brings into local coffers.
He asked for help from the TDC to retrieve such important economic impact statistics.
TDC members agreed that such information would be valuable without committing to taking on such a project on their own. They discussed some possible funding sources and tourism development manager Mary Craven agreed to bring more information back to a future meeting.
Kraus also said he is hoping to find funding for the every-other-week aerial manatee survey. The Friends of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge Complex, the citizen support organization for the refuge, has made that project a priority but Kraus urged a partnership among various private and public entities.
"There are many people that benefit from monitoring the manatee population," he said.
While the surveys have been a long-standing tradition, nowhere else does the federal agency fund them in the long term. In other places, county funding is used.
"We're at the point where we have to take a hard look at what we can do and what we can't do anymore," Kraus said.
He said that since the manatee situation in Crystal River is so unique - nowhere else does his agency sanction swimming with manatees - public participation is needed.
"We face some joint challenges and we have to find a way to balance it out," he said.
"It is all about awareness," Bartell agreed. "All of us are in this together. It is a partnership."
Kraus warned that the job won't be easy.
"There are a lot of eyes on Crystal River from all over the place," he said. "They're asking a lot of really hard questions."
Barbara Behrendt can be reached at 564-3621 or behrendt@sptimes.com.
Stinging fire ants are common on many South Florida beaches, and are known for attacking and killing hatchling reptiles and birds.
"People have a hard time believing that ants have an impact on wildlife," said James K. Wetterer, an FAU ecology professor and the study's chief author.
"They are a big problem on the beach."
The findings are significant in part because beach renourishment projects often prove to be detrimental to the success of sea turtle nesting.
Sand dredged from offshore is often dark in color, and becomes more compacted on the beach than natural sand, Wetterer said. Dark sand can contribute to higher temperatures that affect hatching, and compacted sand makes digging difficult for the nesting turtle.
Beach renourishment also can create escarpments that prevent sea turtles from getting onto the beach.
But ants are also troublesome, according to Larry Wood, curator of the Loggerhead Marine Life Center, in Juno Beach, and wider beaches may lessen the danger.
A single sting to a hatchling can be fatal, he said.
"The study suggests we still have to look at the bigger picture," said Wood, a study co-author. "We first have to learn how to renourish beaches in ways that allow turtles to get onto the beach in the first place."
Escarpments, or steep banks, can be leveled or angled so that turtles can get to nesting spots.
Female sea turtles come ashore in May through October to dig a nest to deposit dozens of eggs. Loggerheads travel an average distance of 50 feet from the surf to nest, Wood said.
After covering the eggs with sand, the turtle returns to the sea.
The eggs normally hatch after 50 to 60 days.
In addition to ants, common hatchling predators include ghost crabs on land and tarpon in the ocean, researcher have found.
The FAU study, conducted in the summers of 2000 and 2001, focused on a 6-mile stretch of Atlantic Ocean beach between Jupiter and Juno Beach that is considered an important nesting site for endangered green and leatherback turtles, and loggerhead turtles, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
In between those summers, the beach was replenished with offshore sand, increasing the average width of the beach by about 40 feet.
That change allowed Wetterer and his team to evaluate the influence of beach width on the incidence of ants on sea turtle nests.
The survey looked at 909 turtle nests in the summer of 2000, and 639 nests the following year to conclude that "sea turtle nests closer to the dune vegetation were much more likely to have ants present."
"This is because most ant species do not nest on open beaches," the researchers wrote. "Instead, they nest in adjacent vegetated areas and make forays out into the beach in search of food."
The study has been submitted to the Journal of Applied Ecology.
Red tide appears off Nokomis beach, likely due to wind, tides
Water samples taken Monday by Sarasota County's Environmental Health department showed high red tide concentrations off Nokomis beach.
Nokomis beach was the only area where the county detected high levels, but red tide is strong enough to kill fish from Longboat Key in Sarasota to Blind Pass Park in Englewood.
Cindy Heil, a red tide expert with the Florida Wildlife Research Institute, said prevailing winds and currents probably pushed a bloom that had been lingering about 10 to 15 miles offshore toward the land.
"When you suddenly see a million cells where a week before you saw 500, it had to be concentrated or it had to be moved in from somewhere else," Heil said.
Depending on the wind, the bloom can cause respiratory problems, such as coughing in healthy people and breathing problems for people who have asthma. But David Pouso, healthy beaches coordinator for Sarasota County Environmental Health, said the bloom is not affecting the beach experience "too terribly bad" because winds were blowing away from the beach Wednesday.
"It's a lot better than it was in the past when we were at the height of the bloom," Pouso said.
For six months, red tide has been waxing and waning along the coast from north of Pinellas County to south of Naples.
In December, the bloom began to dissipate to harmless levels and even disappeared in some areas along the shore.
Pouso said he had hoped the red tide would stay low for the winter, but it is unpredictable.
Red tide are microscopic algae that normally exist in very low to undetectable concentrations in marine waters.
Sometimes the algae encounter ripe conditions -- nutrients, warm water and sunlight -- that allow them to flourish into a bloom. Cool, dry weather and other conditions brought on by winter usually hinder the algae's growth.
"They do go away. Every year people ask me when, and that's the question I can't answer," Heil said. "The historic pattern usually starts in late summer, and a lot of them don't carry over into the next year."
Volusia, Flagler consider local rules to protect tortoises
Few predators haunt the 60-million-year-old
gopher tortoise.
But local officials want to clamp down on one that does -- human beings who
vie for the reptile's favored high-and-dry habitat.
Seeking to buttress state protections for the dwindling tortoises,
officials in Volusia and Flagler counties want local rules for how large- and
small-scale developers deal with them. They plan to set guidelines for
protecting the turtles on-site or relocating them and want to ban burying them
alive to make way for construction.
"That's something that's just not acceptable to most people,"
said Steve Kintner, Volusia County's director of environmental management.
Depending on circumstances, existing state rules let developers get permits
to relocate the tortoises either on- or off-site. They can also opt for what
is called an "incidental take" permit allowing killing or
"entombment" because the developer is helping pay to protect
tortoise habitat.
Until recently, fears about a disease common to the tortoise helped justify
the "taking" of turtles that couldn't be moved because they were
sick and might spread the disease. But the disease is less severe than
thought, so the system makes less sense, Kintner said.
The gopher tortoise has been listed as a species of special concern. But in
June, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission decided to
reclassify it as threatened, citing such things as population decline of more
than 50 percent over three generations and projections of continued decline.
The change is accompanied by new guidelines for handling the tortoises, and
new permitting rules are also being drawn up, said Sarah Johnson, a biologist
with the wildlife commission. Incidental takings might be eliminated, except
in extreme circumstances, she said. Relocation requirements also might be
tightened.
Officials in Volusia and Flagler think it's important to have local
guidelines, too.
Volusia County's first-draft ordinance calls for tortoise management plans
for single-family lots, as well as large-scale developments.
Guidelines would apply even when fewer than five tortoises are on-site -- a
situation for which existing state rules are limited. Killing tortoises would
only be allowed in cases when relocation wasn't possible, perhaps because of
illness, and even then entombment would be banned, regardless of what the
state does.
"We're not duplicating. It's a support role, filling some gaps,"
Kintner said.
Like the county's sea turtle protection ordinance, Volusia's proposed rules
would apply in both the unincorporated area and the cities.
Flagler County's ordinance would apply only in the unincorporated area and
is likely to focus extensively on relocation guidelines and could ban killing
tortoises, said Tim Telfer, the county's environmental planner.
Developers seem to be paying close attention as the rules come into focus,
said Dave Castagnacci, executive director of the Volusia County Association
for Responsible Development.
Castagnacci sent out an e-mail to the group's membership late last year and
got a very stong response, he said.
"I think people realize it's something that's going to happen but just
want to make sure it's done in a way that's most efficient and
effective," he said.
Kintner is taking public comment for a first draft through Jan. 16.
Comments can be mailed to skintner@co.volusia.fl.us. There will be another
draft and more time for comment, he said. Flagler County has not reached the
public comment stage.
Officials urged to disclose potential conflicts
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
WEST PALM BEACH — County attorneys have called on commissioners to disclose their business ownerships, including those of their spouses and children, to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.
Commissioners also should name relatives, friends, former business associates, and organizations or charities they have ties to that stand to gain from a particular vote, even though that relationship may not violate the state's ethics code.
The call for full disclosure - going well beyond what state law requires - comes in the wake of charges brought in October against former Commission Chairman Tony Masilotti, who federal prosecutors say violated the honest services law by using his public position for private gain.
"But by fully disclosing the nature of these facts and relationships before the vote, the commissioner eliminates the possibility of any secret motive, and can better demonstrate that the vote was made for the public good, not for private gain," according to a memo written by Assistant County Attorney Lenny Berger.
Berger warned a potential conflict that may pass muster with the state's ethics laws might not meet the standards of the federal honest services statute, which allows prosecutors to charge public officials with corruption even if there was no direct bribe to secure an official act. Full disclosure, Berger wrote, best addresses a possible conflict.
As an example of such disclosure, county officials pointed to discussion at Tuesday's meeting regarding the lease of county land to the South Florida Science Museum for a new building.
Commissioner Jeff Koons is an unpaid member of the museum's board, and he disclosed his role. Although that doesn't necessarily cause a conflict, his disclosure enhances the public trust, Berger said.
Most commissioners received the memo Tuesday. Those contacted said they had not yet read it, and could not comment on the recommendations.
But attorneys will soon begin the process of educating county departments on ethics issues. One possibility is to amend the county's charter via voter referendum to include language about ethics training, giving a sense of "permanence," Berger said.
One recommendation mirrors Commissioner Warren Newell's proposal last week, endorsed by other commissioners, to list on staff reports all individuals, trusts and corporations involved in land use and zoning matters. Such disclosure could be matched with the commissioners' own disclosures to reveal whether any conflicts are present.
"The more disclosure, the better," Newell said. "We want government to be as transparent as possible."
Attorneys also reviewed a proposed 1993 ethics ordinance that commissioners did not pass. Many of the suggestions then - such as lobbyist registration, gift laws and other disclosure regulations - have since been covered by county ordinances or state laws.
Other proposals at the time included the creation of a five-member ethics committee and the disclosure of property ownership of all county employees and advisory board members.
Included in the attorney's recommendations is a review of the state's ethics codes regarding voting conflicts and the appearance of conflicts.
In the end, Berger said, a bevy of new regulations may not be practical, but more complete disclosure "makes it absolutely open to everyone of who's got what where."
But not everything is avoidable.
"If you are completely dishonest to the core, you just don't put a name on" a disclosure form, Berger said. "There's no ironclad defense against just flat-out lying, unfortunately."
Osceola chambers call for growth rules
Groups that include developers ask the county to seek more state regulation.
Daphne SashinSentinel Staff Writer
January 10, 2007
KISSIMMEE -- Business leaders in Osceola County have taken the radical step of asking for more government regulation, in the form of greater oversight of large developments than the state requires.
Osceola's population growth recently triggered an increase in the threshold for residential projects that must undergo in-depth state and regional review from 1,000 homes to 2,000. The Kissimmee/Osceola and St. Cloud chambers of commerce, which count developers among their members, have asked the county to lobby the governor and Cabinet to reinstate the 1,000-home minimum for developments of regional impact.
Counties are allowed to petition the governor and Cabinet to raise or lower residential thresholds by up to half the amount set by the state. If successful, Osceola would be the first county to lower its threshold and would go back to having the lowest minimum in the seven-county Central Florida region.
"There's nothing we like less than more government bureaucracy and red tape," said Mike Horner, president of the Kissimmee chamber. "However, growth is Osceola County's greatest challenge, and the DRI process is an important tool for controlling that growth."
Projects classified as developments of regional impact are scrutinized by a host of state and regional agencies for their effect on roads, schools, wetlands, water supply and other public systems. The process can take a year or more to complete and tack on $250,000 to $500,000 to a project's cost, said consultants familiar with the process.
Some developers and their consultants argue that counties already have the tools to manage growth. They say the expense and time associated with preparing DRI applications translates into higher prices for home buyers but does not guarantee higher quality.
"If we want stronger development standards as a county, put them in place. Don't leave it to the state and the region to do that," argued Mary Jane Arrington, a Kissimmee planning consultant. "We can have stronger development regulations, and not just for big development -- for every development."
County officials counter that state and regional review creates better-planned developments because it involves agencies that otherwise would not provide their expertise.
Chief among those is the state Department of Transportation, said Jeff Jones, Osceola's "smart-growth" director and a former planner with the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, which oversees DRI reviews.
"Because state roads are such an important piece of infrastructure in Osceola County, having the state review the projects for impacts to those roads is critical," Jones said. "They will do that if it's a DRI. If not, they probably will not get terribly involved, simply because their workload will not allow it."
The DRI process offers some benefits for developers of large pieces of land, Jones said. Once a project is approved, the developer receives vested development rights -- related to the number of units that can be built -- that cannot be taken away, even if political winds shift.
"It provides a lot of certainty in terms of what you can build in the next 20 years, and consequently, what you can sell and do business with," Jones said.
Bob Whidden, a planning consultant who has worked on the majority of the DRIs being planned in Osceola, said he is willing to risk the disapproval of some of his clients because "it's the right thing to do."
"There are certain developers that just abhor any kind of control. But the bottom line is they probably don't live here, and you've got a general public that's just screeching about the results of development," Whidden said. "If I'm here for another 20 years and nobody wants to live here anymore, what do I do then?"
The County Commission is scheduled to take up the matter at its next meeting.
The Kissimmee chamber anticipates a strong fight in Tallahassee from developers who don't want a precedent set across the state.
"If these other counties all start reducing their threshold, that's a major expense," Horner said.
He said the chamber is prepared to argue that Osceola should be allowed special protections because the land drains into the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, which serves as the headwaters of Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades.
Daphne Sashin can be reachedat dsashin@orlandosentinel.comor 407-931-5944.
shorter version ran in Final Edition
Planning amendment backers may get unintended result
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A group sponsoring a citizen initiative designed to give voters a bigger voice in local planning and development decisions may face an unintended consequence from its argument Tuesday before the Florida Supreme Court.
The high court previously approved the ballot language for Florida Hometown Democracy's proposed state constitutional amendment, which would require local referendums on changes to city and county comprehensive plans.
It will go on the 2008 ballot if the group collects at least 611,009 signatures. Hometown Democracy has obtained 85,235 so far.
Now, the justices are separately considering a financial impact statement written by the state. It predicts the amendment would cause local governments to "incur significant costs (millions of dollars statewide)" although acknowledging "expenditures cannot be determined precisely."
Hometown Democracy attorney Ross Burnaman argued the high court lacks authority to review the statement.
The justices suggested if Burnaman is right, the statement then may go on the ballot without their approval although he also argued it is inaccurate and misleading.
"I'm darned if I do, and I'm darned if I don't," Burnaman told them.
On the other hand, Hometown Democracy could win by losing if the justices rule they do have jurisdiction. They then could reject the statement and send it back to the state's Financial Impact Estimating Conference to be revised.
At least a couple justices supported Burnaman's view that the statement is inaccurate.
Chief Justice R. Fred Lewis said it is based on an assumption there would be frequent referendums although the initiative's intent is to discourage comprehensive plan amendments.
"To me, it seems like it's a scare tactic to keep our citizens from taking a look at the control of growth matters," Lewis said.
Acting Solicitor General Louis Hubener disagreed, saying the statement refers only to "millions of dollars."
"It doesn't say tens of millions or hundreds of millions," Hubener said. "I don't think there's an intent to exaggerate."
Justice Barbara Pariente also questioned the statement's accuracy, but Justice Raoul Cantero suggested the amendment would increase costs because special elections would be needed for changes that cannot wait until the next regular election.
Doubts about the Supreme Court's jurisdiction emerged after the Legislature revised a law dealing with the financial statements, required for all citizen initiatives, in 2004. Apparently, lawmakers inadvertently left out a provision that had allowed the attorney general to ask for Supreme Court reviews, Hubener said.
He argued the justices still could check the statements based on constitutional requirements for the attorney general to seek reviews of citizen initiatives and the Legislature to provide "a statement to the public regarding probable financial impact."
The reference to the attorney general applies only to the initiatives, not the financial statements, and providing a statement "to the public" doesn't mean it goes the ballot, Burnaman argued.
He also contended the law requiring the statements on the ballot is unconstitutional.
"You really have dropped - I hesitate to call it a bomb - a rather dramatic statement on us," said Justice Harry Lee Anstead. The justices, though, were reluctant to consider that issue in this case.
Burnaman said he probably first should challenge the law in trial court although it is unlikely to be considered there until enough signatures have been collected to get on the ballot.
Study: Transit saves lots for riders
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
A groundbreaking national study released Tuesday has found that using public transportation can cut family expenses by more than $6,200 a year.
Paul McDermott can attest to the savings.
McDermott said he was able to put son Scott and daughter Shane through college by riding Tri-Rail. He commuted for 14 years from Boca Raton to Miami, where he worked for the Federal Aviation Administration as an air traffic controller.
"It was a considerable savings," said McDermott, who now works as assistant airport manager for the Boca Raton Airport Authority. "In my mind, that's where the money came from for both of them to go to college."
The American Public Transportation Association report also found that public transit saves 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline every year. That's the equivalent of 108 million fewer cars filling up or 34 fewer supertankers leaving the Middle East.
The analysis is intended to serve as a wake-up call as Congress and President Bush discuss moving the country toward energy independence, said William Millar, the association's president.
It's the first time that the group commissioned a study that looked at the savings for both individual families and the nation as a whole.
Public transit by itself will not reduce the dependence on oil, but should be included in the solution along with policy changes and commitments at all levels of government, Millar said.
The average individual savings of $6,251 is based on a household of two workers and one car that's within walking distance - three-fourths of a mile - of a bus or train stop. The savings is more than the $5,781 average annual household spending on food, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Locally, the expansion of mass transit will be key to relieving congestion as the population grows and money to build new roads dries up, Palm Beach County Commissioner Jeff Koons said.
To make that happen, the federal government has to encourage private investment in rail and transit lines, he said.
Nationwide, ridership on public transit has risen 25 percent since 1995. Tri-Rail nearly matched that increase last year, tallying a 22.1 percent rise in ridership.
Joe Giulietti, executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, said stories like McDermott's are common.
Another longtime rider bragged about saving $13,000 that she used as a down payment on a new home, he said.
"It's a very compelling argument for mass transit," Giulietti said.
Briny Breezes votes yes on $510 million buyout
Palm Beach Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
UPDATED: 12:40 p.m. January 10, 2007
BRINY BREEZES — Residents of this mobile home park municipality, long a defiant remnant of a rapidly vanishing Florida, have voted to end all that, surrendering to the parade of progress and the allure of a half-billion dollars.
Shortly after a shareholders' meeting began at 9:30 a.m. at the auditorium of the 43-acre park, it was announced that 82 percent of the shareholders had voted to approve the sale to a Boca Raton-based developer for a whopping $510 million.
With tears in her eyes, park president Mary Kimber said after the vote, "It doesn't matter how we voted. We're Briny-ites and we'll always be that until the end."
"We are delighted with the shareholders decision to ratify their Board's position," said Jean Francois Roy, president of Ocean Land Investments, said in a press release. "We appreciate their confidence and support."
"As a longtime Palm Beach resident and business owner I feel proud to be a part of such a significant development." said Dan Catalfumo, President of Catalfumo Construction and Development, a partner in the deal.
The vote made many of the 488 property owners millionaires, but they will not see that money for several years.
Joseph Ursone, a resident for five years, voted his shares for the sale, but said he was not happy. Sitting in a golf cart outside the meeting, he said, "It makes dollar sense, and it is closure. Everyone has been on pins and needles. It is time to move on."
Mary Johnson of Indiana wiped away a tear as she left the meeting. She wasn't thrilled with the idea of a sale, but her 87-year-old mother, who owned the property, had voted her shares for the sale.
"It's kinda mixed emotions. But you gotta move with the times."
Before the tally was announced, there was an air of apprehension and uncertainty among the residents.
"Last year, I would have said it would have sold," said Kathy Bray, a resident for two years, as she walked into the meeting. "Now I am not too sure. A lot of people are waffling."
For decades, the park - which drew "tin-can tourists" as early as the 1920s, was bought out by residents in 1958 and was incorporated as a municipality in 1963 - had fended off one suitor after another.
Some residents had insisted no amount of money was enough for them to give up their idyllic lifestyle, even as condos, mansions and country clubs spring up around them.
But in October 2005, Boca Raton-based Ocean Land Investments offered Briny Breeze residents $500 million for the 488-unit property. The offer put stars in the park's collective eyes; they told Ocean Land they'd like to shop around a little. Ocean Land backed out.
In early 2006, the town put out for bids. Four companies submitted packages. On Dec. 12, directors announced their choice: Ocean Land.
Directors unanimously voted to sign a contract with the firm which had tendered $510 million - not that much more, all things being equal, than its October 2005 offer.
The deal required that residents, who own shares in various amounts, according to the size and location of their lots, cast "yes" votes equal to two thirds of the park's 15,703 shares.
They easily passed that mark when the vote tally was announced this morning: 12,556 shares for, 2,691 shares against, and 456 not voting. The non-votes were automatically cast with the no votes, but fell far short of killing the deal.
Ocean Land would not close on the place until March 2009 at the earliest.
Ocean Land founder Jean Francois Roy has said he envisions various residences, including high-end condominiums, townhomes, a boutique condo-hotel resort and a marina, as well as retail and commercial space, restaurants and parks, built during the next 10 to 15 years, with some residences ready within six years of the 2009 closing.
Briny's clock is ticking
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
BRINY BREEZES — A prewar-era school bus pulls up next to a row of travel trailers and a wood-paneled station wagon under the arced trunks of tall palm trees. Girls in saddle shoes and dresses and boys with slicked-back hair and tucked-in shirts line up, single-file. The children of Briny Breezes, among them a teenaged Bob Kraft, prepare for a day at school.
Now 79, Kraft never considered his personal mementos a part of history, but after today's big vote, this photo, now in the archives of his neighbor, Joan Nicholls, might become just that.
"It's the Old Florida they all lament," he said, flipping through photos of himself as a teenager on the beach with other Briny kids, a clipping from the year he won a spelling bee. (Well, the story said he won. He said he actually finished runner-up.) "It's kind of sad. I guess pretty soon everything's going to look like Fort Lauderdale."
The photographs in Nicholls' oceanfront trailer tell the story of this town's history, just short of half a century. If her neighbors vote to sell today, her archive will be all that remains of this last vestige of Old Florida clinging to a strip of barrier island near Boynton Beach. With a $510 million offer on the table from Ocean Land Investments and an unusually active hurricane cycle promising to throw more storms Briny's way, most residents say the trailer park's demise is a foregone conclusion.
"I was sick about this," said Nicholls, 72. "Totally devastated."
Now that the park faces oblivion, she has to find a home for the stacks of documents she has accumulated for 15 years. The Boynton Beach and the county historical societies have shown interest in the collection, which officials call invaluable.
This week, Bonnie Dearborn, an administrator from the state's Division of Historical Resources, plans to take photos and copy some of Nicholls' documents for her regional files.
"There are not many communities of that type," she said. "It's part of the history of Florida. We don't know if it's going to remain as it is; likely not. We'll save them so we have something as part of our history."
Two years of interviews
Nicholls started the town's historic preservation committee with two other residents, Betty Foland and Helen Prudhon, in 1991. She came up with the idea at the party for the construction of the beach clubhouse, when she noticed everyone had a video camera.
"I thought, 'There are no still cameras,' " she remembered. " 'Nothing's being recorded where you can lay it out in an exhibit.' "
She spent two years interviewing longtime residents and asking for documents. She shot aerial photographs of the town from a plane and lined up a typist to record interviews. She has laminated like crazy, hauling documents to the copy shop, and she's scanning in more documents up in Toronto, where she and her husband, Bill, live most of the year.
"I sunk my life into it," she said.
When a resident died, she politely asked relatives to set aside anything of historic interest while going through the person's belongings. That's how she got a complete set of Bugles, the town newsletter, which used to report every bit of minutiae, a vital historical resource.
The archive usually is at the community center. When reporters and preservationists started calling, Nicholls moved it to her home.
Stacks of photo albums cover the kitchen table, and boards of photos arranged for the town's 40th anniversary celebration sit by the wall. Laminated newspaper articles mark the day the townsfolk proudly burned their $350,000 mortgage and the day President Ford blew through in his motorcade. Two white garbage bags, one marked "1950s," sit by the sofa, full of articles and artifacts such as buttons needed to use the pool in bygone days: blue for members, green for renters and orange for guests.
Documents cement history
"Ten to 15 years from now, the memory will be there," Dearborn said. "But if you don't document it, it will just be a memory."
The state would not act as curator of the archives. That job would go to a local historical society, most of which draw their collections from times such as this, when a person dies or a whole community passes into oblivion. They rely on donations.
"We would like to have it," said Voncile Smith, president of the Boynton Beach Historical Society. She has planned a Briny tribute for Feb. 12 at the city library, using other photographs. "People in Briny Breezes should know we're interested in preserving these treasures."
Across the country, other towns have disappeared in economic decline, Smith said. What makes Briny different is it's in a developed area, not a depressed rural community residents are fleeing. Trailer communities all over have disappeared as land values increased and residents sought less rickety shelter in areas prone to tornadoes and hurricanes.
The most recent such occurrence in Palm Beach County was in 1998, when the tiny town of Golfview was dissolved to make way for a Palm Beach International Airport expansion, said Debi Murray, research and archives director for the Palm Beach County Historical Society. She's also interested in Nicholls' archive.
"The very founding of Briny Breezes was a minor miracle in itself," Murray said. "It's not often people who are renting get together and buy the land."
That happened in 1958, when members of the Miller family decided to sell the park they'd managed since the 1920s, on land formerly occupied by the largest dairy farm in Florida.
Families drove for days
Bob Kraft's parents ponied up about $2,500 to buy their shares that year. They'd spent winters in Briny Breezes since 1937, when Kraft's father retired from the Detroit Fire Department. The family drove 400 miles a day for four days to get there.
The first year, they stopped on the west coast of Florida, where most Midwesterners end up.
"Some guy told my dad, 'You know, there's a trailer park on the east coast,' " Kraft remembered. " 'It's right on the beach.' The next thing I knew, we were in the trailer driving over here."
He saw the beach he would come to love for the rest of his life, the one in the photographs he keeps as personal mementos that could become history. The school bus would pick up the Briny children in Boynton Beach for their return trip at 3 p.m., and deposit them home, where they'd hit the beach by 3:30 every day. They'd leave at dinnertime.
"It was really amazing to us, the ocean," said the retired teacher, whose car sports a manatee license plate and a sea turtle bumper sticker.
Cattle grazed nearby and residents had to take a dark, scary road up to Ocean Boulevard to cross the bridge because Woolbright Road didn't yet extend over to the island.
Then, in 1941, the war came. The Krafts went to Michigan and didn't return to Briny Breezes for several years because of the tire and gas shortage. Kraft joined the Navy, then attended the University of Michigan. His parents started coming back in the 1950s, and in 1958, they bought their shares. His mother died in 1964; his father, in 1972. Kraft inherited the property, and he and his wife, Evelyn, rented it out.
But they could not resist the allure of the laid-back community on the beach. In 1987, after Kraft retired from the English department of a Detroit high school, he and Evelyn retired to his parents' old trailer for part of the year. They bought a new one about four years ago, and they've been here ever since.
They haven't thought about where they'll go if the park sells, or whether, 10 years from now, anyone will remember their beloved Briny. Kraft doesn't think it will matter. Probably, no one will be able to get to the beach anymore, he said, when a luxury high-rise blocks their path.
"I don't hold a lot with legacy talk," he said. "I think it'll just disappear. People will say, 'Jeez, can't you remember there used to be an old trailer park here?' "
2006 was warmest on record in United States
In New England, maple trees were budding in February. Out West, hot weather fueled more than 9 million acres of wildfires. And in Florida, December felt like May, with an average daily high of 78.1 degrees.Not only was 2006 hot, it was warmer overall than it has been in the contiguous United States since record-keeping began in 1895, government climate scientists announced Tuesday.
Globally, 2006 was the sixth-warmest year on record, said scientists at the National Climatic Data Center, an arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Scientists said the cyclical El Niño climate pattern played a role. But the record warm temperatures also fuel concerns that global warming, more than a distant threat, is aggressively heating up the planet.
Each of the past nine years has been among the 25 hottest since records began. And this year could be even hotter.
Last week, British scientists said there is a 60 percent chance that 2007 will surpass 1998 as the warmest year on record.
"We can't say precisely that X degrees above average was due to climate change," said Jay Lawrimore, chief of the climate monitoring branch of the National Climactic Data Center. "...We do know that warmer-than-average seasons are becoming more common and average seasons are becoming more rare."
The average temperature for the 48 contiguous states was 55 degrees last year, 2.2 degrees above average and 0.7 degrees warmer than 1998.
Scientists collected the information from a network of 1,200 station across the country.
They had predicted in early December that 2006 would be the third-warmest year on record after 1998 and 1934, but temperatures edged higher later that month under the influence of El Niño.
Nationally, the warming helped reduce the demand for energy from October to December by 13.5 percent.
The fall and winter were unusually warm throughout the Northeast United States and even in Denver, which was 1.4 degrees warmer than average during the month.
Five other states -- Minnesota, New York, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire -- saw record-setting high temperatures during December.
Part of the blame falls to El Niño, a band of warm water that sloshes back and forth across the equatorial Pacific.
When it sloshes to the eastern Pacific, it affects weather in North America. It makes winter warmer in the Northeast and wetter in the South from Texas to Florida, and dampens hurricane activity in the Atlantic.
Climatologists say it is not the one year that people should be concerned about.
"What we do take notice of from a climate perspective is that many of these year are in top 20 (warmest years) since 1993," said Brenda Ekwurzel, a climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists.
During the past century, global temperatures have increased at about a 10th of a degree per decade, but scientists say this trend has increased to a rate approximately a third of a degree per decade during the past 25 to 30 years.
For Florida, global warming means rising sea level and, many scientists believe, more intense hurricanes
Swiftmud declares severe water shortage
By KYLE MARTINkmartin@hernandotoday.com
BROOKSVILLE — Hernando County is officially in the grips of a severe water shortage.
Faced with critically low levels of rainfall, the executive director of the Southwest Florida Water Management District signed an order Tuesday tightening watering restrictions.
After Jan. 16, Hernando County will join the other 60 percent of the district’s 16 counties that allow lawn watering only once a week. The order also shortens watering times by two hours to 6 p.m. until 8 a.m.
The decision was made after an hour-long public hearing at the district’s headquarters south of Brooksville. “I’m strongly of the opinion that action is needed to be taken,” said David Moore, executive director. The “appropriate action is in this order.”
The restrictions will remain in force until July 31, unless the governing board extends or cancels them before then.
The district’s governing board gave its executive director authority to implement the new rules last month in a meeting.
Moore came to his decision after some dismal projections were made for the upcoming year.
The district’s entire area, from Charlotte County to Levy County, was roughly 11 inches short of its typical annual rainfall in 2006.
Hernando County is one of 11 counties whose rainfall deficits are labeled critically abnormal, and it shows in its water sources.
The flow of the Withla-coochee River near Holder was considered critically abnormal and some lakes are two feet below normal levels.
There has been some improvement since October 2006, but the El Nino weather pattern that provided that reprieve will unravel soon, said Garnville Kinsman, manager of the district’s hydrological data section.
“We’re very early into a typically dry season,” Kinsman told Moore.
Kinsman’s staff calculated that even if above-average rainfall occurs in the winter and spring, the district would remain in a rainfall deficit for several months.
Judy Williams, a self-styled “water activist,” was one of a handful of the public that spoke up during the hearing. She commended Moore for taking the initiative to conserve water. “I want to thank you for doing the right thing,” Williams said. “This is necessary.”
Two national drought indicators classify many of the counties in the district, including Hernando County, as critically and abnormally severe.
Though the times have changed, the same watering rules apply.
Even if you choose to skip sprinklers, hand-watering your lawn is forbidden, although plants, shrubs and gardens are allowed. Car washing is permissible only if the hose has a nozzle.
The exception is for new plant material, such as sod, which can be watered anytime for a 60-day period.
Penalties for violations grow with each infraction, ranging from $25 to a possible six months in prison and a $500 fine for the fifth violation.
Reporter Kyle Martin can be contacted at 352-544-5271.
Dry period forces cuts in water use
CRAIG PITTMAN and ASJYLYN LODERSwiftmud limits residents to weekly lawn watering
Published January 10, 2007
BROOKSVILLE - With the Green Swamp thirsty for rain and the Withlacoochee River nearly dry, the Southwest Florida Water Management District declared Tuesday that everyone in its 16-county area must cut back water use for the next six months.
Local governments such as St. Petersburg that had been letting residents water their lawns two days a week must restrict them to once a week, beginning next Tuesday and lasting until July 31.
Even governments already restricting lawn watering to once weekly will have to cut the hours. Irrigation that could run until 10 a.m. now must occur before 8 a.m., while evening watering that was allowed to start at 4 p.m. now must wait until after 6.
"Everybody needs to start doing their part," said Dave Moore, executive director of the state agency commonly known as Swiftmud.
There are exceptions to the restrictions. For instance, they do not apply to new planting, such as landscaping for newly built subdivisions and stores.
And Moore said the drought will not stop Swiftmud from approving new water consumption permits over the next six months.
"Management of water availability is a long-term problem, while water shortages are a short-term problem," he said.
He said Swiftmud can't declare a moratorium on development, even during a drought that is causing the underground aquifer to drop below normal conditions.
"Under the statutory authority of the water management districts, we don't control growth," he said. "Growth decisions are made at the local level."
On Dec. 1, when Moore and his staff were first considering tighter watering restrictions, the board of Swiftmud approved permits that allowed developers to pump more than 900,000 gallons of water a day from the aquifer in Polk and Sumter counties.
Some users are already pumping more than their allotted share - with few consequences.
Haines City, for instance, has been using 4.16-million gallons a day, nearly 12 percent more than its permitted 3.73-million.
So last month Swiftmud changed Haines City's permit, raising the limit to 5.71-million gallons per day. "The increases are needed because of an increase in population," Swiftmud announced in a news release.
And last year Zephyrhills topped its permitted daily average of 2.75-million gallons by nearly 200,000 gallons a day. In the past two months the city has been able to reduce its water use to the legal limit, said Louie Sellars, utilities superintendent. But it's getting harder to stay within its means as new residents drive up water use, he said.
Hernando County is by far the biggest offender on Swiftmud's list. Its two permits allow it to pump 21-million gallons per day, but it has been overpumping by 2.5-million gallons per day, according to Swiftmud. Like Haines City and Zephyrhills, Hernando County has asked Swiftmud for more water.
Swiftmud has threatened to fine Hernando, but that's a step the agency rarely takes. It imposed no fines last year.
No matter what the weather, Swiftmud's policy is generally to avoid imposing fines and instead concentrate on getting the violators to start complying with their permits, said Swiftmud attorney Bill Bilenky.
Signs of an impending water crisis have been popping up since summer. Rainfall has been light everywhere except in some coastal counties such as Pinellas and at Tampa International Airport. In Citrus, Hernando, Pasco and other counties, the rainfall fell so short that Swiftmud classified it as "critically abnormal."
One hard-hit area is the Green Swamp, the source of four of Central Florida's rivers: the Withlacoochee, Hillsborough, Okalawaha and Peace. Two of those, the Hillsborough and the Peace, supply drinking water. So when the Green Swamp goes thirsty, it cuts into the water supply for Tampa and Sarasota.
"The Withlacoochee River near Holder is nearly empty," Moore said.
Low flows on rivers, such as the Alafia, cut into the supply available for Tampa Bay Water's customers. Instead the utility must get water from underground pumping or tap its new 15-billion-gallon reservoir. In October, the reservoir held about 14-billion gallons. As of Jan. 1, it was down to 10-billion gallons.
Moore said he had been contemplating the stepped-up restrictions as early as November, but held off because forecasters said the El Nino weather pattern was likely to bring heavy rains in December.
But those storms did not materialize, and now forecasters say El Nino is dissipating. The last time there was El Nino, Moore said, plenty of rain fell, but when it ended, "it was like someone shut the rainfall off."
And the summer rainy season won't arrive until June.
"We've got another five months of dry season to get through," said Granville Kinsman, Swiftmud's director of hydrological data. "We've got to get more rain to keep the water supply flowing."
Craig Pittman can be reached at craig@sptimes.com Asjylyn Loder can be reached at aloder@sptimes.com or 352754-6127
Manatee deaths a record
But the wildlife agency wants to lessen their protection.
By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer
Published January 10, 2007
A record-high number of manatees died in Florida last year, fueled in part by a rise in watercraft-related fatalities.
The state saw 416 manatee deaths, one more than the previous high in 1996, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute reported. That included 86 watercraft-related fatalities, the second highest ever.
The report was released Tuesday - just two days before the comment period ends on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's proposal to downgrade manatees from an endangered to a threatened species.
The proposed downgrade has irked groups like the Save the Manatee Club because, among other things, the state's new manatee plan would allow a loss of 30 percent of the manatee population within the next three generations.
Record mortality numbers fit in with that kind of picture.
"They're managing for a declining population," Save the Manatee executive director Pat Rose said. "You're supposed to manage for an optimal population ... so we're obviously pretty frustrated."
But Florida Fish and Wildlife officials aren't sure whether the rise in deaths is cause for concern.
"Scientists are unsure as to whether the increase reflects manatee population growth, increased mortality or better detection of carcasses," the agency said in a news release.
"It's always sad to see such high numbers, especially in watercraft-caused mortality, but these numbers shed some light on the measures we can take in our commitment to reducing human-related threats to manatees and possibly other threats," wildlife commission Chairman Rodney Barreto said. "With continued human population growth and enjoyment of the outdoors, we must all be diligent in the conservation and protection of this gentle animal."
The manatee plan examines existing protections and proposes new ones. It also includes new measurements for the health and viability of the manatee population.
By Tuesday afternoon, the state had received 664 comments on the proposal.
The plan will be presented to the wildlife commission on June 13 in Melbourne. If the commission accepts the plan and reclassifies manatees as threatened, the designation will indicate that the species has a very high risk of extinction.
The 2006 mortality numbers didn't surprise John Sprague, government affairs chairman for Marine Industries of Florida. As the manatee population has grown, he said, so has the number that eventually perish.
The statewide count of manatees has grown from 1,268 in 1991 - the year of the first count - to a high of nearly 3,300 in 2001. About 3,100 were counted last year.
While some argue that means the population has risen, others attribute the numbers to improved manatee counting techniques.
Boat-related deaths have traditionally made up about a quarter of the overall number of manatee deaths, but Sprague noted that if it hadn't been for the 61 Red Tide deaths last year, the number would not have even been close to the record.
"We believe that the animal is going to be around forever," he said. "We don't believe that the public is going to allow numbers to get low enough for it to become extinct."
Blaming the rise in deaths on the fact that there are more manatees doesn't wash with Rose, from the Save the Manatee Club.
"We're not getting a large increase in mortality in places where we're seeing increasing or stable manatee populations," he said. Instead, he said, it is along the east coast and the southwest section of the state where manatee deaths are increasing while the populations are declining or mixed.
Crystal River in west Citrus County is preparing for the onslaught of visitors to the annual Florida Manatee Festival this weekend. Between finalizing her comments about the state's manatee management plan and arranging logistics for the arrival of the club's massive manatee promotional balloon for the festival, Save the Manatee co-chairwoman Helen Spivey was fretting over the latest mortality numbers.
But even more troubling to her was a state news release that tried to explain away the record number of deaths.
"I think it's a professional spin as good as the Democrats and Republicans put out," said Spivey, a former state legislator. "I think it's just spin, and I really hate to see a state agency spin something that means so much to an imperiled species."
Barbara Behrendt can be reached at 352 564-3621 or behrendt@sptimes.com.Newcomers, farmers make odd neighbors in South Dade
Some homeowners lured to South Miami-Dade have discovered living near farmland can be far from peaceful.
BY TERE FIGUERAS NEGRETE
tfigueras@MiamiHerald.com
Eddy Calero put down roots in South Miami-Dade three years ago, lured by a still reasonable real estate market and the prospect of swapping Kendall's stop-and-go traffic for a less harried commute through pastoral farmland.
But he didn't count on the sluggish tractors that sometimes clog the only road from his subdivision to the turnpike at inopportune moments -- like when he and his neighbors are heading to work.
Nor did he factor in the dust, which cast a cloud over a nephew's recent birthday party at a neighborhood park. Machinery readying a nearby field for planting sprayed the festivities with misty waves of soil.
''Who would've thought they would be working on a Saturday?'' said Calero, 30, an architect.
The housing boom that brought Calero and thousands like him to South Miami-Dade has made unlikely neighbors of farmers and these suburban transplants -- some of whom are discovering that living so close to Miami-Dade County's agricultural industry can be far from bucolic.
Complaints about farming activities -- some legitimate, some not -- are increasing as more people move in, prompting the county's agricultural director to draft brochures that will outline the sometimes unpleasant particulars of living close to a bustling, billion-dollar industry.
''They get here and it's a wake-up call,'' said Charles LaPradd, the county's agricultural manager. ``The ag industry is dirty, dusty, loud, noisy and 24 hours a day.''
He plans to distribute the brochures to real estate agencies and other businesses that might reach potential buyers.
Standing in a field of knee-high sweet corn, John Alger ticks off a list of farming chores he is sure will inevitably annoy his soon-to-be neighbors: noisy pumps chugging through the night; irrigation spray misting the sides of homes; the unmistakable perfume of fertilizer wafting over backyards.
''We don't make great neighbors,'' said Alger, eyeing a new crop of single-family houses under construction along one of his fields near the Homestead Miami Speedway. ``We'd like to be, but that's not how it works.''
Enforcement officers at Team Metro's South District, which stretches from Southwest 184th Street to the county line, are fielding more complaints about agricultural activities -- even as the actual acreage of land farmed has shrunk.
MORE DEVELOPMENT
During South Dade's housing boom, the number of agricultural acres in the county fell by an average of 1,800-plus each year -- from 80,237 in 2000 to 68,918 in 2006. Much of the agricultural land was replaced with residential development, according to Miami-Dade's Planning and Zoning Department.
''As more people move in with development, we're getting more calls,'' said Leon Cristiano, Team Metro's South District director.
He said the office dealt with only a handful of similar complaints before the housing boom. In 2006, he estimated, the number topped 300 -- a relatively small slice of the office's caseload, but one that can take up plenty of time.
Just driving out to a routine inspection on the far fringes of the county can take hours. And then there are the tasks that would vex even Dr. Dolittle: An anonymous complaint about a noisy and overpopulated chicken coop meant an unusual house call to make sure the owner was adhering to the 99-chicken limit outlined by code -- he wasn't.
''Chickens and roosters move around,'' Cristiano said. ``It's not that easy to do a head count.''
FARMING PROTECTIONS
Normal agricultural activity is protected under Florida's Right to Farm Act, created to protect farmers near urbanized areas from nuisance lawsuits. Some farmers have taken to posting metal signs, purchased from the Dade County Farm Bureau, that warn of ''odors, noises, spraying and insects'' and advise prospective buyers interested in settling nearby to ``take this into consideration.''
Newlyweds Sal and Jessica Benchetrit were eager to snap up their two-story townhome in the sprawling Keys Gate development in Homestead two years ago.
''This felt like the last frontier,'' said Sal Benchetrit, who was raised in Kendall and charmed by the fruit groves in South Dade.
Not so charming, though, was a chalky film that would coat his black Toyota 4-Runner, mystifying him at first.
''It would be fine, and the next day it would be covered by this white soot,'' said Benchetrit, who realized the mystery dust was from mineral deposits and caused by spraying at nearby fields.
The county requires sellers to provide a disclosure -- warning of potential bothers such as livestock, pesticides and large machinery -- to new buyers purchasing property in or adjacent to agricultural land. The disclosure wouldn't apply to homeowners such as Calero and the Benchetrits, whose homes are tucked into large developments and don't directly abut farmland.
Not that the disclosure would have changed their minds.
''When you think about the price, getting stuck behind a tractor or some dust is not that bad,'' said Calero, who, like the Benchetrits, paid less than $200,000 for his four-bedroom home.
With new homes continuing to sprout alongside his fields, Alger -- whose family has been farming in the area since 1934 -- is pragmatic about the changes that have come to South Dade.
''This is not the cozy little town that I grew up in,'' Alger said. ``But this is where people want to be, and this is where there is still land that people can buy.''
The small-town feel may be a thing of the past, but Alger and other long-timers say newcomers would be wise to brush up on neighborly etiquette -- such as staying off his fields. On a recent weekend, Alger lost several hundred dollars' worth of produce after ATV riders drove in loops across his field, trampling cornrows.
DANGER ON ROADS
Another, potentially dangerous, faux pas: motorists who cut off farm equipment, especially heavy machinery like tractors, and drive aggressively near horses.
In November, a horse was killed and its rider badly injured after a sport utility vehicle struck them while driving down a Redland road. The case is pending, Miami-Dade police said.
More homes will likely bring even more complaints, said Francie Boellard, head of code compliance for Team Metro's South District.
Aiming her county-issued Ford sedan north along a rural stretch of road, Boellard slows down to point out a pair of roadside signs: The first announces ''Hay for Sale.'' The second advertises ''Custom Built Houses'' coming soon. The full-color poster depicts a Spanish-style manse complete with barrel-tiled turrets.
''Where else but here are you going to see something like that?'' Boellard said. ``And I bet as soon as those new people come in, some of them are going to start complaining.''
Minneola wants local controls
City Council members have questions about the school district's ideas about growth limits.
Robert SargentSentinel Staff Writer
January 10, 2007
MINNEOLA -- School leaders are encouraging one last city to join Lake County's "pay-as-you-grow" plan, which will help ensure enough classrooms are built to handle the rapid spread of new homes.
During the past year, the school district has worked with the county and 14 local cities on an agreement to protect schools from the tremendous impacts of growth. School officials say all the governments now have signed off except for a single holdout -- Minneola.
Some City Council members argue that they are not trying to delay efforts.
But they have serious concerns about the concurrency plan, and they say they want answers from the school district.
In the meantime, Minneola has considered its own interim proposal for school concurrency.
That idea could be brought up during a City Council meeting at 7 p.m. today, although some officials may ask to delay the discussion.
Minneola has scheduled another meeting Jan. 16 to talk with representatives from the school district about the countywide concurrency project.
"It is absolutely important to get the city to sign on for us to get concurrency on a countywide basis," said School Board member Cindy Barrow. "It is the final step."
Minneola officials say they are concerned how the county agreement will affect their city and plans for schools in the area.
One issue that has been discussed with several cities is whether countywide concurrency will give the School Board too much control over proposed residential development.
City Council member Ed Earl said he is concerned about one part of the concurrency agreement that could require Minneola to share its public facilities with other governments.
"I have some issues with allowing any other city to come in and use our recreational facilities that Minneola taxpayers paid for," Earl said.
Council member Joseph Teri agreed: "Why should we be compelled to make the Minneola gym available to Clermont, Groveland or Montverde?
"And what does that have anything to do with providing educational facilities to the students of Lake County?"
Earl also said he is concerned about proposed service areas and that residential developments may be approved if classroom capacity is available in an adjacent service area -- possibly miles away.
Teri said many of the concerns should be addressed.
He said Minneola is a strong school supporter. When considering some new developments, officials have required builders to turn over land and money to help build new facilities.
"We have done a good job," Teri added.
Robert Sargent can be reached at rsargent@orlandosentinel.com or 352-742-5909.
ATVs Can Be All-Terrain Violations of Property and Ecology |
The holidays are barely over and I'm already getting complaints about the
environmental effects of some of the presents.
I'm talking about all-terrain vehicles.
The problem is not the vehicles themselves, but some of the people who ride
them.
There are thousands of these vehicles among the estimated 20,000 off-road
vehicles owned by Polk County residents. Off-road vehicles can include
anything from dirt bikes to swamp buggies.
One problem is trespassing.
First, of course, is the fact that trespassing is against the law, though
I've learned that property owners have to post their land to allow the
police to take action.
Even if it weren't illegal, it's still disrespectful and destructive.
Environmental land managers regularly battle incursions by ATV users. I
personally know of cases were ATV users have cut fences and knocked down
gates at nature preserves. It is distressing.
Another serious problem is the effect on wildlife and natural areas.
The current issue of Audubon magazine details the problems ATVs cause for
shorebirds on North Carolina's Outer Banks.
Closer to home I was talking to someone who witnessed some kids on ATVs
harassing sandhill crane chicks. When they confronted them about it, the
youths said they didn't realize they were doing anything wrong. Amazing.
Outlaw ATV riders can damage environmentally sensitive habitat and their
vehicles are certainly capable of spreading exotic plant species or
agricultural diseases such as citrus canker.
Then there are the annoyance and safety factors.
Lake Wales officials voted in December to ban ATVs from public property at
the recommendation of the city police to prevent just that sort of thing.
Some county parks have been forced to post signs to ban ATVs because of
problems.
County commissioners in neighboring Lake County voted unanimously in October
to opt out of a state law that allows ATVs on unpaved public roads.
The option has been offered to Polk commissioners to do the same thing, but
so far they've taken no action.
County commissioners have been talking on and off for years about
establishing a place to let off-road enthusiasts ride to their hearts'
content, possibly on some reclaimed phosphate land in southern Polk.
That would probably be a good place for the activity.
The terrain is varied enough to make the ride challenging, the land has
already been torn up and it's remote enough to eliminate the possibility for
any complaints from the neighbors.
It's hard to know whether that will reduce the local complaints, but it's
worth a try. Besides, a well-rounded park system should probably have places
for as many user groups as possible.
NEW YEAR'S DAY HIKE
I stopped by to check on the reaction to County Commissioner Bob English's
inaugural New Year's Day health hike at Circle B Bar Reserve.
Despite cloudy skies and an initial drizzle, about 150 people showed up and
appeared to enjoy themselves.
Even when there's not a special event, I usually see quite a few cars parked
there. The investment in places like this appears to be paying off.
BIG O BIRDING FESTIVAL
If you don't mind traveling, there will be an interesting nature festival at
the other end of the Kissimmee River in early spring. It is the sixth annual
Big O Birding festival, scheduled for March 30, 31 and April 1 in Moore
Haven.
The festival has moved to capitalize on the return of swallow-tailed kites
from their migration to South America and will feature a couple of Florida's
premier outdoor writers and photographers.
They are Tallahassee naturalist and writer Susan Cerulean and Gainesville
photographer John Moran.
Cerulean is author of "Tracking Desire: A Journey After Swallow-tailed
Kites," which concerned her association with swallow-tailed kite
researchers and personal reflections on this striking bird of prey.
Moran will give a presentation on his book "Journal of Light: The
Visual Diary of a Florida Nature Photographer," a 20-year collection of
photos and essays, published by University Press of Florida in 2004.
For more information on the Big O Birding Festival, visit their Web site at www.bigobirdingfestival.com
or e-mail twhirls@gladescountyedc.com.
Sand Sellers May Go to Slammer
Just don't try to sell it on eBay.
City officials recently warned an eBay seller of the consequences of breaking the city's ban on sand sales after learning of an Internet auction offering a bag of Sanibel's grains at $7 a pop.
The punishments for those convicted are two months in jail and up to $500 in fines.
The listing was removed from the Web site last week and no charges were filed against the would-be seller.
But city officials said that they will consider prosecution if the island's sand shows up for sale again.
"We take violations of our environmental ordinances very seriously," City Manager Judith Zimomra said. "Fortunately, we have a lot of eyes and ears out there that are concerned about Sanibel's environment."
Littlefield joins PSC, pledges cheap, reliable energy
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Former Florida House Rep. Ken Littlefield joined the five-member Florida Public Service Commission today, pledging to help promote cheap and reliable energy and a competitive telephone market balanced with adequate consumer protection.
"I consider the responsibility of the Public Service Commission to be one of the highest in the state," Littlefield, R-Wesley Chapel, told a packed room in Tallahassee of former utility regulators, lawmakers, family and friends. "Being appointed to take a seat on the commission is certainly a huge honor."
The PSC regulates the state's utilities such as Florida Power & Light Co., telephone companies including BellSouth Corp., and some water and wastewater companies.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Littlefield to a four-year term.
Joining Littlefield this morning was PSC member Isilio Arriaga, who was sworn in for a second four-year term.
Arriaga joined the PSC in 2005, filling a seat left by Charles Davidson, who resigned.
Arriaga promised fairness to consumer advocates and to utilities.
"As demonstrated by my 15 months as commissioner, I will always vote my conscience," he said. "Decisions will continue to be based on the facts before us."
Both appointments, however, still need to be confirmed by the state Senate, and Gov. Charlie Crist is reviewing all of Bush's choices.
"Governor Crist has every right to review the appointments that Governor Bush has made that haven't gone through the confirmation process," PSC spokesman Anthony De Luise said today.
Crist has been vocal about making changes at the PSC, saying the regulatory agency's obligation is to the people instead of to the utilities they regulate.
"I certainly think we need to change the PSC," Crist said before the election. "If ... I am elected governor, it (the PSC) will change very quickly in the appointment process of who those people are, because the first question in my mind will be: ëDo they understand that their obligation is to the people first and foremost, and to protect them and make sure they aren't taken advantage of?' "
The PSC was to meet at 1 p.m. today. Included on the agenda is a review of the power-pole inspection plans that have been implemented by FPL and other utilities.
Construction Coming To Bella Verde
Published: Jan 10, 2007
SAN ANTONIO - If things had gone as planned, Cannon Ranch's conversion from grazing land to homes and businesses would be nearly finished by now.
The 1989 agreement between the county and the owners of the ranch envisioned the golf course community being built by 2009.
Nearly 20 years after that agreement was signed, highway billboards and roadside signs promise resort-style living on the property, now known as Bella Verde.
So far, though, two unoccupied single-story buildings and an overgrown would-be fountain - the core of a future sales center just south of State Road 52 - are all that stand on the property.
"It's the bridesmaid," said Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader, who represents east Pasco. "It can't seem to get to the altar."
That's about to change, says the man who leads the consortium developing the 2,000-acre ranch.
"About a year ago, we corrected some engineering that had been done that was requiring the project to import a lot of fill that was unnecessary," said Lee Newell, president of California-based New Cities Land Co. Inc. "At this point, the site balances and we're actually under construction."
Don't expect to see bulldozers and backhoes any time soon. The survey markers, silt fencing and tree guards must go in first. Then will begin the clearing and grubbing.
Bella Verde has cleared review by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has cleared the developers to kill or move about 40 gopher tortoises on the site.
To win approval from the Corps and the water management district, the developers agreed to create or enhance wetlands to offset those destroyed by development.
Bayou Branch, a tributary of Cypress Creek, crosses the northern third of Bella Verde, which also has several ditches, streams and wetlands.
The developers also say they'll keep 46 percent of the property in open space or wildlife habitat and will build underpasses for small animals beneath two major roads.
Earthmoving later this year will shape both home lots and the professional-level golf course at the center of the development. Lots could be up for sale by 2008, Newell said.
"The marketplace in Pasco under a half-million dollars for a home is still pretty strong," Newell said. "I think it will have at least an allure for out-of-state people."
A Step Beyond
Bella Verde's developers, who include Saddlebrook Resort founder Tom Dempsey, envision the new project as a step beyond the aging Wesley Chapel golf-and-tennis resort. Bella Verde's golf course will be designed by Arnold Palmer and will be wired to broadcast national tournaments.
The golf course should be ready for play by summer, Newell said.
Newell plans eventually to turn the project over to residential developers. A planned sale this past summer did not materialize.
"That's still in flux right now," Newell said. "We're talking to a number of interested parties, all household names you'd recognize."
Last October, Newell signed a $21 million mortgage against about two-thirds of the project and began moving ahead with development.
Newell expects to begin issuing community development bonds this spring to build roads, water lines and other public utilities.
The developers won approval in 2005 to issue $220 million in special assessment revenue bonds for Bella Verde's three districts, according to records on file with Pasco County. Future residents will repay those bonds.
For people not in line to buy homes, Bella Verde remains of interest because it's a linchpin in the county's road plans for east Pasco.
Truck Route, Road Widening
Bella Verde is committed to building the western half of Clinton Avenue Extension, a county project intended to shunt truck traffic around State Road 52 bottlenecks at St. Leo and downtown Dade City.
The developers deal with county and regional planners also requires them to widen S.R. 52 between Interstate 75 and the entrance to Bella Verde just east of McKendree Road. That widening was supposed to have been completed by this year, but now has a 2010 deadline, according to county road plans.
Last year, Bella Verde also sold land to the county to widen Tyndall Road and Curley Road along its southeastern perimeter. The eventual Tyndall widening will serve a high school planned for Bella Verde's southeast quadrant.
Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201 or kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com.
Arsenic, lead halt development near Wellington Green
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
WELLINGTON — Elevated levels of arsenic and small amounts of lead have been found in the ground water or soil south of Pierson Road near the Mall at Wellington Green, forcing a home development to be halted and prompting testing in nearby areas.
Builders at the proposed 202-home Oakmont Estates alerted Wellington officials to the discovery of the odorless, tasteless and potentially deadly arsenic poison Friday, after testing for about two months.
Sale of the homes is now on hold, including 67 that builder Centex Homes reports are under contract but have not closed.
"We are voluntarily delaying the closings," said Centex spokeswoman Aimee Craig Carlson, who said buyers have an option to pull out of the deals without penalty.
Centex plans to do more testing for lead, Carlson said late Tuesday.
Gary Clough, the village's engineering and environmental services director, said, "Obviously, we're going to test our property, too, because we have K-Park there."
The future site of the 67-acre park is east of the Oakmont property on State Road 7.
Although arsenic is a naturally occurring element, high levels are found in fertilizers and pesticides.
Both Oakmont and K-Park are old farmland, but K-Park was farmed more recently, about 18 months ago, according to the village. The village does not suspect any arsenic contamination in drinking wells, Clough said. Lead was detected only in the soil, along with the traces of arsenic.
The village will begin testing nearby canals and K-Park in two weeks.
Centex has pledged to clean up any arsenic on its site and possibly meet with state and federal officials on Feb. 9, said Stephen Webster, spokesman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Property owners tested the land about two years ago after its purchase, according to the village. After recent testing, however, Centex told Wellington that the area affected with arsenic is larger than initially thought, Clough said.
The cause for the arsenic or lead is unknown, Centex said Tuesday.
New restrictions on allowable levels of arsenic recently took effect. It was unclear whether the Oakmont lands were within the acceptable arsenic levels of the old rules, while failing to meet the stricter regulations. As for the lead discovery, Oakmont was for years the site of an old skeet range, where lead bullets may have been used.
Centex planned to sell single-family homes at Oakmont for $555,000 to $800,000. Arsenic, which can be fatal in small doses or cause cancer after long-term exposure, also was found at the site of Palm Beach Central High School before its construction.
Pulte Home Corp. to get at least $1.1M in disputed impact fees
By Mark PinoSentinel Staff Writer
January 10, 2007, 1:32 PM EST
KISSIMMEE -- A circuit judge approved an order today that clears the way for about $1.16 million in disputed impact fees to be paid to the Pulte Home Corporation.
Another $277,638 will be put into a special account pending a final determination on whether it should be distributed among 180 homeowners or to the company.
Pulte sued Osceola County over its procedure for the refunds from school-impact fees in July. The refunds became necessary because after a judge in 2005 lowered the fee.
The fees are charged on new homes to pay for building new schools. They typically are paid by the builder and added to the cost of a home but Pulte said it doesn't "pass through" individual costs to buyers.
Pulte and the county were waiting to see how many homeowners filled out applications for the refunds. Of the 1,040 homes in question, there were only 180 units where Pulte and the homeowner both filed for the money. The 860 that only Pulte filed for translates into the $1.16 million that the county will pay to Pulte in the next 14 days.
Pulte has 90 days to add those owners to the case. The county and the school board "are relieved of all further responsibility in these proceeding or for the refund of the moneys sought from the Contested Applications," according to the order.
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Detective: Sky developer won't face extradition from Germany
By Mike WrightThe owner of a Miami development company, Sky, accused in a multi-million dollar land scam in Citrus Springs and South Florida fled to Germany and likely will not face charges, an investigator said.
Authorities recently discovered that Natalia Wolf arrived in Frankfort, Germany, in October, shortly before an investigation by the FBI and Citrus County Sheriff’s Office began.
German authorities will not extradite Wolf to the United States for possible prosecution because the criminal allegations are of a financial nature, sheriff’s detective Mike Kanter said Tuesday.
He said German officials told the FBI that once its case against Wolf is complete, to forward it to Germany where Wolf could be charged there. However, they gave no assurance of that or if Wolf would be required to pay restitution if convicted of fraud charges, Kanter said.
Meanwhile, authorities continue to search for a man identified as Victor Wolf, who may or may not be married to Natalia Wolf. Kanter said he believes Wolf is not the man’s real name, though Kanter discovered a boating citation from South Florida and a driver’s license from another state under the name of Victor Wolf.
“We cannot find any Victor Wolf going anywhere,” he said.
Kanter said a friend who works in the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Natalia Wolf was in Germany.
“She knew what she had done and knew she had to leave the area quickly,” Kanter said, adding he hasn’t spoken with Natalia Wolf.
Investigators say Sky sold hundreds of Citrus Springs lots that it doesn’t own and received down payments for houses it didn’t build.
The investigation spans across Florida and at least four other states.
County will chip in on land buyLake joins agreement to purchase land for conservation, parkway
Joshua Davidovich
Staff Writer
TAVARES - The Lake County Commission approved an agreement Tuesday that will pave the way for the eventual purchase of 1,584 acres slated for environmental protection and a new highway.
Several government agencies have been negotiating together to buy the Neighborhood Lakes property, which straddles the Lake-Orange county line near Mount Plymouth. Though 1,056 of the acres lie in Lake County, they will account for only $5 million of the property's total $60.2 million price tag.
The acquisition of the land will pave the way for the creation of the Wekiva Parkway, a new highway planned to link the northwestern reaches of the Orlando area. The highway will cut diagonally across 10 percent of the land; the other 90 percent will be used for environmental protection.
"This is a very important piece of land to purchase," County Commissioner Linda Stewart said.
The parcel is one of several named by a state statute requiring government agencies to acquire environmentally sensitive lands before the Wekiva parkway can come through.
Robert Christianson of the Saint Johns River Water Management District said acquiring the land is essential to protect water resources.
"The land is located within a critical recharge area of the Wekiva River," he said.
Money for the purchase will come primarily from the Florida Department of Environmental protection, with Orange County, the Saint Johns River Water Management District, Lake County and the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority also pitching in.
Though the land will become part of the state's park system, Lake County will have a seat at the table on 211 acres of the land. Public Lands Manager David Hansen said he hoped to be able to use the land for gopher tortoise relocation, as well a north-south trail.
The county is still trying to work out how to pay for its share of the land, which some called excessive.
"We're all experiencing sticker shock," Commissioner Elaine Renick said. "It's named in the statute, so we weren't in the best bargaining position."
The Public Land Acquisition Advisory Council, which oversees a $36 million land acquisition budget, asked for only half of the money to come from their bond, and for the county to find other ways to pay for the other $2.5 million.
"It's all going at one time, in one shot, in one place," Renick said, agreeing with the council.
However, Commission Chairman Welton Cadwell said he thought the full amount should come from the PLA budget.
"The money should come from land acquisition," he said. "You've got to look at it as a value for all of central Florida."
Though the commission did not decide on a total funding mechanism, Hansen said the full cost would probably end up coming out of the Public Lands budget.
County, North Port to tackle growth again
SARASOTA COUNTY -- County and North Port leaders will meet again on Jan. 16 to try to forge a growth management plan.The two sides have held a series of meetings since September, when the county threatened to put a growth-control question affecting North Port up for a countywide referendum. The County Commission could vote Friday to put the issue on the March ballot.
But the commissioners decided Tuesday that another meeting with North Port officials could help finalize the planning agreement. That decision means the county will likely postpone a vote on the March referendum, officials said.
North Port and the county reached a verbal agreement on Jan. 4. City Commissioner Barbara Gross expects the parties to formalize the agreement on Jan. 16.
However, North Port officials remain adamant about the city's right to sue if the county goes forward with the ballot question, Gross said.
"Unless the county says they are not going to go to referendum, we want to preserve our right to litigate," Gross said.
The county has until Jan. 26 to decide if it wants to go to referendum. The county commissioners have said repeatedly that, if a 25-year joint planning agreement is worked out, it would trump any referendum.
North Port officials oppose the referendum because they believe it would give Sarasota County unprecedented powers over rural lands annexed by the city.
North Port's population has more than doubled since 2000 and county officials fear uncontrolled growth could choke infrastructure in southern Sarasota County.
In other action Tuesday:
The County Commission
voted to send a complaint to the Florida Department of Transportation about
delays in U.S. 41 construction in Nokomis.Commissioner Jon Thaxton said a contractor's request for a 160-day extension to the project is too long. An FDOT spokesman said the request is for 80 days and the department is still considering it. A decision is expected in weeks, the spokesman said.
The county asked for
input from the public about waterfront property on Blackburn Point Road. The
county is crafting a plan about what to do with the nearly 11 acres, which it
bought for preservation in 2005.Staff Writer Doug Sword contributed to this report.
With terms, Crystal River votes to annex Plantation
ELENA LESLEYMany are sure of the addition, but others worry it will create an enclave.
Published January 10, 2007
CRYSTAL RIVER - The City Council voted Monday to annex the Plantation Inn and Golf Resort under certain conditions, even though the move might create an enclave.
"Welcome to the city," Mayor Ron Kitchen announced to hotel representatives.
While the Plantation has wanted to annex into the city so it can obtain city sewer service - and Crystal River certainly wants to bring the Plantation within its limits - a small neighborhood that lies between the two has raised concerns about the prospect.
Residents of Harbor Isle don't want to join the city. But city staffers worried that unless the neighborhood agreed to annex, bringing in the Plantation would create an illegal enclave.
City Attorney Anthony Perrone told the council that Crystal River might be able to work around the problem.
"It seems unfair that that little sliver would block us from annexing anything further west," Perrone said.
So he began researching the issue and said that according to recent changes in state law, an annexation can create an enclave if it is approved in advance by the Department of Community Affairs or negotiated with the county.
In the meantime, Perrone is still pursuing a circuit judge's opinion on whether the annexation would indeed create an enclave.
"I'm fairly sure that we will be able to annex" using one of these three methods, he said.
If all should fail, the Plantation will agree to join the city at the time that it becomes contiguous with Crystal River.
Representatives from the county and the city have said they will work together to find a solution to Harbor Isle's reliance on septic tanks.
In other council news:
- Appointments to a Charter Review Committee sparked discussion when Kitchen said he thought the spouses of council members should not hold such positions.
The council appointed Susan Kirk's husband and John Kostelnick's wife to the committee.
- The council passed, on final reading, an ordinance banning the use or sale of fast-release fertilizers in the city.
Polk's Housing Lull Not Over, Report SaysTwo years ago, Polk's County's real estate market was a seller's dream. Realtors couldn't keep inventory, buyers were snapping up two houses at a time and the good times were rolling. Then along came 2006.
LAKELAND - Two years ago, Polk's County's real estate market was a seller's dream.
Realtors couldn't keep inventory, buyers were snapping up two houses at a time and the good times were rolling.
Then along came 2006.
Flat prices, an abundance of unsold new homes and incomes that struggled to keep up with the rise in home prices led to some of the poorest monthly showings since The Ledger started keeping records.
So what's the future hold?
More struggles for about two years and then a turn in 2009.
"Polk County's economy will grow through 2009," Hank Fishkind, owner and economist of Fishkind & Associates in Orlando, will report this week when he releases a two-year projection that he authored. Fishkind partnered with the Attorneys' Title Insurance Fund to create the look at local real estate markets in Florida.
"With excess inventory in the housing stock, future growth is expected to slow as household formation declines and existing inventories are sold," Fishkind reports. "This trend is expected to continue forward through 2008. By 2009, inventories of housing units are expected to increase."
Polk County had a peak year for growth in 2005: More than 11,000 building permits were issued and nearly 6,600 existing homes were sold.
But 2006 fell flat. Home sales have fallen 21percent to about 5,200 and permits dropped nearly 43percent to about 6,500 last year.
"Closing volumes are expected to slip in 2007 and the housing market peaks in response to higher interest rates and a lower formation of households," Fishkind's report said. "However, closings are expected to increase steadily through 2009 as the market re-equilibrates.
"Pricing will be relatively flat for the balance of 2006, 2007 and 2008. It will take this much time for incomes to catch up to the recent sharp run up in home prices. Prices will not rise appreciably until 2009."
"This is what we are seeing in historical data," said Dan Webber, a spokesman for The Fund.
Commercial property is expected to gain in strength as well. But, like residential property, it won't happen for another two years and dips in sales are expected.
The report predicts the commercial market will dip this year and in 2008 to a low of 8million square feet of new construction, but will rebound to 9.2million in 2009.
"Population growth as well as the Interstate 4 corridor will continue to induce new projects carrying forward through 2009," the report said.
While many experts agree on the problems facing the local, state and
national market, the time for a rebound differs.
"We still have stuff going on," said Dean Saunders, owner and broker
of Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate in Lakeland. "Things
are still moving pretty well. I think what happened was that we underestimated
the number of speculators in the market."
Speculators, buyers who have no intention of living in a home or keeping a
property for a substantial amount of time, purchased property throughout the
state, all in the hopes of making a quick buck. But the investments and fast
purchasing drove up market prices, causing a frenzy in both commercial and
residential real estate circles.
It meant skyrocketing prices and overbuilding of properties.
But for the market to make a full rebound, home inventories need to be cleared
out, experts say.
"It is all going to be dependant on the absorption rate," said Grant
Thrall, a professor of geography at University of Florida, referring to the
existing home inventories in Polk. "There's not a lot of new construction
going on."
Thrall predicted the market to rebound in 12 to 18 months when buying begins
again.
It was a lack of consumer confidence and a rise in affiliate home costs, such
as property taxes and homeowners insurance, that brought the market to a near
standstill, Thrall said.
"I think it will be overcome," he said. "It (investing in a
home) is a good thing to do. It is a good and safe place for your life
savings. It's a good time to buy and will be for the next two years. And if
they are waiting for it to go down more (in price), they are just going to
miss it. The market is going to go up."
Jeremy Maready can be reached at 863-802-7592 or jeremy.maready@theledger.com.
Wal-Mart Wants Big Center in Busy Spot
LAKELAND - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, has proposed
building a 207,205-square-foot supercenter on Kathleeen Road at Interstate 4,
but the company first will have to allay the concerns of city planning
officials on traffic and zoning issues.
"We don't know that the traffic will fit," said Jim Studiale, the
community development director for the City of Lakeland, on Tuesday.
"It's not yet zoned correctly....There's a lot of steps they (Wal-Mart
officials) have to go through."
The next step will occur at 11:05 a.m. Jan. 18 when officials from various
municipal departments meet with Wal-Mart representatives for a "concept
plan review" of the proposed project. Scott M. Gentry of the Orlando
engineering firm Kelly, Collins & Gentry Inc. submitted a concept plan to
the city last month.
The concept review meeting, which will be open to the public, will be held in
Conference Room 7A on the seventh floor of the Lakeland Electric and Water
Building behind City Hall.
The concept plan contains only a cover sheet with Gentry's name and address,
an area map showing the location of the Wal-Mart property and a draft site
plan showing the dimensions of the supercenter and attached structures and the
parking lot.
Wal-Mart proposes to build the supercenter on a lot abutting the Interstate
4-Kathleen Road exit to the south. The property adjoins Kathleen Road to the
east and the CSX Railroad tracks on the west. The Salvation Army of Western
Polk County has a church and office on the property to the north.
The latter is significant because the supercenter would include a liquor store
on its south side. The Salvation Army creed requiresabstinence from liquor,
and the church has opposed liquor establishments locating nearby.
The liquor store would not appear to violate the city's land use regulations.
They require that liquor stores keep a "walking distance" separation
of at least 500 feet from churches and 1,000 feet from schools.
Walking distance is measured from the main entrance of the store to the main
entrance of the church or school, said Bruce Kistler, a city planning manager.
By that criterion, a person would have to walk hundreds of feet from the
Wal-Mart liquor store across the parking lot, then more than 1,100 feet along
Kathleen and farther to the Salvation Army's entrance, according to the draft
site plan.
Capt. Edward Lee, the head of the local Salvation Army operations, indicated
Tuesday he would not oppose the supercenter because Wal-Mart has supported the
organization in many ways, including allowing fundraising in front of its
stores during the Christmas shopping season.
"Certainly we still believe in abstinence because we see (drinking's)
effect on people every day, but we'd have to balance that with all the things
Wal-Mart has done for us," Lee said.
Kistler agreed the liquor store most likely conforms to regulations, but he
agreed with Studiale that traffic and zoning questions could prevent the city
from issuing a building permit.
"Traffic always comes down to traffic studies," Kistler said.
"I can't say whether it will work or not. We are skeptical whether it
will work."
The supercenter clearly would generate significant additional traffic along
I-4. The project to widen I-4 to six lanes was completed last year, but state
transportation officials indicated even the two additional lanes would not
entirely alleviate congestion problems along the interstate.
Kathleen Road has four lanes from Griffin Road, north of the I-4-Kathleen
exit, through to Lake Wire Drive on the south, where it ends. Just to the
north of the Wal-Mart site is Mall Hill Drive, which leads to the Lakeland
Square shopping mall.
Neither Studiale nor Kistler would elaborate on zoning issues. The property
carries a zoning classification of C-2 (Highway Commercial) District Intent.
According to Lakeland's land use regulations, a C-2 district would allow
"a broad range of office and retail uses" but "is intended for
areas where the existing pattern of parcelization makes larger minimum lot
sizes impractical." The regulations list the minimum C-2 lot size as
10,000 square feet.
That would suggest a C-2 district is intended for small businesses. The list
of permitted uses in the regulation includes banks, convenience stores, food
stores, funeral homes, offices and office support retail and restaurants. It
also includes department stores but does not specify size.
Eric Brewer, Wal-Mart's Florida spokesman, said city officials have shared
their concerns about the proposed supercenter and that the company would
conduct any studies requested.
Brewer played down the traffic issue. He noted the new Wal-Mart would draw the
vast majority of traffic from the existing customer base and would draw very
little from outside the area.
The supercenter would "meet or exceed" the traffic requirements, he
said.
The company also would address zoning if the city determines a change is
needed, Brewer said.
The Lakeland City Commission would have to approve any zoning changes.
Wal-Mart does not own the property yet, he said. Under the company's policy,
the purchase does not close until it receives all government approvals to
build.
The proposed supercenter would include a supermarket and garden center. It
would measure similar in size to the Winter Haven Wal-Mart at 355 Cypress
Gardens Blvd., which is also about 200,000 square feet.
The supercenters typically employ 350 to 400 full- and part-time employees,
Brewer said. He declined to discuss the cost of construction.
Traffic and zoning may not be the only issue raised during the concept review
and subsequent planning reviews, if Wal-Mart goes ahead with the project,
Kistler said.
The meeting next Thursday will include representatives from many city
departments, including public works, the fire department, Lakeland Electric
and parks and recreation, he said.
Once a company gets input from a concept review, it must decide whether to
return with a more detailed site plan, which the same departments review
"with a fine-toothed comb," Kistler said.
A site plan could take weeks or months, depending upon the number and
complexity of issues involved, he said.
Kevin Bouffard can be reached at kevin.bouffard@theledger.com
or at 863-802-7591
Residents fret over proposed 92-acre landfill
CHUIN-WEI YAPSome well-connected east Pasco landowners back the project, making others suspicious.
Published January 9, 2007
DADE CITY - Connie Cooper lost her husband and fell into a coma after they got into a car crash in May.
Now, four months after she woke, she's worried about a new problem.
A 92-acre landfill is proposed just outside her Messick Road home in the rural pastures east of Dade City, barely 2 miles from the Withlacoochee River.
"It's like one thing after another," she said. "I didn't buy out here to look at something like that."
In this bucolic landscape of rolling hills, cows and orange groves, residents are up in arms over the pitch by a Largo firm and a group that includes some well-connected east Pasco landowners for a Class 1 landfill to be built at on the fringes of the Green Swamp preserve. Class 1 landfills can take all forms of household waste, including asbestos, but not hazardous material.
"We're all on wells here, and we have enough problems as it is," said resident Cynthia Baker. "I know a lot of people there who aren't happy."
The proposal by Angelo's Recycled Materials is to build the $10-million facility by the end of 2007.
The Largo company's application is just going through the first stages of review at state and county offices. The state Department of Environmental Protection issues the environmental and operating permits; Pasco must approve its zoning.
Angelo's envisions that it will handle as much as 3,000 tons of rubbish a day, based on a county population estimation of 454,120 by 2011. But residents and the DEP are questioning the numbers because environmental regulators usually project that a person produces an average of 4.4 pounds of trash a day.
That would mean slightly less than 1,000 tons of trash a day in Pasco, based on a population of 454,120. This is nowhere near the 3,000-ton limit proposed by Angelo's.
John Arnold, the project engineer, said these are just initial projections for sizing up the landfill.
The DEP has responded to Angelo's proposal with nearly 60 pages worth of detailed questions.
Among other issues, the department wants to know what kind of trash would be brought in and where it would be placed and how the leachate - water runoff tainted by the trash - would be collected.
In particular, the department is raising a red flag on Angelo's proposal to have waste just 4 inches from the sides of the liner system, which separates the waste from the ground.
"If it's just 4 inches, we want to know if it will result in waste (leaking) outside the liner system," said Pamala Vazquez, the department's spokeswoman.
Arnold said Angelo's is willing to revise its proposal to put as much as 5 feet between the liner and waste, if the state would prefer that. But he added that Angelo's is proposing to use a liner system that has won numerous industry awards.
Residents remain fearful of leachate running into the Withlacoochee River or seeping through the ground to potentially taint the aquifers that feed drinking wells in the area.
Angelo's attorney, Jerry Figurski, argued that the area is rich in clay, which acts as a filter.
Figurski also said a new road would be built northward from Janmar Road, and the landfill's entrance placed away from Messick Road, so residents on Messick would not have to fear noise and traffic.
The company has offered to buy property from irate residents, he said. Arnold said Angelo's has also met some neighbors and remains open to discussing its proposal with more of them.
But a larger fear among some residents is that politics and business may intertwine in the community of east Pasco landowners and influence the decision when the Angelo's proposal goes before the County Commission.
Baker is concerned that the landowners cooperating with Angelo's include Charles and Cynthia Waller, Earl Singletary, Boyd Hyder and Walter Rowland. They are said to be friends with County Commissioner Ted Schrader, also a prominent east Pasco landowner. Charles Waller is a Dade City lawyer, and Singletary is a farmer.
But Schrader strongly denied the charge.
"I hope she knows me well enough to know I will vote whatever's in the best interests of Pasco County, not the interests of property owners involved," Schrader said.
Still, the Angelo's proposal comes at a time when Pasco is weighing options on how to handle its solid waste.
The county is trying to decide whether to expand its landfill at Shady Hills. Its only other landfill is an abandoned one in east Pasco near the Angelo's proposed site.
Cost may play in the favor of Angelo's.
At the lower end of its range, Angelo's is pitching $35 to dispose of a ton of waste. Pasco was reportedly paying $53 a ton two years ago, a cost almost certainly higher today.