A bigger Umatilla is closer to reality

The city gives initial approval to Country Lakes , a project with more than 500 homes.

Adrian G. Uribarri

Sentinel Staff Writer

July 19, 2007

UMATILLA

The largest residential development ever proposed for this city of about 2,650 moved one vote closer to approval Tuesday.

The City Council voted 4-0 to allow the proposed Country Lakes property to be rezoned, annexed into Umatilla and used to build new homes. One council member was absent. A second vote for final approval is scheduled Aug. 7.

The development's 537 or more houses, spread across 317 acres, could expand this city's population by more than half during the next seven to 10 years.

The homes, about a mile east of State Road 19 along County Road 450A, are tentatively priced up to $455,000 and mark a potential shift from modest, rural properties to the kind of town homes common in larger, suburban cities.

"It will be a change," Councilman Ralph Cadwell Sr. said. "We have some nice homes in town, but I don't think any to really compare with these."

The council's green light reflects Umatilla's growth as some residents worry about unyielding expansion.

About 25 years ago, this was a citrus town where laborers depended on employers for housing. Now, the citrus plant just outside the city's south edge is a smaller part of the area's overall commerce.

The tension between old and new was palpable during Tuesday's council meeting. Residents loudly questioned why more than 40 people, some standing, were packed into City Council chambers. During most meetings, there are empty chairs.

Charles Calhoun was born more than 74 years ago in his grandfather's house on Central Avenue . He was a citrus grower and manager until the 1985 and 1986 freezes wiped out many Central Florida groves.

Calhoun said Umatilla's property-tax rate, Lake County 's highest, shows that residential growth has a cost and that it spills over into the whole city.

"I think it's too much to bite off at one time," he said. "And I don't think they'll get the taxes they want off of it. Industrial, commercial and agricultural developments might pay for themselves, but we'll never catch up to residential."

The developer, Bay Pointe Homes LLC, is allowed a maximum of 632 units on the property, and a homeowners association will pay for some services, such as road improvements.

Jeffrey Braley, the development's manager, said Country Lakes will fairly benefit from city resources.

"I think it's mutual, and it has to be that way. You can't be a parasite of the government," he said.

"They can get the added tax revenue, and we can get a nice community to build in."

City Manager Glenn Irby said the developer will balance impacts by paying fees for water and sewer services, installing traffic signals if needed, and running its own utilities.

"They're paying their way," he said.

Irby added that a planned unit development, a regulatory tool used to build large communities, allows city officials to direct some aspects of a development's design.

"We intend to ride rein over the developer," he said. "We're not going to let Umatilla lose its small-town feel."

Adrian G. Uribarri can be reached at auribarri@orlandosentinel.com or 352-742-5926.

A lawn care dilemma in East Manatee

By CHRISTINA E. SANCHEZ

christina.
sanchez@heraldtribune.com
Despite his best efforts to care for his lawn, and some recent rains, Kurt Harriman's grass is brown and crunchy.

The resident of the River Club in East Manatee pays for professional lawn maintenance and landscaping. He waters the grass once a week as allowed under regional water-use restrictions.

Until watering limits are lifted, or the drought subsides, Harriman says he will follow the rules.

Harriman's adherence to the rules has gotten him into trouble with his homeowners association. In his case, River Club has its own set of standards and guidelines that, despite any local watering limits, do not allow for brown lawns or dead grass.

The association sent Harriman a letter last week saying that during a recent routine association inspection of the community, his lot was cited for "the poor condition of your lawn."

"I was surprised and not happy that they didn't have a little more understanding," said Harriman, who has lived in his Firethorn Place home for five years. "If people use some sense, some discretion, we can get through this drought."

His lawn care professionals assure him that once the drought subsides, his lawn will return to normal.

But until that happens, homeowners are forced to perform a balancing act during the drought, one of the worst in several years.

As Southwest Florida 's drought lingers, homeowners are struggling to keep lawns plush and green under homeowners association standards, or risk fines that can top $1,000.

At the same time, residents must abide by county or city water restrictions, a violation of which can mean a $100 citation.

"The private property owner is caught between dueling goals of the local government and their community associations," Harriman said in an e-mail.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, which oversees water use in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties, imposed a once-a-week watering rule in January. The restriction was set to be lifted July 31.

But the restriction is likely to be extended even if afternoon showers become more regular, said Robyn Hanke, communications manager for the water district.

"We are way below the June and July average for rainfall," she said. "Stream flows, lake levels, all those indicators are showing we are not rebounding. Things continue to get worse."

Hanke urged people who get association complaint letters about brown or dried-up lawns to notify the water district's demand management division. A hot line allows property owners to ask questions or report violation letters.

She said a reminder notice would be sent to the River Club association about the water restrictions. Enforcement of the rules falls under the jurisdiction of counties and cities.

In Harriman's case, George Kuhlman, chair of the River Club review and violations committee, said some residents who got letters read too much into the letters. His board does not intend to issue any fines.

"It was kind of a heads-up thing, and no action is going to be taken," Kuhlman said. "We know as well as everyone that the drought is tough to deal with."

Since receiving resident reaction to the letters, the committee has decided to suspend sending out letters until after the water-use restrictions end.

Kuhlman said his committee, which canvasses the neighborhood for routine inspections, was more concerned about chinch bugs, insects that feed on and can kill grass.

In Sarasota County , the Deer Creek Community Association is sending out letters -- but not for brown lawns. Instead, they are warning neighbors who water too much or on the wrong day.

Howard Pascoe, president of Deer Creek's board, said the association's monthly newsletter listed the regulations and also gave tips to conserve water, such as taking shorter showers or turning off the water while brushing teeth.

"So far, everyone seems to be adhering," Pascoe said.

His association has not reported any violations to the county. It uses the neighborly approach first by sending out the letters to give residents a chance to follow the rules.

But neighbors may not be so kind.

"I heard of one instance where a neighbor reported another neighbor for overwatering," Pascoe said.

Perry LaBoone, another River Club resident, also received a letter about grass. He said the violation notice makes people feel like they have to cheat the system to keep their lawns green to meet community standards.

"My lawn is pretty bad," he said. "The associations should be more understanding."

Fines for polluters on the rise
By Aaron Deslatte
FLORIDA CAPITAL BUREAU

Florida 's top environmental official announced Wednesday the state was increasing fines for the most severe pollution offenses.

Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Sole made the announcement at an environmental permitting conference in Marco Island put on by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

“I want to change the idea that 'penalties are a cost of doing business' by emphasizing the agency's tough stance against violators,” he told a crowd of state workers, lobbyists and business groups.

The state handles about 1,300 pollution cases a year, most of which end up in fines of less than $10,000.

But the maximum fines for illegal treatment, storage and release of hazardous waste would double to $50,000 under the new guidelines taking effect. Fines for releasing hazardous substances would increase from a maximum of $10,000 to $25,000 per day.

The state would also be able to boost the fines in cases where polluters saved more money than they would otherwise pay in fines by illegally dumping.

DEP spokeswoman Sarah Williams said Sole had made the decision to raise fines because they weren't serving as a deterrent and businesses were including them in their development costs.

“He's been here for over 15 years and just noticed that there were updates needed,” Williams said. “He wanted to let them know personally that he does take seriously our environmental laws.”

At meeting on water sources, many eyes on the Ocklawaha
Twenty-five Central Florida utilities sign on to fund study on tapping river.

BY FRED HIERS
STAR-BANNER

ORLANDO - Almost 40 thirsty utilities from Central Florida met in Orlando on Wednesday with state water agencies to decide on future water sources and how to divvy up the supply.

And on top of their list of what to siphon was the Ocklawaha River in Marion County .

The meeting was the latest in a series which began about two years ago to allow the St. Johns Water Management District, other regional state water agencies and Central Florida utilities to consider various water sources, other than groundwater, they will need to satisfy their growing populations.

While the St. Johns water district and utilities considered potential water extraction plans hypothetical until Wednesday, the water agency's consultant Jerry Salsano said, "This is the very first step in going beyond the concept point."

The state's search for alternative water sources became more intense last year when the St. Johns River, South Florida and Southwest Florida water management districts decided water allocation levels would not increase after 2013 for municipalities making up the Central Florida Coordination Area, which includes areas of Brevard County, southern Lake County and all of Polk, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

And while Marion County isn't included on the list, its above-ground water is fair game. Only groundwater sources enjoy protections under Florida 's local sources first laws.

Wednesday at the Orlando Utilities Commission, utilities considered various water plans including water plants along the St. Johns River in Seminole County , desalination plants in Flagler County and withdrawing water at the lower Ocklawaha River to serve Orange and Lake counties.

Of the 38 utilities at the meeting, 25 signed up to help pay to study the feasibility of dipping into the Ocklawaha River at State Road 40. Signing to help pay for the study signals their interest in wanting some of the river's water when it gets to the withdrawal stage.

"Eventually it's going to get tapped," said Troy Kuphal, Marion County 's water resources manager, who was also at the Orlando meeting.

The only question now is who will tap the river, which gets much of its water from the Silver River . About 900 million gallons per day flow down the river when there are no droughts.

The St. Johns water district is now studying the river's minimal flow level. That is the point at which the river's environment and wildlife would be damaged if flows were lower. The water agency is doing the same for the Withlacoochee River , where another water plant is being considered, although outside Marion County . The results of both studies are due in 2009.

Bill Dunn, a St. Johns water district consultant, said at the Orlando meeting he estimated utilities could safely withdraw as much as 108 million gallons per day from the Ocklawaha without harm to the river.

But Kuphal said when the 2009 study is completed, state officials will conclude that far less water will be available because Marion County 's water use in the area would probably decrease the river's flows.

Ray Sharp, Leesburg's public works director, was one of the municipal representatives signing up to help look at the Ocklawaha as his next water source.

Leesburg's public works has about 50,000 customers and is affected by the water districts' 2013 groundwater pumping deadline.

"What we know is that the water beneath us can't sustain our growing population," Sharp said. "Three years ago we determined we didn't have an additional water supply in Lake County ."

So Leesburg's only alternative was to stretch its water by conservation and looking beyond its borders.

That led them, like other utilities, to the Ocklawaha.

"It's a very high quality water," he said during a break in the meeting. "There's minimal treatment cost for it. It really is the aquifer."

The estimated cost of withdrawal and transporting the river's water south is $462 million.

And instead of fighting with Marion County over the water and the cost of withdrawal, Sharp suggests cooperation.

"That way no one gets hammered really bad," he said.

Fred Hiers may be reached at fred.hiers@starbanner.com and (352) 867-4157.

Developer Wants Site Annexed

By CHRISTIAN M. WADE The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jul 19, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - A Virginia-based developer wants the city to annex a dilapidated mobile home park so he can redevelop it as a retail complex.

Patrick Vurne, president of Chadsworth Homes Inc., said he is discussing a proposal with city officials to annex the Inland Mobile Home Park from the county.

The park, on the northwest corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Congress Street , has about 20 residents who rent single- and double-wide homes from the property owners.

Vurne said he wants to redevelop the property into a mixed-use retail, office or storage facility. To do that, the land will have to be rezoned from residential to commercial.

"It's a great location," he said. "Hopefully, we can do something good with it."

Eventually, he said, the park's residents would be forced to move.

County property records show that Vurne's development business bought the 2.42-acre park and several homes on the property in 2005 for about $700,000.

City Planner Lisa Fierce said the developer's proposal is being considered by the city's Development Review Committee and ultimately would require city council approval to proceed.

"We're discussing possible uses for the site but nothing has been approved," she said.

In the past two years, a surge of development-driven annexations, ranging from half an acre to 30 acres, has changed the geography of Pasco 's most populous municipality.

Under state regulations, property annexed from a county to a city must be compact, contiguous to the surrounding city land and serve an urban development purpose.

In most cases, annexations are requested by developers who are building or plan to build housing or retail. For them, the annexations mean more access to sewer systems; better drinking water; and municipal fire and police services.

By adding upscale developments to the city, officials hope to generate more property tax proceeds, which help pay for municipal services such as fire and police.

However, it doesn't always work out that way.

Skyrocketing construction costs and a market slowdown have forced developers to scrap high-profile housing projects on land that was added to the city.

Early in 2006, New Port Richey annexed 30 undeveloped acres in Gulf Harbors as part of a deal with Ryland Homes, which planned to build a gated community with 500 condos there.

Several months later, Ryland scrapped the much-touted project and put the land on the market for $12.5 million, leaving the future of the housing development uncertain.

In August, a St. Petersburg developer nixed plans to build 62 town houses on the former site of a mobile home park off Green Key Road . The property had been annexed into the city a few months before. The park's residents, many of them elderly, were forced to move.

Vurne said he originally had considered a condo or town home project but decided that the region's sluggish housing market conditions wouldn't support it.

Charles Watson, a Vietnam veteran who moved in to a double-wide home in Intown with his wife and two children about 15 years ago, has lived there longer than most anyone else.

He doubts residents, most of them renters, will fight eviction notices when they come.

"It's progress," he said. "It'll be a hardship on us, sure, but there's nothing we can do."

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (727) 815-1082 or cwade@tampatrib.com.

State Farm will drop at least 50,000 coastal customers

By Randy Diamond

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Thursday, July 19, 2007

The State Farm Florida Insurance Co. announced Thursday it will non-renew 50,000 coastal customers as part of a plan to reduce its overall hurricane exposure in the state.

Officials with Florida 's second largest insurer said they also will cancel the wind coverage of other additional coastal Florida homeowners insurance customers but did not release numbers for the second group. Those customers live in designated Florida wind pools areas and have two homeowner policies, one for the wind risk, and another covering fire and theft. Areas east of Interstate 95 in Palm Beach , St. Lucie, and Broward counties are considered part of the wind pool.

State Farm officials said they did know how many wind customers would lose their coverage.

Under new State Farm underwriting guidelines, the company says it will non-renew policyholders within two miles of the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico . However, in some areas, policyholders up to five miles from the coast will not be renewed, said State Farm spokesman Chris Neal.

Neal said he did not know how many South Florida policyholders would be affected by the changes.

He said the non-renewals would begin in January.

"We're choosing to reduce our hurricane exposure in our most vulnerable coastal areas," said Neal. He said the move today had been under discussion for several years by management at State Farm.

Other large insurers currently involved in non-renewal programs include Allstate and Nationwide.

Because of the sheer number of policies involved, State Farm's action is expected to further destabilize Florida 's troubled property insurance marketplace. The insurer has about a million policyholders in Florida .

State Farm's decision will likely result in an additional policyholders for state-sponsored Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Citizens is Florida 's largest insurer with about 1.3 million policyholders.

Board to review plan for mobile home park
By JEFF ADELSON

Sun staff writer

Gainesville 's City Plan Board will decide Thursday night whether to recommend the City Commission move to block efforts to build "site-built" homes at the Buck Bay mobile home park.

The City Commission initiated the effort to rezone the park earlier this year after learning that its owner planned to evict the park's existing residents. A previous owner of the park had received approval from the commission to build homes on vacant properties in the park but had told commissioners that he did not plan to evict residents.

It is unclear what the ramifications of a rezoning would be, though the park's current owner, Edwin Dix, has suggested that he could sue the city if they prohibited permanent homes in the park.

The Plan Board's recommendation will be passed to the City Commission, which has the final say on the matter.

Thursday's Plan Board meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall Auditorium, 200 E. University Ave

Developer warns of lawsuit over stop-work order
Lake County had moved to stop

Joshua Davidovich
Staff WriterCLERMONT - Attorneys for a large mixed-use development in South Lake are threatening to sue the county after officials halted work on part of the site.

Cecilia Bonifay, an attorney with Akerman Senterfitt sent letters to county staff last week objecting to the county's stop-work order and threatening legal action if the county does not allow the Plaza Collina development to go forward.

"We demand that Lake County retract its unlawful action and in the future honor Plaza Collina's due process rights and provide notice and opportunity to be heard prior to taking any action that will affect plaza Collina's property rights," she wrote in a letter sent to the county's growth management staff.

A second letter from the law firm gives notice to the county staff to not destroy any evidence "in anticipation of litigation."
On July 10 the County Commission voted to send Plaza Collina's plans back to the state Department of Community Affairs for a second review. The county also moved to stop any grading work being done on the northern part of the property. That decision was not on the meeting's agenda and Bonifay was not present at that meeting.

Some South Lake residents objected to the 2.1 million-square-foot development since it came to light that it would probably include a Super Wal-Mart and other similar stores, and not be the high-end development they say they were promised.

Bonifay could not be reached and no other attorney at Akerman Senterfitt would comment on the case. Representatives of the developers, Phoenicia Development and The Goodman Company, also could not be reached.

County Attorney Sandy Minkoff warned the commission July 10 that impeding the developer could lead to a lawsuit, especially if the developer is kept from building on the site for a long time.

Minkoff said he was planning to meet with Plaza Collina representatives next week in an effort to avoid a lawsuit.

"We'll try and have a meeting," he said. "We'll just have to see what happens."

'The Loop ' gains protection

July 19, 2007

Ormond Beach

A stretch of roadway circling from Ormond Beach to the Flagler County line has been designated a Florida Scenic Highway .

Known as the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail, or simply "The Loop," the tree-canopied trail is a popular trek for motorcyclists and bicyclists in the northeast portion of Volusia County .

"We have now officially achieved a significant and historic goal for generations to come," wrote the chairman of a trail group, Joe Jaynes. "It is exciting and wonderful to envision how this will help protect and preserve the amazing resources of our scenic corridor roadways."

The Florida Department of Transportation selects roadways based on their natural, recreational and scenic value to the state.

The Ormond Loop is about 34 miles, beginning on State Road A1A at the Flagler County line and extending south to State Road 40, then west to North Beach Street and Old Dixie Highway .

Willoughby Mariano, Amy L. Edwards, Kristen Reed, Robert Sargent, Gary Taylor and John Kennedy of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Information from The Associated Press also was used.

Citrus disease greening found in Hardee County

LAKELAND (AP) - A disease that kills trees and ruins fruit has moved into another of Florida 's top citrus-producing counties, authorities said Wednesday.

The discovery in Hardee County means citrus greening is now affecting trees in four of the top five production areas from last season. Those areas accounted for 60 percent of Florida citrus in 2005-06, federal data shows.

Greening, first discovered in-state in September 2005, has now spread to two-dozen citrus-producing counties, according to Florida Citrus Mutual, a grower advocacy group. It has still not shown up in the top area, Polk County .

Greening is spread by an insect, and can be active two years before detection. Physical signs include blotchy leaves and misshapen fruit, and eventually the disease kills plants. It does not affect humans, but makes fruit taste bitter.

"Growers are doing all they can to manage this disease but the key to beating it once and for all is research," Michael W. Sparks, executive vice president/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, said in a written statement. "We're moving in that direction but we must continue."

Officials said greening probably arrived in Florida from infected Asian plant material.

It is different from citrus canker, a disease spread by wind and rain that does not kill plants.

The Florida Department of Agriculture is holding grower education meetings around Florida in the coming weeks to share information about managing diseases. The first was in Bartow on Wednesday, and others will take place in Fort Pierce , Immokalee, Sebring, Arcadia and Tavares.
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