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Killer bees join list of hazards of Florida living

By ROBERT P. KING
The Palm Beach Post

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- As if hurricanes, roaches, sea lice and insurance bills weren't bad enough, Floridians can add a new menace to their list of worries. Killer bees are here.

And they're going to change your life. After decades of hype and cheesy disaster movies, Africanized honeybees have established a foothold in Florida, bringing a hair-trigger temper that makes them a threat to farmworkers, landscapers, meter readers, firefighters and basically everyone who ventures outdoors.

In St. Lucie County, thousands of bees nesting below ground near water meters swarmed onto unlucky utility workers late last year, though not fatally. Separate attacks killed two dogs near Miami and Sarasota, along with a horse near LaBelle west of Lake Okeechobee.

Africanized bee colonies have turned up in ports throughout the state, including Fort Pierce and the Port of Palm Beach, and have been suspected at tourist attractions such as Busch Gardens and Downtown Disney. Nobody knows how to stop them.

So Floridians will just have to adapt just as they've learned to nail plywood before hurricanes and scan lawns for fire ant mounds. That means residents should "bee-proof" their homes, sealing any openings that could allow the insects to turn attics and walls into killer-bee condos, experts say.

People also should look out before starting lawn mowers, whose noise can provoke the bees, or opening potential nesting sites such as sheds and barbecue grills.

Those are already realities from Texas to California, where the bees showed up in the 1990s after a decades-long march from Brazil to Mexico. California firefighters receive training in rescuing bee victims, while Arizona educators have drawn up bee lesson plans for children as young as kindergarten age. (One tip for handling a bee attack: "RUN! RUN! RUN!)

But experts say the bees are just one more potential hazard in a state teeming with them. They say people are more likely to be struck by lightning than killed by bees.

"We live in a state that has fire ants that actually kill people," said Jerry Hayes, assistant chief of apiary inspection for the Florida Agriculture Department, which is including bee brochures in its display at the South Florida Fair. "We have scorpions and spiders and boa constrictors and all those scary things."

David Barnes, a bee technician for the department, said he already has had to placate panicked callers, including a landscaper's wife.

"I told her he has more to worry about about yellow jackets."

So far, the Africanized bees haven't killed anyone in Florida, the department says. They have killed roughly 1,000 people in the Americas, including at least 14 in the United States, since the bees' ancestors escaped from a Brazilian lab in 1957.

Unlike Hollywood's fictional killer bees, the real-life ones don't roam the countryside looking for people to kill. They're slightly smaller and no more venomous than the docile European strains prized by beekeepers.

But what the Africanized bees lack in size, they make up with a severe lack of anger management. All honeybees defend their hives, but the Africanized bees erupt against disturbances that European bees might shrug off - a noisy leaf-blower or nosy dog, for example. And they attack in much greater numbers.

"People end up with 300, 400, a thousand stings," said Bob van der Herchen, who runs a bee removal service in Englewood, south of Sarasota. Five hundred stings might be enough to kill a child, federal experts say.

Hayes said the deaths that have occurred "have been horrific," noting that the bees' favorite stinging targets include the nostrils and the mouth.

"It's a very gruesome way to die."

Once angered, the Africanized bees stay agitated for as long as 24 hours, posing a continuing hazard, Barnes said.

In September, a swarm of Africanized bees trapped three residents in their Miami Gardens home and attacked several firefighters, three dogs and two television journalists after someone tried to move the log where the bees were living, The Miami Herald reported at the time. One dog died.

Near LaBelle in Hendry County, Imogene Risner said her niece was washing a horse near their home last year when a cloud of bees attacked, besieging the animal's head and face. The horse died that night after suffering about 2,000 stings, she said.

Hayes' department then performed DNA tests on hives that Risner's husband, an amateur beekeeper, was tending nearby. She said the state workers killed all 40 hives with soapy water after several of those tests came back positive for Africanized genes a result she disputes.

"Bees are temperamental," Risner said, adding that after the execution, "We had a mess all summer. The honey was run out and the flies was coming from all directions."

Other incidents are less clear-cut. Last month, Palm Beach County sheriff's officials said bees attacked nine deputies, three burglary suspects and a dog during a chase through woods west of Lantana, putting three deputies in the hospital.

But nobody saved any samples, so the state couldn't determine whether they were Africanized bees, European bees or even yellow jackets.

Bee removal expert Ronnie Sharpton, owner of Palm City-based Alpine Farms, said not all mass bee attacks involve Africanized bees.

"The only time we run into aggressive bees is when someone else has been aggravating bees by throwing rocks or spraying them," he said. He urged people to leave all bees alone and let professionals handle them.

Hayes' agency continues to try to slow the Africanized bees' spread by maintaining hundreds of baited traps at ports and other key locations. But now that the bees are here, education will be a major strategy.

"We can be safe," Barnes said. "Maybe this is one more thing to pay attention to."

Trilby group ponders past and looks to future

By Joe Potter, Editor, Pasco News, Dade City

Last Thursday night, a small number of the members of the Greater Trilby Community Association gathered in the Trilby Community 
Center for the organization¹s second annual meeting.
One of the first orders of business was to elect officers for the coming year. This was quickly dispatched of, with the slate of current
officers Herb Green, president; Kathleen Fink, vice president; Richard K. Riley, secretary; and Kim Rowe, treasurer; re-elected.

Scott Black was elected as chairman of the board of directors of theGTCA and Karyn Pirrello, as vice chair.

Previously, Denny S. Mihalinec, the founder of the GTCA and its former president, had became the group¹s chief executive officer and 
chairman after passing the presidency to Green. Recently, Mihalinec dissolved his relationship with the GTCA to pursue other interests, but 
he remains an active force as a community activist in Trilby, Lacoochee and Trilacoochee.

The differences in the former and the current chairmen are striking.

Mihalinec has a visionary sense, serving as a sparkplug to help get the engine of change going. He has worked tirelessly on such projects as a
southern extension of the Withlacoochee State Trail that led to the development of the trailhead at Owensboro Park of Old Trilby. The site,
developed in a cooperative effort between the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Transportation, provided 
bicyclists and hikers with safe access to the trail from U.S. 301. Mihalinec is pushing for an extension of the trail from that southern trailhead
clear into Dade City, which he maintains would open doors of opportunity for both communities.

Black, on the other hand, provides a stabilizing influence on theboard, and, in turn, on the GTCA, which has cast itself as a change agent in not 
only Trilby, but the communities of Lacoochee and Trilacoochee. The officers of the GTCA take much of their direction from the board and 
from several committees that report to the board.

With Black¹s sure hand on the tiller, it appears likely the GTCA will steer a straight course toward many of the objectives it is pursuing,
which include attracting industry to the area; improving the infrastructure; helping to improve an existing park so area children
will have a safe place to play; and helping to improve the housing stock in areas where many people live in substandard homes.

Black¹s influence with city, county and state officials will unquestionably be a plus to the GTCA and by extension to the residents
of Trilby, Lacoochee and Trilacoochee. After all, Black, currently a Dade City City Commissioner, is a former Mayor of Dade City and a
former President of the Florida League of Cities. He is a practiced politician who knows that politics is the art of the possible and he
understands the synergy that is needed among various groups to help move projects forward.

Also, Black brings the long view of a historian to the table. He grew up in Trilby and has spent many years researching its history. He
knows, for instance, that the community was once the third largest rail yard in the state of Florida. But he also knows that the railroad has 
long since been routed past Trilby, and that the community must look for other ways in which to grow.
Black also knows that much of downtown Trilby was lost to a catastrophic fire in the early 1920s. Efforts by the nearest fire
department ‹ Dade City ‹ to battle the blaze were thwarted when the hose fell off the fire truck as it was making its way to Trilby. When
the firefighters arrived, all they could do was to sit helplessly by and watch the fire jump from building to building, reducing the town¹s
center to charred rubble.

Black knows that change in the Tri-community area will not occur overnight. But, when combined with concerted effort, time can be an
effective part of bringing about positive changes for the area.

Insurance rates rise beyond their reach

One in five Pasco homes is not insured, and many say a recent increase in homeowners insurance rates left them no choice.

By GARRETT THEROLF
Published January 29, 2006

Bertil Haney's letter to the editor was a cry for emancipation.

"Simply DROP your (homeowner's) insurance," he wrote.

The message was published recently in the Times after news that Citizen's Property Insurance Corp. had approved a 139-percent rate increase for portions of Pasco County.

"Let's buck up and just flat refuse to go along like a bunch of sheep! Let's take care of OURSELVES and be FREE for a change!"

The county commission subsequently shoved aside their regular agenda to denounce the idea, warning that any followers could risk financial devastation.

Anyone with a mortgage is likely blocked or would face penalties without insurance, in addition to the potential total loss that homeowners who own their homes outright could face in a major disaster.

Nevertheless, one out of five Pasco residents don't have homeowners insurance. A Times review of property and insurance records shows that 25,000 out of 125,000 single family homes in the county are uninsured.

The homeowners who've made the decision call it "going bare." "We had no other choice," said Doreen Linton, a 45-year-old mother with three children at her Holiday home.

The rates for the family's Citizens policy increased in October from $352 to $777 for the year, payable in one lump sum.

"We are just a working family," Linton said. Her family survives on her husband's $37,000 salary as a maintenance worker.

In December, she and her husband, Terry, fell behind in their insurance payments.

They soon joined the ranks of the uninsured.

Once they were left "bare," the Lintons found that made it even harder to get back into the world of the insured.

"I called Citizens two days after receiving a letter saying that my insurance had been canceled and the first thing they told me is that the price had already gone up to $1,300," Doreen Linton said.

Turns out that her request for "new" insurance triggered a reassessment of her home at a higher value than the one previously on file. The county property appraiser values it at $91,113.

"Unless we get a really large tax rebate this year, we're going to be left out," Terry said.

Credit counselor Renee Hanneman, who works in Pasco, said the struggle against high insurance rates is a problem she is seeing more and more often.

"I see people almost daily borrowing against the equity in their home to pay their insurance rates," Hanneman said.

In response to Haney's urging to willfully drop insurance, however, County Commissioner Steve Simon halted the rest of a recent commission meeting to speak directly to the television cameras, calling Haney's suggestion "a folly" and "an inappropriate source of civil disobedience."

"If you have any incumberance at all, if there is a mortgage, if the noteholder is worth anything, the entire amount due will be due on an accelerated schedule when they find you have nothing to insure the investment," Simon said.

Other commissioners noted that the high number of uninsured homes in New Orleans plays prominently in the struggle to rebuild there.

They didn't offer a solution, but there is always the other alternative out from under the rising rates: moving away.

A prominent Realtor in the county said large numbers of Pasco homeowners are choosing that option.

"What's going to happen once again is that we are going to have a demographic shift," Chuck Grey said. "People that have larger incomes are going to come in."

Realtor Greg Armstrong, who collects statistics on the turnover, said the numbers marked a big increase in homes on the market after Citizens began to indicate in October that another big rate increase was on the way.

"We called it the Halloween spook," Armstrong said.

"Between Nov. 1 and Dec. 10. ... there was only one gulf access home that went into contract. More than 100 went on the market," Armstrong said. "A year ago, we were looking at the number of hours or days it would take for anything to sell."

Garrett Therolf can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6232 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6232. His e-mail address is gtherolf@sptimes.com

[Last modified January 29, 2006, 01:28:20]

Incomplete thinking mars column's point

Letters to the Editor
Published January 29, 2006

Re: Commission cops out by catering to crowd, Jan. 15 column by Jeff Webb:

Webb's column is filled with incomplete and thoughtless statements. First, at the beginning of the citizen comment section of the meeting, Hernando County commission Chairwoman Diane Rowden made it clear that no clapping or emotional communications (booing or grumbling) would be tolerated. There was no such "mob mentality," as Webb suggested.

Second, the proposed frontage road would not significantly reduce the overburdened state of State Road 50. The cars would simply be backlogged in the traffic lanes waiting to turn into an access to the frontage road. The traffic on Brookridge Central is often backed up beyond the proposed frontage road entrance.

Webb stated that "we need leaders who will stand up for what is right and accept the consequences of their decisions." That is precisely what the county commissioners did! If the "professional planners" and the members of the Planning and Zoning Commission had completed a systematic cost-benefit analysis of the proposed development, it would have been clear that the benefits of the proposed frontage road include only a potential, temporary and partial fix for a traffic problem that has occurred because of lack of prior planning.

The costs, on the other hand, are not temporary, not potential and not partial. The costs include a significant risk of death because of the fact that emergency vehicles would not be able to get around the backup traffic and enter the community in a timely manner. The proposed second entrance to the community would not reduce the problems for residents or for emergency vehicles. Sunshine Grove Road is already busy and will be much more negatively affected by commercial and residential development already in progress.

I was appalled by Webb's statement that the county commissioners were not meeting their commitments and were looking "upon public service as a popularity contest." The commissioners who could not support the proposal based their decision on their own empirical evidence of the area involved. Clearly, Webb did not.

If, as stated in the column, "about 3,500 cars go past Brookridge every hour," then why would any responsible planner approve increased development such as the proposed mall without prior modification of SR 50? Jamming more vehicles onto 300 feet of Brookridge Central will cause significantly more, rather than fewer, problems.

It's time that the developers and planners do a more professional job of creatively constructing a strategy that allows growth without putting present residents' lives at risk and raising traffic problems to impossible levels.

Finally, I would suggest that Webb base his opinions on best evidence rather than on his ability to use his position simply to rail against those who disagree with him.

-- Rosemary A. Fraser, Brookridge

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Larger Crystal River envisioned

Annexation, a new City Hall, ways to guide growth and to slow traffic along U.S. 19 are discussed during the annual goal-setting session.

By ELENA LESLEY
Published January 29, 2006

CRYSTAL RIVER - The size of Crystal River may significantly grow in the next few years if the city can move forward with several potential annexations, City Manager Phil Deaton said Friday during the City Council's annual goal-setting session.

During the meeting, council members outlined their visions for the coming years, including building a new City Hall complex, creating a foundation to guide city development and finding methods to slow traffic along U.S. 19.

But the very borders that define Crystal River could alter, according to Deaton's presentation.

He said five communities seeking voluntary annexation might come forward before mid summer.

"The thing driving people's interest in being part of the city is a desire for sanitary sewer service," he said.

A few of the areas considering annexation: land south of Sue Lane that is adjacent to the city, an area east of the city and south of Mayo Drive, and the Indian Waters development.

Areas can receive sewer service from Crystal River without annexing. But if the residents refuse to become part of the city, they'll have to find engineers on their own and pay all the upfront costs, Deaton said.

If the residents annex into Crystal River, city staffers will coordinate the technicalities and new residents can pay back the price of the sewers over time.

Council members agreed with Deaton's approach of discouraging people from signing on for sewers without annexing.

"If you need sanitary sewer, you're in an urban area," he said. "And if you're in an urban area, you ought to annex."

The city also will look into taking over water service for the Ozello district.

Also at the session:

The council gave local activist Don Hess the go-ahead to begin creating a foundation that will guide the development of Crystal River.

Hess, who has rallied against developing a resort hotel on Pete's Pier, plans to seek grant money to preserve Crystal River's quaint feel, as well as clean up the bay and build more tourist attractions.

He proposed a corporation, part city entity and part foundation, be put in place to receive such funding. Council members designated Hess as the initial liaison. He plans first to raise money to study the Crystal River area and create an over-arching plan for development.

Council members marked the building of a new City Hall as a high priority, depending on the upcoming year's budget. Several council members expressed interest in combining the new structure with a cultural or performing arts center.

Members expressed concern about traffic on U.S. 19 and continued to support the creation of a pedestrian overpass. City Attorney Anthony Perrone is drafting an ordinance to reduce the speed limit within the city.

Though the council remains split over the idea of pursuing ownership of Pete's Pier, members said they want to establish some form of public-use city marina. While some members think the Pete's Pier property is too expensive and a marina could be built elsewhere, council member Susan Kirk continued to support the idea of acquiring Pete's Pier.

"Location, location, location - Pete's Pier has it," she said.

Based on some residents' complaints that they "feel like the (city's) neglected stepchild," council members agreed to assess the needs and wants of people who live east of U.S. 19.

[Last modified January 29, 2006, 01:27:17]

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Lawmakers try to plug sinkhole woes

Two-thirds of the $95-million in claims Citizens has paid since 2002 have been in Pasco.

By GARRETT THEROLF
Published January 27, 2006

A little more than two-thirds of the $95-million paid by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. since 2002 on sinkhole-related claims was spent in Pasco County alone.

"Why?" Rep. Don Brown asked Thursday as lawmakers began this year's attempt to lower the county's resulting skyrocketing insurance rates.

"Is the earth literally falling in? ... Or is it something else?," asked Brown, R-Defuniak Springs.

Something else, Rep. John Legg said.

"Sinkholes are not occurring at an increased rate in Pasco, but the profitability for attorneys bringing the claims has increased," Legg said before the House Insurance Committee voted in Tallahassee to approve his House Bill 217, which would limit attorneys' involvement Legg's plan would create financial incentives for policyholders to take their claims to lower-cost arbitrators who would be appointed by the state.

The insurance industry had plenty of input in the wording of the bill, which would allow policyholders to receive initial sinkhole testing at no charge, but would require them to pay $1,000 for more extensive testing. If the additional testing overturned a preliminary judgment against them, the $1,000 would be returned. Legg told the Times he expects the bill to pass the full House. But it has been tough finding support in the Senate, he said. In that body, fellow New Port Richey Republican Mike Fasano is the bill's sponsor.

The plan is opposed by attorneys who argue it would put roadblocks in the way of legitimate claims.

Craig LeValley, who is based in New Port Richey and has one of the largest sinkhole practices, spoke on their behalf at the committee hearing.

The idea of a neutral evaluator is a "fallacy," he said, because the mediation process would place a higher burden of proof on the policyholder.

LeValley effectively lobbied against the arbitration process last year, and Legg is among those who acknowledge this year's bill still could be overhauled.

Among the alternatives to a limit on an attorney's role in the claims process is the possibility that sinkhole coverage would be eliminated from the state's mandatory requirements for homeowners' insurance.

Rep. Trey Traviesa, R-Tampa, said Florida is the only state in the nation that requires sinkhole coverage.

Staff writer Colleen Jenkins contributed to this report.

[Last modified January 27, 2006, 01:21:16]

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'Pucker power' rules over all on Saturday

It's Kumquat Festival time again with all manner of treats available featuring the "tangy wangy" fruit.

By MICHELLE JONES, Times Staff Writer
Published January 27, 2006

DADE CITY - Kumquats, the fruit with pucker power, will rule in Dade City on Saturday.

First used as ornaments, the smallest of the citrus fruit is grown in groves around the small community of St. Joseph, whose claim to fame is being known as the kumquat capital of the world.

The oblong kumquats are sweet on the outside and tart inside, providing yummy components in recipes such as refrigerator pies and chutney.

The ninth annual Kumquat Festival will feature the tiny orange fruit in a variety of recipes along with other kumquat-related items for sale. More than 250 vendors will set up their booths to sell their wares around the Historic Courthouse and on Meridian Avenue in downtown Dade City.

Along with the arts and crafts there will be food items, fresh produce and kumquat cookbooks as well as other wares including candles, wood carvings, vintage jewelry and clothing, and clothes for pets. Entertainment will be featured throughout the day.

Runners and walkers will begin the day at 8 a.m. with a 5K certified run to benefit the guardian ad litem program. Walkers can join the Volkesport Family Walk at any time between 8 and 10 a.m. and take up to three hours to finish the 10K course.

Roger Swain, the red suspender-wearing, longtime host of the PBS television show The Victory Garden, will swap recipes and helpful gardening hints. He describes his favorite fruit as "tangy wangy."

Children's World features games, crafts and activities for the younger set, while kids of all ages will enjoy the antique fire truck display.

The Vintage Fashion Show scheduled for 1 p.m. at the courthouse plaza features garments from eight decades with narration by Pat Hennessey highlighting historical events of the eras.

Vintage and new cars and trucks will compete for trophies at the new county courthouse until 3 p.m.

Entertainment will begin with an opening ceremony at 10 a.m. and the Miss Kumquat Festival contest winner will be introduced on the Main Stage on Live Oak Avenue, between Third and Fourth streets.

Ashley Shannon, Rhythm n' Motion, Christopher Cool, Step "n' Time, Blackwood Studios, Peggy's Dance Place, Song & Dance, KIDZ Incorporated, His Reflections and St. Mary's Episcopal Church Children and Youth Choirs are among the entertainment scheduled.

A mainstay at the festival is the Society for the Preservation of Early Country and Western Music, which will entertain from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Wachovia Bank Stage.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Kumquat Festival

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Around the Historic Courthouse, Seventh Street and Meridian Avenue in Dade City.

CALL: (352) 588-5020

COST: Free.

TAMPA - Lance Ponton Jr. was a condo developer's dream.

In September 2004, he put down 10 percent deposits on five Harbour Island condominiums before they were even built. Ponton, 27, hoped to sell them for a big profit as soon as the building was finished and his deals closed.

"But when it was done, we found that everyone else in the building was doing the same thing," Ponton said.

He ended up having to make thousands of dollars in mortgage payments for 10 months on all five condos in the ParkCrest Harbour Island. Eventually, he sold four units, pocketing $50,000 to $100,000 on each. With one more unit left to sell, Ponton hopes he can slip out of condo investing before he loses money.

"The market was really good, but it has changed, and it's time to move on to the next hot thing," Ponton said.

As Ponton has learned, rising mortgage interest rates, a swelling inventory of new condos and growing skepticism among buyers about prospects for fast profits have triggered a slowdown in the condo resale market downtown.

Indeed, real estate investors such as Ponton are finding that the days of selling units, or "flipping" contracts on pre-construction condos within hours or days, are over, especially downtown. It's taking months, or longer, to find buyers, and some sellers are having to lower their asking prices, according to sales data and real estate agents who specialize in new condo sales.

That could spell trouble not only for condo owners hoping to turn over their units quickly, but also for developers. More than 30 condo projects are in development in and around the city. Most builders are still getting permits, trying to attract buyers and lining up financing, rather than breaking ground.

Many condo developers have relied heavily on investors to raise enough start-up money to persuade lenders to finance their projects. With short-term investors shifting from urban condos, developers now must market more to people who want to live in their buildings or hold units as long-term investments. It's a tougher sell.

Compounding the problem are completed condo towers that sit half-empty, despite strong sales.

Some condo buildings that sold out during construction have few full-time residents. The reason: Many units were purchased by investors looking to resell or by people buying a second home, property records and interviews with owners show.

The dearth of full-time residents has made it difficult to attract shops and other tenants in the buildings. Some potential buyers are turned off by buildings that aren't lively, said Jason O'Neil, of Palermo Real Estate Professionals in Tampa.

"It's more difficult to attract end users right now," O'Neil said, referring to buyers who plan to live in the units full time. "It's not impossible, though, and I think it will level off as investors sell."

Take the 18-story Parkside of One Bayshore, across from Publix Supermarket at Platt Street and Bayshore Boulevard. Its 104 units sold out during construction, but almost nine months after it opened, fewer than 20 percent of the owners have filed for a Florida homestead exemption, a property tax exemption granted on primary residences.

Companies or trustees own a dozen units, property records show. The lack of primary residents and corporate ownership indicate that many owners don't live in the building, said Warren Weathers, chief deputy property appraiser at the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office.

"If you have under 50 percent homestead in a building, it's usually heavily investor-owned," Weathers said. "Only time will tell if those units are sold to end users. In the meantime, we'll probably see a lot of renters."

Retail Not Rushing In

The lack of primary residents appears to be affecting marketing retail space in the Parskide building. None of the 11,500 square feet of retail space has been leased.

Byron Moger, of the commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, is confident that retail space in the condo high-rises will be leased. "It's just a matter of getting enough people downtown to support it."

Still, the lack of retail is an annoyance to high-rise residents such as Maryanne Piplica, who came downtown for an urban lifestyle. She and her husband bought a corner unit on the 18th floor of Parkside of One Bayshore.

Piplica, who grew up in New York, said she and her husband traded in suburban life in Palm Harbor hoping to find a lively lifestyle. With her children grown, she looks forward to walking to everything she needs.

"I was hoping for a Starbucks, a bistro-type restaurant, a small gourmet shop," she said of the empty retail space in her building. "I want to see museums and galleries and shops downtown ... things to be open after 5 p.m."

Rising mortgage rates and other factors have played a role in cooling the real estate market overall. Pair higher interest rates with escalating home prices, and some parts of Florida are at risk of an oversaturated condo market, said Bill Hudnut, senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute in Washington. He thinks Tampa, thanks to expected population and job growth, should fare better than other markets.

O'Neil, the Realtor who specializes in condo sales, said investors will be able to resell their units, but it will take longer and profits will be lower.

"People get conditioned to thinking things are going to sell in days, and that's just not happening anymore," he said. "Prices, too, will level out, but they will still be good."

A look at three recent condo developments - ParkCrest Harbour Island, Parkside of One Bayshore and Victory Lofts - highlights the strong investor activity in Tampa. Each has had high resales since opening, with a number of units for sale now.

Some investors in these and other buildings made a lot of money, but selling isn't as easy as it used to be. One condo in the Parkside tower has been on the market for 275 days. Another at ParkCrest: 260 days.

No one collects data on the average days condominiums are on the market, but real estate agents say that there is a slowdown and that they are no longer are seeing condo contracts flipped before final settlement.

Units that used to sell within days are taking months, said Kristen Myer, an agent with Smith & Associates, which is working with developers to sell units in several condo projects.

"Investors are dropping out, and that changes the way we have to market condos," Myer said.

Just six months ago, developers didn't have to advertise because investors tracked down new projects and were more than willing to buy, she said. Now, developers have to target potential full-time residents and compete with many other developers for buyers, Myer said.

More Plans To Build

Despite signs the downtown condo market is slowing, developers continue to come forward with proposals.

Crescent Resources plans to break ground in March on a 26-story building with 130 units next door to Parkside, which it also built, said Jim Walters, a real estate agent representing the projects. Crescent also has plans for two more condo buildings in the same area, he said.

Some developers of other downtown condos have restricted investor buying at the request of banks and other lenders, Walters said.

Developers such as Ken Stoltenberg, of Mercury Advisors in Tampa, say the company discourages investors from buying units because they end up competing for buyers of unsold new units.

Crescent Resources welcomes investors.

"I don't know why you would want to control the investment markets so much," Walters said. "The developer makes their money, and an end user ends up there anyway."

As far as Parkside's empty feeling, residents should be patient, he said. When the other buildings are built and more people move in, he said, restaurants and shops will follow.

Some investors are worried.

Jason Barrett, a resident in Parkside, said he is on a list of potential buyers for some condo projects. Developers use potential-buyer lists to justify their projects to city officials or banks. Some of the lists are a year or more old, Barrett said, and the names were collected when the market was much different.

He won't be buying any more condos, he said. Barrett had luck with one condo in Parkside and plans to sell his current unit in four to five years. But he had to lower his price to compete with other sellers in his building.

To Barrett, evidence that the condo market is no longer a good investment can be found at Parkside. He notes that about 40 condos were for sale when he sold his unit last summer. Many of his neighbors use their condos a few times a month, and some use it strictly as a place to party on the weekends.

Barrett, who also owns a condo in Sarasota and a condo/hotel unit on Anna Maria Island, hopes to sell those soon.

"I'm spread thin now and that's not a comfortable situation," he said.

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Focus on growth plan is critical

A Times Editorial
Published January 26, 2006

Sitting as the county's Land Planning Agency, Pasco County commissioners' yearslong work to amend its comprehensive land plan digressed Tuesday morning over the minutiae of how to hold a community meeting.

Does the meeting have to be recorded? What are the advertising requirements? Is it in a public building? Does the building have bathrooms?

But the tedious debate illustrated an imperative point: Much of the heavy lifting over how the county will control growth over the next two decades lies ahead. The nuts and bolts of enforcing the goals and objectives of the comprehensive plan still must be hashed out in the form of changes to the county's Land Development Code, which includes the ordinances developers must follow.

Even the expected requirement for developers in northeast Pasco to hold community meetings could be spelled out in the county code, as will details governing golf courses, topography protections and other standards for so-called conservation subdivisions that will require open spaces in exchange for clustered, higher-density developments on projects of at least 100 acres.

Tuesday the Land Planning Agency, which also includes School Board member Kathryn Starkey, approved the proposed amendments to the comprehensive plan, the writing of which began more than four years ago. The commission must grant final approval on Feb. 14 when the changes will be sent to the state Department of Community Affairs for review. Though much of the public debate has focused on preserving the rural character of northeast Pasco, the amendments also govern future transportation corridors, employment centers, coastal construction, commercial sites and other aspects of future development.

Much work remains. The commission must adopt three ordinances by September and others, including the rules for developing in northeast Pasco, by the end of next year to give enforcement provisions to the plan. One suggestion from the county attorney's office includes creating a new citizens board, separate from the existing Citizens Ordinance Review Committee, or CORC, to review ordinances governing rural development. It's an intriguing idea worthy of consideration.

Riding herd on the Land Development Code is critical. The awakening of a more citizen-friendly planning process in Pasco County is tied directly to previous commissions' and attorneys' inattention to that responsibility.

The controversial 1999 rezoning of what is now the Oakstead neighborhood in Land O'Lakes spawned a legal challenge to the land use plan, in part, because the commission never adopted an ordinance spelling out how developers were to conduct wildlife studies of open areas. It meant the accompanying requirement in the comprehensive plan was unenforceable. The lawsuit settlement dovetailed into a reconfigured citizens committee that helped develop revisions to the future land plan now under consideration.

The work accomplished is commendable. But it's an incomplete product.

"Stay tuned," said Commissioner Ted Schrader. Indeed. And don't forget the details. 

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Dade City prepares to take over street

The move will allow the city to create a pedestrian-friendly downtown.

By MOLLY MOORHEAD, Times Staff Writer
Published January 26, 2006

DADE CITY - Despite a daunting price, city leaders are moving closer to approving plans to take over the downtown stretch of Seventh Street.

The cost of maintaining the busy thoroughfare, now controlled by the state as a part of U.S. 301, includes lost reimbursements for street sweeping and light maintenance. City Manager Harold Samples estimated an annual cost of more than $38,000, considerably less than what he first thought.

The city would also need to save about $10,000 a year toward resurfacing the road in 15 to 20 years. And there's the cost of replacing traffic signals, estimated at $375,000.

But assuming control over the road would solve problems with streetlights, parking and landscaping.

Under the Transportation Department, the road is subject to tough standards not intended for a pedestrian-friendly downtown. State plans call for widening the road in some places, which would swallow up more than three dozen downtown parking spaces.

If the transfer goes through, the state still would proceed with resurfacing and repairing sidewalks next year, money the city wouldn't have to spend.

"The cost scares me, but I have to be in favor of doing this because I think it gives us control of our city," Commissioner Bill Dennis said in a meeting Tuesday night.

In other news:

Commissioners voted to rezone 258 acres at Morningside Drive and Clinton Avenue for a planned-unit development. Developers plan a maximum of about 1,100 homes and townhomes, with some retail space.

An ordinance transferring prosecution of code violations from a city board to county court will be brought back for a public hearing at the next meeting, Feb. 14.

[Last modified January 26, 2006, 01:02:16]

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Rezoning clears way for building houses

But neighbors worry that developing the Dade City parcel will worsen flooding problems.

By MOLLY MOORHEAD, Times Staff Writer
Published January 25, 2006

DADE CITY - A 135-acre property the city annexed in the fall moved a step closer toward development Tuesday night.

Facing emotional opposition from many of the same residents who wanted to halt annexation, city commissioners unanimously voted to rezone the parcel at Thomas Jefferson and Adair roads.

Developers plan a maximum of 350 houses and townhouses on the land, which is historically soggy with stormwater.

Nearby residents feared the development would worsen their flooding problems.

"I would remind you that we are property owners too," Patricia Raposa said. "Among us are property owners whose neighborhood was flooded."

Deborah Lewis said she has a 17-foot-deep lake on what used to be pasture land behind her home.

"We are there first," she said. "Our homes are in peril."

City officials said the property lies in a newly designated "basin of special concern," which means developers must build twice as much retention space as in other basins.

Developer David Maltby said the design of the neighborhood, to be called Suwannee Lakeside, would put homes on the elevated portions and retention ponds down low.

"We sure aren't flooding anybody else," Maltby said.

Some residents recalled Mayor Hutch Brock's statement in the fall that he is "a believer in property rights."

Resident Larry Barnes said such rights have limits.

"I believe in that too, but I was out of my house for 13 months because it was flooded," Barnes said.

Brock reiterated his position and said responsible development can protect current homes while allowing the city to grow.

"I appreciate the appeal to the senses and to the emotions," he said.

City Manager Harold Sample said local governments are limited in how much they can control development, as long as it complies with land-use laws.

"We simply do not have the discretion many people think we do to say no," Sample said.

[Last modified January 25, 2006, 00:55:16]

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Rezoning clears way for building houses

But neighbors worry that developing the Dade City parcel will worsen flooding problems.

By MOLLY MOORHEAD, Times Staff Writer
Published January 25, 2006

DADE CITY - A 135-acre property the city annexed in the fall moved a step closer toward development Tuesday night.

Facing emotional opposition from many of the same residents who wanted to halt annexation, city commissioners unanimously voted to rezone the parcel at Thomas Jefferson and Adair roads.

Developers plan a maximum of 350 houses and townhouses on the land, which is historically soggy with stormwater.

Nearby residents feared the development would worsen their flooding problems.

"I would remind you that we are property owners too," Patricia Raposa said. "Among us are property owners whose neighborhood was flooded."

Deborah Lewis said she has a 17-foot-deep lake on what used to be pasture land behind her home.

"We are there first," she said. "Our homes are in peril."

City officials said the property lies in a newly designated "basin of special concern," which means developers must build twice as much retention space as in other basins.

Developer David Maltby said the design of the neighborhood, to be called Suwannee Lakeside, would put homes on the elevated portions and retention ponds down low.

"We sure aren't flooding anybody else," Maltby said.

Some residents recalled Mayor Hutch Brock's statement in the fall that he is "a believer in property rights."

Resident Larry Barnes said such rights have limits.

"I believe in that too, but I was out of my house for 13 months because it was flooded," Barnes said.

Brock reiterated his position and said responsible development can protect current homes while allowing the city to grow.

"I appreciate the appeal to the senses and to the emotions," he said.

City Manager Harold Sample said local governments are limited in how much they can control development, as long as it complies with land-use laws.

"We simply do not have the discretion many people think we do to say no," Sample said.

[Last modified January 25, 2006, 00:55:16]

Leave the modern world at the gate

The annual Mountain Man Rendezvous is a time machine. This weekend visitors travel 200 years into the past.

By MICHELLE JONES, Times Staff Writer
Published January 25, 2006

DADE CITY - Travel back in time to a place where mostly peace and tranquility reign. Where storytellers share the legends of a simpler time, when entertainment was tug of wars, cook offs and fry pan tosses.

Learn about family life before automobiles, television, computers, cell phones and other conveniences.

At the three-day Fort Dade Mountain Man Rendezvous at the Withlacoochee River Park visitors can catch a glimpse of the days when settlers traded furs with American Indians for clothing, ammunition and supplies.

This was the early 1800s, the time of Jedediah Smith, probably the most famous of all the fur-clad, grizzled individuals to explore the American West in search of adventure and fur pelts. When silk hats became the latest fashion craze and supplanted beaver pelt hats it ended the largest demand for Rocky Mountain fur trading.

Walk along trails shaded by moss-draped oaks and tall pines and visit traders who will sell a variety of items including hand-carved toys, jewelry, animal pelts and handmade leather clothing. The on-site Indian Village, circa 1800s, will be a living village for the three days complete with campsites, games, demonstrations and storytellers.

Indians will be dressed in full regalia and dance to native music played on wooden flutes and stringed instruments and to the beat of drums. The blending of the two cultures will be reminiscent of the era.

These two cultures lived in harmony and traded goods at what was called the rendezvous. Sit by open fires and listen to the tales they lived and shared so many years ago. Participate in contests such as fry pan tosses and knife throws. Children can play the games their ancestors played.

Observe demonstrations of candle-, soap- and flax-making. Sample some of the foods the mountain men and women and Americans Indians cooked and ate including fry bread, fry bread tacos, prairie dog (marinated pork sausage wrapped in fry bread) and old-fashioned root beer.

See pies baked over an open fire and visit the living history structures, including a trading post, church and house, store the park has fully furnished with accoutrements of the era.

People are invited to enjoy this free wilderness experience and meet people from all over the United States who come to this 11th-annual event at the park.

IF YOU GO WHAT: 11th-annual Mountain Man Rendezvous WHERE: Withlacoochee River Park, 12449 Withlacoochee Blvd., Dade City. From U.S. 301 take the 98 bypass to River Road. Follow signs to the park. WHEN: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday- Sunday. HOW MUCH: Free CALL: (352) 567-0264. [Last modified January 25, 2006, 00:55:16]

Rendezvous With Another Era

Published: Jan 25, 2006

DADE CITY - See what they wore and how they lived in the early 1800s at the 11th annual Fort Dade Mountain Man Rendezvous.

The free family event is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Withlacoochee River Park, 12449 Withlacoochee Blvd.

Authentic 1840s clothing, live encampments, games and contests, and demonstrations highlight the activities, sponsored by the Pasco County Parks and Recreation Department. Visitors also may walk through the park's furnished "living history structures."

For information, call the park at (352) 567-0264.

Diane Loebel

City looks to agency to slake its thirst

Zephyrhills hires a consultant to help make its case with Swiftmud and obtain a permit to allow additional pumping.

By MOLLY MOORHEAD, Times Staff Writer
Published January 25, 2006

ZEPHYRHILLS - People are coming, and they are thirsty.

As the city's population growth continues its steep climb, officials are seeing along with it an increase in the demand for groundwater.

But it's not just a matter of turning up the pumps. The city, like any major consumer of groundwater, must obtain a modification in its permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the region's water supply authority.

In the environmentally sensitive Hillsborough River groundwater basin, from which Zephyrhills draws its water, that's not an easy get.

"They're real stingy," said Louie Sellars, Zephyrhills' utilities superintendent.

When Sellars came to work for the city in 1968, demand for potable water stood at about 350,000 gallons per day. It increased steadily, until the past couple years.

"It's really jumped up big-time," he said.

The city is currently permitted to pump an average of 2.7-million gallons per day from its 10 wells. The maximum allowed is 3.4-million gallons a day.

Sellars said that when winter residents arrive, demand for water spikes and the city teeters on the edge of its average permitted capacity.

Now and then, it exceeds it.

"Every year, it goes up some," he said.

The Swiftmud permit accommodates a growth rate of about 2 percent a year, but in Zephyrhills, that figure seems archaic. In the past couple of years, the city has annexed hundreds of acres of property, most slated for residential development. More large projects are coming along.

This week, the city hired a consultant, Water Resource Associates in Tampa, to help make its case with Swiftmud and obtain a permit modification. The firm is headed by Pete Hubbell, former executive director of Swiftmud, and his partner Mark Farrell, another former district administrator.

Sellars considers the pair's ties to and knowledge of Swiftmud "a big plus" for the city.

Hubbell said he will look at several factors in demonstrating the need for more groundwater. Among them, building permits, approved development plans, annexation plans and research-based population projections.

"I think we'll be able to show that ... what's driving the demand is just unanticipated population growth, and the city has a relatively high seasonal influx," Hubbell said.

He said Swiftmud will take a hard look at any increased pumping in the Hillsborough River basin, which was declared a caution area because it has suffered environmentally due to pumping.

As executive director, Hubbell was involved in establishing minimum flows and levels and looking for ways to conserve water.

That's something else the city will have to demonstrate: conservation efforts and the use of alternative water sources, such as reclaimed water for irrigation.

Zephyrhills serves 16,546 water customers, about a third of whom live outside city limits. Pumping from wells is reported each month to Swiftmud, accounting for every gallon taken out of the ground.

Sellars said the city set a record in December, clearing the 12,000 mark for number of water meters it reads.

Molly Moorhead can be reached at 352 521-6521 or toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6521. Her e-mail address is moorhead@sptimes.com

[Last modified January 25, 2006, 00:55:16]

Contractor would act as building department

To speed up permitting and inspections, Brooksville wants a contractor to do the work of a public agency.

By JONATHAN ABEL
Published January 25, 2006

BROOKSVILLE - The City Council is tired of routing all of Brooksville's building applications through the Hernando County Development Department, as it has for the past decade.

At its meeting Monday night, the council decided to seek bids for a contractor to run a "full-service building department" for the city, including permitting and inspections.

The department would help applicants avoid the glut of applications that get sent to the county and would ultimately be a way of fast-tracking the process in the city. The change might take effect as soon as late March or April and could be paid for through existing permit fees, City Manager Richard Anderson said.

Right now, the city contracts with the county, which gets 80 percent of the permit fees, or $76,800, according to a memo from Anderson.

"Due to the growth in the unincorporated area, and staffing problems due to shortage of qualified applicants, processing time has increased, and the level of assistance (complicated by new code requirements) has been reduced," Anderson wrote. "Builders and developers in the city have expressed concerns for the resulting costly delays; however, we do not establish priorities or scheduling."

Developers in particular have been hurt by the slowness of slogging through the county's permitting process.

"At Southern Hills (Plantation), these guys said it's taking too long," Anderson said. "The contractors we've talked to are willing to pay more to get it done faster."

Brooksville community development director Bill Geiger said the new setup would be essentially the same thing the city now does; only the agent it would be contracting with would be a private company, not the county.

Hiring a private contractor, he said, was a manageable first step toward instituting an in-house building department.

"If we would make our own (department), it would be deep in the red for years until we could build up a revenue base," Geiger said.

Council members agreed that they needed a building department more responsive to Brooksville builders.

"If we keep going down this road, we're going to have a problem," said council member Frankie Burnett. "I wish that whoever got rid of (Brooksville's old, in-house building department) hadn't, but we can't argue over spilled milk."

Mayor Joe Johnston III offered a "point of history" to explain why the former building department had been axed in 1996.

"The department got dropped because it was hemorrhaging money," Johnston said. "As activity is picking up, we definitely need to get it back."

At least one person had some reservations.

In the public comment portion of the meeting, Paul Boston told the council that he was worried the new contractor would cater to developers and not average citizens.

"It needs to serve everyone," Boston said.

Jonathan Abel can be reached at jabel@sptimes.com or 352 754-6114.

[Last modified January 25, 2006, 00:55:16]

New developers show interest in Pete's Pier

The attorney for the marina's owners says he's not sure of either developer's plans for the property.

By ELENA LESLEY
Published January 25, 2006

CRYSTAL RIVER - Two new developers are looking at the Pete's Pier property, and one may sign a contingent contract in the near future, said Mac McCarty, the attorney for the marina's owners.

NEHI Investments LLC's contract on the property expired Nov. 28. Though the official closing date was Jan. 11, NEHI's decision to withhold a second deposit on the land essentially ended the contract more than a month earlier, McCarty said.

"NEHI got a not great response from the city," McCarty said, referencing the company's plan to build a six-story, extended-stay resort on the property. "The contract is no longer in place."

McCarty said he wasn't sure what either new developer would do with the property.

"Going through several of these contracts is pretty normal," McCarty said. "I've told the owners we could go through four or five."

The City Council has considered trying to survey and buy the marina. But during Monday night's council meeting, Mayor Ron Kitchen came up with a new approach.

"We've been focusing on the asking price (of Pete's Pier), whether we can do something with it, if we can make money," Kitchen said. "If Pete's Pier is not available, but we see a need for a city marina, we should pursue that regardless."

Council member Susan Kirk suggested the council consider a vacant lot across from City Hall, known locally as "the Smiley property." She said she had recommended the city buy it back when she was on the Community Redevelopment Agency.

"We could build a new city hall and a marina on that property," said council member Roger Proffer, "and it would sure be a lot cheaper than $10-million."

NEHI reportedly was willing to pay $11.5-million for the marina.

But Proffer added that the water near the Smiley property may be too shallow, so dredging would be necessary. Council members instructed City Manager Phil Deaton to check with the Army Corps of Engineers about dredging, as well as look for other potential marina sites.

During the meeting's public input section, Rick Suggs, owner of Premier Construction Group Inc., suggested that the council rezone Pete's Pier from commercial to residential.

"Residential on Pete's Pier could easily create a $25-million tax base," he said.

Council members expressed interest in the idea.

"We're wishing, we're dreaming," council member John Kendall said regarding the city's previous interest in buying Pete's Pier. "But we've got to be more realistic."

In other council news:

Council members voted to create an ordinance changing the city's code enforcement process.

At the last council meeting, City Attorney Anthony Perrone said that the current code enforcement hearing official is also the city attorney for Inverness. The Florida Constitution prohibits dual office holding. The official also was not a resident of Crystal River, which does not coincide with state regulations unless a special ordinance is passed by the city. Such an ordinance was never created.

In addition, the city staff have complained that fines are not being efficiently collected. Council members instructed Perrone to create an ordinance for a staff-driven model of code enforcement with an appeals component and a hearing official.

Because of a procedural error made by the city attorney, the council will replace its previous ordinance for annexation of Nokomis Point with a new one marking the deadline for ballots as April 4. The ordinance will go through two public hearings.

[Last modified January 25, 2006, 00:55:16]

RV park backers pitch plan to county

They say it would have little impact on Big Lake Spivey and would help the environment.

By CATHERINE E. SHOICHET
Published January 25, 2006

INVERNESS - Developers of a proposed luxury RV resort made their first pitch to the County Commission on Tuesday.

The 499-unit, age-restricted recreational vehicle park, dubbed Preservation Pointe, would be located on 207 acres about 3 miles east of Inverness off State Road 44 E.

But both supporters and critics of the project said Tuesday that the most important issue was its close proximity to Big Lake Spivey.

Representatives of developer Century Realty Funds said the lake would draw residents to the upscale Class A motor coach resort. But they argued that residents of the park would have little impact on the lake and said that the project would help the environment, not harm it.

At Tuesday's meetings, commissioners peppered representatives of the developer with questions.

Commission Chairman Gary Bartell had not yet opened discussion to public comment at press time, but county environmental planner Sue Farnsworth said she had received numerous complaints from residents concerned about the development's environmental impact on the lakes.

In order to break ground on the project, Century Realty Funds needs the county's approval to change the property's zoning from coastal lakes to recreational vehicle park. That requires changes in the county's comprehensive plan and land development code. Last month, the Planning and Development Review Board voted 5-2 to recommend denial of the application.

Commissioners are slated to vote on the project in their Feb. 28 meeting.

Commissioners also discussed a number of other proposed comprehensive plan amendments, including policy changes involving wetlands, springs protection, coastal high hazard areas, affordable housing and hurricane shelters.

"This is starting to be an issue in Citrus County that I never thought we would face," Community Development director Chuck Dixon said in reference to the proposed initiatives to handle the county's affordable housing shortage.

Ron Lieberman, chairman of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, told commissioners that the county needed to act now to improve the county's affordable housing situation.

"People have a misconception that this has to do with a certain group of people, but it has to do with all of us," Lieberman said. "It is a larger issue and we're going to all be paying for it with higher prices."

Inverness attorney Clark Stillwell, representing the Citrus County Builders Association, said the county should take another step in order to ensure affordable housing. He said the county should designate specific areas as affordable housing in fill areas so that developers "can go there and build that product and be well received."

In other news at Tuesday's meeting:

Commissioners voted unanimously to pass a resolution in support of the possible construction of another nuclear plant at Progress Energy's Crystal River complex.

To support the state's burgeoning population, the company is considering building another nuclear plant.

In an October briefing for local government officials, Progress Energy vice president and chief nuclear officer C.S. "Scotty" Hinnant said the Crystal River site, where the company already operates a nuclear reactor, was one of the locations being considered.

Progress Energy officials have said the company will announce its decision in March.

Commissioner Joyce Valentino said she wanted to remind citizens that the resolution was a sign of support, not approval of plans for a new plant.

Commissioner Vicki Phillips said a copy of the resolution should be sent to Progress Energy officials and members of the county's legislative delegation.

A new date was set for the commission's special meeting to discuss the county's possible acquisition of the Florida Governmental Utility Authority's Citrus systems. The meeting is slated for 9 a.m. Feb. 28.

[Last modified January 25, 2006, 00:54:10]

Floridians oppose propose offshore boundary change

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Both of Florida's U.S. senators and fo