Hometown Democracy Initiative Work In Progress
Growth Not Problem
Regarding 'Hometown Democracy Threatens Economy, Property Rights' (Other Views, June 19):
Lenard Gilroy's characterization of Hometown Democracy as destructive ballot-box zoning and a threat to property rights is simply wrongheaded.
If the voters felt that they could count on their elected officials to stick to a well-thought-out comprehensive plan, there would be no need for subsequent public oversight until the next planning cycle. But what we have instead is a parade of developers each seeking 'just one' rezoning or variance approval from city and county commissioners - and they are not seeking to build low-income housing.
Among the various 'property rights' there is no such thing as the right to have your property rezoned. Nor is there any right to expect expensive public services to be provided when you choose to build a housing development in a remote rural area.
Property taxes and insurance costs are driving home affordability, not planned growth.
FRED JACOBSEN
Apollo Beach
Give Yourself A Vote
Regarding Gilroy's June 19 column:
As co-author of the Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment, I want to correct his distortions. Florida's Supreme Court noted that existing law allows referenda for land use plan amendments that affect more than five parcels.
Radical? No, the U.S. Supreme Court calls the referendum a 'basic instrument of democratic government.' Next, zoning changes are not covered by the amendment. I challenge Gilroy to prove his 'sky is falling' claims about housing, the economy and property rights. Gilroy doesn't seem to care about the property rights of existing residents who are forced to fund the very growth that degrades their quality of life.
Give yourself a vote on growth - www.floridahometowndemocracy.com.
ROSS BURNAMAN
Tallahassee
Wants To Have A Voice
Regarding 'Businesses Fight Push For Land Use Overhaul' (front page, June 20):
There are some people who want to prevent Floridians from deciding their own future. The development industry and Florida Chamber of Commerce are acting in a very aggressive manner against the Florida Hometown Democracy organization.
FHD wants to give power to voters - in other words, you and me - to decide whether changes to comprehensive plans should be approved or not. Although some of this group's goals may require fine-tuning down the road, their desire to empower citizens is the right thing to do. Our county commissioners sure aren't looking after this county's future.
Look at what much of Florida is becoming. Look at how many formerly rural places are now strip malls and housing tracts. Look at the traffic! What a nightmare to drive through Orlando or Miami or just on Interstate 275.
Look at our coasts and all the condos and other developments blocking us from our beaches. The developers and commercial business groups want us to think there is something un-American in wanting to have a voice in deciding our state's future. Well, I say it's the most American thing we can do. I support Florida Hometown Democracy.
JANIDA THUEMLER
Tampa
A Better Solution
Growth in Florida is out of control, but Florida Hometown Democracy may not be the most efficient way to alleviate the problem. Every major land-use decision to be voted on by the public would be expensive and cumbersome.
Possibly a better solution would be to change financing laws to severely limit contributions to elected officials. Maybe then your elected representatives would vote for the best solution rather than the one that has been paid for.
BARRY MANN
Tampa
Elimination Of Wetlands Division Makes Residents Feel Betrayed
Published: June 30, 2007
Don't Eliminate Division
Regarding 'County OKs Killing Wetlands Division' (Metro, June 22):
Last Thursday's vote by four commissioners sitting as the Environmental Protection Commission to eliminate the wetlands division has to be the most boneheaded, shortsighted and dumbest decision this county commission has ever made.
EPC's wetlands division of Hillsborough County is the only guardian and steward that protects green space and wetlands for the citizens against total destruction and development by contractors. EPC's wetland rule is more stringent and protective than others for the purpose of preservation.
I'm all for eliminating duplication of efforts by builders to get permits. Eliminate the Corps of Engineers, SWFWMD or PGMD from the permitting process, but for the sake of Hillsborough County's future, do not eliminate the wetlands division. If we let the commission actually do this, all we need to do is look at Pinellas County to know what our future will look like - wall to wall concrete.
MANFRED LIEBNER
Sun City Center
Fox Guarding Hen House
Brian Blair, as the chairman of the Environment Protection Commission, is like the fox guarding the hen house. Under the pretense of saving money, they do away with the county wetlands management division. As usual the same four commissioners are shills for the developers, namely Blair, Norman, Hagan and White.
Thank you to Rose Ferlita, Al Higginbotham and Mark Sharpe for standing up for the interest of the public.
As far as saving money, I would recommend doing away with Norman's $40 million pet sports facility! It is supposedly to make money, but this is highly questionable. Hopefully people will remember this at the next election.
HANS K. SCHELLENBERG
Odessa
Local Protection Needed
After the commission forbid the local wetlands department to petition the state on the wetlands law change - which was ultimately defeated - I e-mailed my protest to the five who prevailed.
Some of the commissioners who responded to my e-mail assured me that the environment would still continue to have the full weight of local protection. Only Al Higginbotham kept his word!
Mark Sharpe and Rose Ferlita have consistently demonstrated firm support of the application of law for local environmental protection. I thank them for this.
Kevin White, Ken Hagan, Jim Norman and Brian Blair appear to me to be enemies of wetlands protection. In the face of a severe drought, how can they possibly defend this latest insane action?
Those four know that only local protection will work to save our aquifer. But then the developers will be inconvenienced, won't they?
RANDALL PISETZKY
Tampa
Permitting Made Easier
Hillsborough County Commissioners Blair, Hagan, Norman, and White have for some time been making noise about eliminating the county EPC's role in wetlands permitting.
Last week they finally astonished everyone and actually did it. The excuse was budget cuts, but the aim is to make permitting cheaper and easier and to ignore those small and pesky wetlands that the county regulates and the state and federal agencies do not.
Unfortunately, if this ill-conceived vote of the commission stands, it would appear that Hillsborough citizens would have to trust the Florida DEP and Corps of Engineers about larger wetlands (agencies which often act as rubber stamps for development plans) and lose their local voice in permitting overall wetlands, particularly smaller ones.
Further, the environment is one whole, and it will hamper EPC in its mission when the part of the world it is trying to protect is removed from its jurisdiction.
TIM OHR
Tampa
Smells Of Corruption
Is anyone paying attention to our elected officials? This latest move by Kevin White, Ken Hagan, Brian Blair and Jim Norman to eliminate the EPC's wetlands division just plain stinks of corruption.
This county borders a coastline; we also sustain the Hillsborough, Alafia and Little Manatee rivers along with numerous creeks and ponds. That's a lot of wetlands area to flip off. Why are these bozos so concerned with making it 'easier' for the developers? What about protecting our natural resources? What about flood plans and chemical runoff? What about fish populations and clean drinking water?
DEE HOOD
Ruskin
Didn't Keep Their Word
I was astonished and outraged to read in your June 23 editorial that a majority of our county commissioners have voted to eliminate the Hillsborough Environmental Protection Commission. Last year I attended the commission's Town Hall meeting at Benito Middle School. I had heard a rumor that the HEPC might be eliminated so when it came my turn to speak, I asked them about it.
Several commissioners, including Jim Norman and Ken Hagan, spoke on the subject. Unless they were engaged in advanced Orwellian double speak, I was comforted because I understood them to say they supported retention of the HEPC. They said it gave us an extremely valuable extra measure of protection not likely to be found at the state level.
Now, within the security of their re-election, they both turn 180 degrees. Hagan makes the excuse that the legislated tax cuts have changed things. Over the past three years the county has been awash in extra tax money that the Legislature has seen fit to get back under control. If budget cuts have to be made, they should be made in the new projects they've dreamed up to spend that surplus.
KEN CLANTON, SR
Lutz
State's Senators Oppose Funds For Gulf Oil Exploration
Published: Jun 30, 2007
WASHINGTON - Florida's U.S. senators may have thought they beat back drilling off the state's Gulf Coast, but a new battle may be brewing.
Senate appropriators have given initial approval to $10 million for seismic exploration to determine how much oil and gas reserves are in the eastern Gulf Coast.
The move led Florida Sen. Bill Nelson on Friday to take the Senate floor to complain that an agreement he and fellow Florida Sen. Mel Martinez made last year was being broken. The two agreed to back expansion of offshore drilling in the Gulf in exchange for language protecting their state from further exploration.
"What do you want to do an inventory for oil for unless you want to drill?" Democrat Nelson asked rhetorically.
Nelson warned he and Republican Martinez "will employ every available rule" to block the progress of the entire $32.3 billion Senate energy-water bill when it comes to the floor for a vote.
Nelson said, however, that he's also gotten word that may not be necessary. He said he has been approached by top appropriators and told the funding language for seismic exploration will be stripped from the bill.
"If that is the case, we will not have a big fight on the floor of the Senate," he said.
Martinez's office did not return telephone calls.
The vote to add the seismic exploration money on Thursday came just one day after Nelson and Martinez had warned their colleagues in a joint letter that they would seek to block any such move.
The Senate Appropriation subcommittee went ahead and approved the $10 million in a 17-12 vote on an amendment to the energy-water bill. The entire bill was later approved by the subcommittee.
Sen. Larry Craig, a Republican from Idaho, got the funding added with the support of subcommittee Chairman Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat.
"The amendment we approved today will allow us to find out what resources are out there without one drill bit entering the Outer Continental Shelf," Craig said.
Nelson, environmentalists and other critics of such seismic surveying for oil and gas say it would be the first step to undermining and then removing the offshore drilling moratoriums that have been in place for a quarter-century.
The underwater explosions involved in such surveys are harmful to marine life, environmental groups say.
Nelson's office identified Dorgan and Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico, the ranking Republican on Dorgan's subcommittee, as the senators who assured the seismic exploration funding would be deleted. Dorgan spokesman Barry Piatt said Friday that he has not yet spoken with Dorgan about that, and he could neither confirm nor deny. Domenici's office did not return a call.
The funding remains, for now, part of the annual spending bill that covers the Energy Department, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat who opposes the seismic exploration, had argued during the Thursday subcommittee meeting that the agency that normally would be assigned to overseeing such work falls under a different spending bill covering the Interior Department and should not be in this one.
Craig spokesman Dan Whiting said, however, that the Idaho senator thinks the work could be funded by the Energy or Interior departments. He said Craig has not been told his amendment will be stripped from the energy-water bill.
Reporter Billy House can be reached at (202) 662-7673 or bhouse@tampatrib.com.
Protesters
join forces to fight Grand Ridge plan
By
DEBORAH BUCKHALTER
Friday,
June 29, 2007
Quillon
and Kevin Yon are not alone in protesting Grand Ridge's plan to build a
sewage treatment plant and sprayfield near Ocheesee
Pond in the Shady Grove community.
They
are the only two named as parties calling for an administrative hearing on
the Department of Environmental Protection's plan to permit the plant and sprayfield,
but many others in the community have signed informal petitions against the
plant as well.
On
Thursday, the Yons and dozens of other
protesters met to talk informally about the issue, gathering at a landing on
the banks of the roughly 5,000-acre Ocheesee
Pond.
They're
hoping to convince DEP not to permit the plant and sprayfield
at its current site, and most would like to see Grand Ridge send its waste
to Marianna or Sneads for treatment, rather than
build a new plant at all.
They
say the plant would put the Ocheesee in peril
because of potential pollution that could come if material placed on the sprayfield
runs off into the body of water.
They
fear surface and drinking water contamination, declines in property values
around the area, potential health problems, and a compromised quality of
life.
The
property where the facility is to be built is located roughly a quarter-mile
from the pond, and Quillon Yon
said he's dismayed and surprised that DEP would consider the permit, knowing
that.
The
Yons' protest for a hearing has been answered;
the proceeding is scheduled for the week of Sept. 17 in
Some
are trying to get the hearing moved to Grand Ridge, but for now it is set to
take place in the state's Division of Administrative Hearings building on
the
Those
who oppose the plant are asking legislators, local officials and the
governor of
Ex-PBC
Commissioner Masilotti sentenced to five years
Friday,
June 29, 2007
UPDATED:
12:20 p.m. June 29, 2007
"I
am truly sorry," Masilotti told the court
in a whisper. "It's my fault. I accept full responsibility."
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|
Senior
U.S. Judge Kenneth Ryskamp allowed Masilotti
to remain free for up to 45 days so he can tend to his ailing 11-year-old
daughter, who suffers from an undisclosed illness that will require 30 to 60
days of treatment at a residential facility in
Masilotti
was surrounded by his closest friends and family, including Richard Rendina,
brother of the late developer Bruce Rendina. Also
Masilotti's older daughter Jennifer; his
brother, Paul Masilotti; Pahokee Mayor J.P. Sasser;
and the Rev. Leo Armbrust, the family's
long-time Catholic priest.
Armbrust
pleaded for the judge to show mercy.
"I
am not here to excuse or condone the conduct that brought him to this
court," the priest said. "His family is fractured. His reputation
in the community is lost. He has lost his business. I am here to tell you
that this is not a bad man. There is a lot of good in him."
Prosecutor
John Kastrenakes noted that one of the schemes
that illegally profitted Masilotti
involved the Catholic church.
"As
the court knows, part of his crime was to strong-arm the Catholic
Diocese," the prosecutor said.
In
addition to his sentence, Masilotti also was
ordered to forfeit property and cash valued at nearly $10 million.
The
political scandal, believed to the worst in the county's history, isn't
over. Alleged co-conspirator Daniel Miteff's
trial is set for October and prosecutors are pursuing new charges against
attorney William R. Boose III, a former county
lobbyist suspected of helping Masilotti hide his
ill-gained profits.
Boose
late last year abruptly pulled out of an agreement with prosecutors to plead
guilty to a felony charge.
The
feds also are investigating Palm Beach County Commissioner Warren Newell for
unrelated allegations of self-dealing and failure to fully disclose his
private financial interests before public votes. Newell has denied
wrongdoing.
Masilotti,
50, became the third local official in a year to be sentenced to prison on
corruption charges. Former West Palm Beach City Commissioner Ray Libertiis
serving 18 months.
Prosecutors
asked Ryskamp to send Masilotti
away for five years as a deterrent to other public officials tempted to
break the law.
"A
60-month sentence is necessary to deter other similarly-thinking public
officials from believing that this type of betrayal of the public trust will
either be tolerated or punished lightly," prosecutors wrote in a
pre-sentencing filing. "The punishment here must make the temptation of
self-dealing by any public official not worth the consequences."
Masilotti,
50, was offered a deal to plead guilty to honest services fraud on the
condition that he accept Ryskamp's sentence
without pleading for a break or appealing the judge's final decision.
Under
sentencing guidelines, Ryskamp had the leeway to
sentence Masilotti to anything from probation to
a maximum five years. Without comment, defense attorney Howard Srebnick
had submitted 25 letters to Ryskamp from Masilotti
supporters.
Conspicuously
missing were any letters from his former peers on the county commission or
the Royal Palm Beach Council, which voted to strip Masilotti's
name from a village park after his guilty plea.
"Look
at what Tony did," County Commissioner Karen Marcus said. "I don't
think he made a lot of friends along the way. He was a pretty abrasive
guy." Prosecutors noted that Masilotti
would have made $10 million had he not been caught. His schemes first were
uncovered by The Palm Beach Post last year, triggering the federal probe.
"The
facts alarmingly demonstrate that Masilotti came
to view his good office as a position to garner substantial benefits to
himself, his family and friends, and from which he could strong arm those
unwilling to do his bidding through threats of financial retaliation,"
prosecutors wrote. "Self dealing, concealment of financial interests
and concealment of financial relationships with individuals appearing before
his body became a way of life of Masilotti's
from the dais."
Prosecutors
were prepared to charge the two-term commissioner with multiple crimes had
he refused to plead guilty. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Kastrenakes
and Stephen Carlton wrote that they had enough evidence to charge Masilotti,
at minimum, with money laundering, mail and wire fraud, and lying to federal
agents - crimes that upon conviction could have imprisoned him for decades.
"The
defendant received a substantial benefit for his decision to Îthrow
in the towel' in this case through his plea to one count," prosecutors
wrote to Ryskamp.
Susan
Masilotti, his ex-wife and mother of his
daughters, also was snarled in the corruption case. Though she wasn't
charged, she forfeited $400,000 she received in the couple's divorce
settlement last year.
The
money came from a tainted
The
property, held in a secret land trust and shell companies, was hidden until
his divorce. In reporting the couple's assets in 2005, Susan Masilotti
listed property in
None
of those assets had been reported on the commissioner's state-required
financial disclosure reports.
The
$1.3 million represented the land trust's profit on a land sale to the South
Florida Water Management District.
Masilotti
moved to
He
ran unopposed three more times before seeking the District 6 county
commission seat in 1998. He resigned from that seat in October, three days
before the corruption charge was announced.
Ethics
drive commission members to disclosures
Friday,
June 29, 2007
WEST
PALM BEACH — — Neither his name nor his prison-sentence hearing
scheduled for today was mentioned at Thursday's county zoning meeting, but
former County Commissioner Tony Masilotti was
present in spirit.
Months
after ethics fever washed over
|
|
Commissioner
Warren Newell abstained from one vote — changes to a proposed business
development near
Moments
later, Commissioner Jess Santamaria said he felt
uneasy casting a vote to rezone 28 acres for an office/warehouse complex
near Southern Boulevard, which was sought by a company he once helped run
and whose officers currently include longtime friend and former business
partner Wally Sanger.
Santamaria,
who was elected in November to the seat Masilotti
held the previous eight years, had spoken with county attorneys about the
issue who assured him he did not have to, and likely could not, abstain from
voting.
"I
do feel very uncomfortable voting on this application," Santamaria
said.
Following
the Masilotti charge in October, county
attorneys briefed commissioners on state ethics laws, as well as the federal
honest services law that led to Masilotti's
downfall. Attorneys also recommended commissioners go beyond state
requirements to disclose information about personal and business
relationships — but such a relationship doesn't require abstaining from a
vote.
A
different case could have been made had Santamaria
and Sanger been partners more recently, said Assistant County Attorney Lenny
Berger, who presented commissioners with the disclosure suggestions earlier
this year. Additionally, state ethics laws forbid commissioners from
indiscriminately recusing themselves from votes.
Sanger
bought out Santamaria's stake in Royall Wall
Systems, Inc. in 2002.
Even
so, Santamaria, who campaigned on issues of open
government and the avoidance of even the perception of a conflict, repeated
his concerns at the end of Thursday's meeting.
"I
do have serious concerns about a commissioner actively participating in
supporting a project when that commissioner has a prior close relationship
with an applicant," he said.
"We
do have to exert every effort to avoid even the perception of bias."
Newell
is no longer on the board of directors of the engineering firm SFRN, but he
still has a minority ownership in the company, he said after the meeting.
Masilotti,
who resigned from office days before authorities came down on him, faces up
to five years in prison for pleading guilty to federal honest services fraud.
Commissioners
credited Santamaria for his concern, while one
noted the difference between his situation and Masilotti's.
"The
problem before was the sneakiness that people had," Commissioner Mary
McCarty said.
Commissioner
Burt Aaronson told Santamaria: "I have
faith that we are doing the right thing. I know I'm doing the right
thing."
A
third item on Thursday's agenda — a Glades project near U.S. 441 that
proposed homes, a day care center, charter school and health center — was
postponed, but its name drew pause:
No
relation, the commissioner said.
S'long
Tony, but hopefully not for long
Friday,
June 29, 2007
Dear
Judge Ryskamp:
I
am writing this letter on behalf of Tony Masilotti,
the former chairman of the Palm Beach County Commission, who is scheduled
for sentencing in your courtroom this morning ... the former chairman of the
Palm Beach County Commission, who is scheduled for sentencing this morning
...
|
|
Excuse
me for repeating myself, but I just can't get enough of that line.
First
of all, let me just say that if Tony doesn't show up, or if he's running
late to court this morning, please don't get upset. He frequently misses
meetings or breezes in late. Just put him down for a "doctor's
appointment" or something like that.
Don't
worry. He'll have a good excuse, I guarantee you.
He's
a busy guy, which I'm sure you've already figured out, seeing as how you are
probably fully aware of his real estate schemes.
But
let's not dwell on that.
Or
as Tony put it when this "cheap shot" of a federal crime was first
unearthed: "There is nothing inappropriate about buying or selling
land."
I
know you've received several letters already from his former constituents
asking you to be lenient on Tony for using his position on the county
commission to make millions of dollars in secret land deals. And you've also
received a lengthy recommendation from the federal prosecutor, urging you to
send Tony away for the maximum five-year sentence.
I
am neither a constituent nor a prosecutor, and in the past, I've been
accused of picking on Tony over far less.
"We
should be so lucky as to have more like
him," Gina Rascati of
Lamenting
loss of inspiration
Fortunately,
I did not heed Ms. Rascati's advice. But now, as
I find those picking days possibly coming to an end this morning in your
courtroom, I feel melancholy.
And
for purely selfish column-writing reasons, I am already starting to miss the
greedy scoundrel.
"I
think the only thing I can do is let the people know that I have
integrity," Tony had said during those days when he thought he could
still slip away from the noose of his misadventures.
He
was special that way, the way he could bristle with indignation when
everybody in the room already knew he was toast.
We
haven't had anybody this entertaining since Ted Brabham
made a bumbling attempt to rig the state attorney's election, and ended up
beating feet to
And
now, I guess, I'm already pre-missing Tony.
I
know the temptation to lock him up is great.
Fair's
fair: Tony can't deter crooks alone
U.S.
Attorney Alex Acosta wrote, "A 60-month sentence is necessary to deter
other similarly thinking public officials from believing that this type of
betrayal of public trust will either be tolerated or punished lightly."
But
think about this, your honor: Tony Masilotti is
not alone in betraying the public trust here in
That's
nearly three years of combined deterrence already on the books, which, I
would argue, would have to be subtracted from the prosecutor's
recommendation.
Plus,
we're at least a few more fresh indictments away from meaningful deterrence
in
So
let's not put it all on poor Tony's shoulders at this morning's sentencing.
That
is, if he shows up.
County
OKs Ag Reserve homes
Friday, June 29, 2007
WEST PALM BEACH — County commissioners on Thursday begrudgingly supported Broward builder GL Homes' proposal to rezone 579 acres in the Agricultural Reserve for a new housing development.
Several commissioners expressed displeasure with the South Florida Water Management District for helping make the development possible.
The district sold development rights for 1,334 units to GL Homes for $10 million from preserve land it owns in the Ag Reserve.
This latest project includes 261 of those units.
When county officials caught wind of the deal early this year, they tried to fight it, saying it flew against the district's previous intentions and against the goal of limiting development in the Ag Reserve.
Attorneys for the county feared it had no legal standing for a challenge. Instead, planners are now working to amend the comprehensive plan to strip any development rights from government-owned parcels within the Ag Reserve.
Commissioner Burt Aaronson recalled a meeting with water district officials in 1998 and asking them not to sell development rights to home builders.
"That doesn't make me happy with South Florida Water Management," Aaronson said Thursday. "We thought that we had this all taken care of. Evidently, we didn't tie the loop tight enough."
While previous district board members intended to avoid such development transfers, nothing was set into law, said Barbara Alterman, executive director of the county's planning, zoning and building department.
"We relied on those representations, and that was probably incorrect to do," she said.
The water district's board agreed this month to support retiring any more development rights from land it owns in the Ag Reserve.
It
has said it will use the proceeds of the deal with GL Homes for
"I'm mad on one side and I'm glad on the other side. You know, mixed emotions," he said.
Commissioners
unanimously approved rezoning the 579 acres west of
The home builder's deal with the water district allows it to use 261 units for this project, known as Acme East.
Regional
transportation agency created without funds
By
FRANK GLUCK
Gov.
Charlie Crist signed legislation Thursday
creating a regional agency with broad powers to plan and build new roads and
mass transit systems throughout the
But, even with that mandate, the new Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation
Authority has no money in its coffers to actually begin its work.
In May, Crist vetoed $1 million in start-up
funds for the authority, leaving some local officials to wonder how the
group will get anything done.
"I'm very pleased he (Crist) signed it;
however, we have no funding to initiate this," said Manatee County
Commissioner Donna Hayes. "I don't see how this program can move
forward without funding."
Crist's office did not respond to an interview
request Thursday.
The authority will represent seven counties: Manatee,
Each county will have seats on the 16-member board, as will some private
business interests and the Florida Department of Transportation.
While it will not be a taxing organization, the authority will have the
power of eminent domain to acquire property and could sell revenue bonds to
fund new toll roads and transit systems.
A mass transit system for the region became one of the main selling points
for the authority when it was first proposed.
State Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton,
co-sponsored the legislation. He said he was "elated" that the
authority has been finally created after an 18-month legislative push.
Galvano downplayed the Crist
funding veto, saying that financing the authority will be figured out in the
coming months and years. With state funds limited, the Crist
veto makes sense, he said.
The start-up funding would have been an extra benefit, but was not needed
right away, he said.
"It would have been great to have that funding come through, but I
understand why it was vetoed," he said.
In the meantime, FDOT has promised to provide staff to work with the
authority on regional transportation planning, Galvano
said.
"The start-up (money) is not even an issue for us," said Stuart Rogel,
president of the Tampa Bay Partnership, a group that promotes regional
economic growth and strongly supports the authority. "The DOT is a
critical partner in this process."
Funding for new massive transportation projects remains a big challenge for
planners. Federal and state road funding continues to diminish, and county
governments face steep budget cuts thanks to upcoming reductions in property
tax revenue.
"I think that we'll have to wait and see on this," said Sarasota
County Commissioner Nora Patterson, who will represent the county on the
authority.
"The big issue for the
The Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, which sets local
transportation priorities, has been skeptical about the regional authority
concept, said Sarasota County Commissioner and MPO member Jon Thaxton.
Local officials feared they would be forced to compete with it for already
scarce road dollars, Thaxton said. Some also
worried that the authority would focus its efforts on the more populous
Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, he said.
The fact that the authority has no start-up funds only adds to those
worries, Thaxton said.
"Where's that money going to come from?" he said. "We're not
off to a good start."
Governor
OKs Transit Board For Region
By
RICH SHOPES The
Published:
Jun 29, 2007
Gov.
Charlie Crist signed legislation Thursday to
create the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority.
Almost
two years in the making, the authority will develop transportation plans and
acquire financing for new roads and rail and bus routes in Citrus, Hernando,
Hillsborough, Manatee,
"It's
extremely significant. We now have an entity that can help implement
projects, and we're operating at a regional level and not getting mired down
in interlocal issues," said Rep. Bill Galvano,
R-Bradenton, the bill's House sponsor.
Crist's
approval wasn't surprising but comes after a bitter disappointment. A month
earlier, he vetoed legislation to contribute $1 million toward startup
costs.
Galvano
and Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, the
bill's Senate sponsor, have said Crist's veto
wouldn't sink the authority and that initial planning and technical support
will come from the Florida Department of Transportation.
More
help could come in the form of donations from the business community.
"We've
had some conversations, and some companies have approached me already about
putting together some kind of pool," said Stuart Rogel,
president of the Tampa Bay Partnership.
The
authority has 60 days to hold its first meeting and must develop a master
plan by July 2009.
Reporter
Rich Shopes can be reached at rshopes@tampatrib.com
or (813) 259-7633.
By
KAREN BRANCH-BRIOSO, The
Published:
June 29, 2007
CARROLLWOOD
- Debra Mitchell's
'I
don't know whether I'm for it or against it,' said Mitchell, 49, of the
planning commission's idea to make her not-so-dense neighborhood one where
the comprehensive plan would promote mixed-use developments.
'I'm
just trying to find out how it's going to affect our taxes,' she said.
So
44 people came to
Before
that, the planning commission is asking people across the county what they
think of the plan. The planners got plenty. And not just from northwest
locals.
Real
estate lawyer Dan Molloy of south
'We
have a comprehensive plan that tries to compel us to develop a high-density,
transportation-oriented future for
Dotti
Groover of Carrollwood
said she was upset about what was removed from the plan by county
commissioners. Specifically, there were 70 new goals that were cut,
including ones that would have promoted developments close to schools and
parks.
'I'm
interested in making our community more bikeable,
more walkable,' Groover
said. 'I'm actually sitting here getting angrier and angrier. The
developers, I believe they were the main consideration why some of these
things were removed.'
The
developers were there, too.
Willy
Nunn of
Nunn
said the plan goes too far in encouraging midrise
condos. 'The vast majority of consumers elect to live in
conventional subdivisions, cul-de-sacs, for reasons ranging from safety to
affordability.'
The
planning commission's assistant executive director, Ray Chiaramonte,
said the plan encourages density so mass transit can help ease traffic and
preserve more rural areas of the county. He said the plan encourages farmers
to sell development rights for more urbanized areas.
Terrell
Dossey lives in an area southeast of
He's
had enough of density.
'I
live next to this property owner who's selling to developers and putting in
202 town house units. And now you're telling me that developer can go buy
rights somewhere else and add to that? Why should he have the right to do
that?'
Said
Chiaramonte: 'Because he's doing something the
community decides they want to do to preserve rural land.'
Reporter
Karen Branch-Brioso can be reached at (813)
259-7815 or kbranch-brioso@tampatrib.
com.
City
Calls On Crist In
Wetlands Dispute
By
MIKE SALINERO, The
Published:
June 29, 2007
City
council members voted Thursday to enlist the help of Gov. Charlie Crist
and the local legislative delegation in saving the wetlands division, which
a majority of the county commission voted last week to eliminate.
The
commissioners, sitting as the Environmental Protection Commission, justified
eliminating the program by the need to cut the county budget. They said the
program is expendable because state and federal agencies perform the same
duties.
City
Councilwoman Mary Mulhern made the motion to
send the letter to Crist and legislators, saying
many of the wetlands that need protecting are in the city limits.
'We
represent the citizens of the city,' Mulhern
said. 'It's our water, too.'
The
council also wants Crist to examine the makeup
of the Environmental Protection Commission, which consists solely of county
commissioners. Mulhern said that the council had
no warning that the EPC board would vote last week to do away with the
county's wetlands protection rule and the scientists who enforce it.
Councilman
John Dingfelder spoke in favor of Mulhern's
motion, citing the need to protect wetlands along the lower
'This
is one thing that's confusing to city residents,' Dingfelder
said. 'Just because the board of county commissioners is in the process of
doing this, this is not going to be something that just affects the
unincorporated areas of
Cities
Seek EPC Seats
Council
members and some environmental groups are saying
The
state Legislature created the Environmental Protection Commission in 1967.
The special act creating the panel states that it 'should consist of the
duly elected members of the Hillsborough County Board of
To
change the setup, one of the 17 local legislative delegation members would
have to sponsor a bill to amend the law that created the commission, said
Rick Tschantz, EPC general counsel.
State
Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Lutz, tried to accomplish something similar this year.
Ambler wanted to give
Tschantz
said he thinks the commission's composition is unique. In other
Commissioner
Cites Wetlands Gain
Commissioner
Brian Blair, who runs the EPC and led the effort to eliminate the wetlands
division, said Thursday that the city council doesn't understand that the
wetlands will not lose protection.
Blair
said the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which also handles
wetlands permitting in Hillsborough, has seen a net gain of thousands of
acres of wetlands in its 16-county region.
'I
think everybody has a right to weigh in on this because if affects
everybody,' he said. 'But everybody needs to have all the facts before they
make a rash decision.'
Mulhern
has invited EPC Executive Director Rick Garrity
to talk to the council July 19 about the commission's action to eliminate
the division.
Reporter
Ellen Gedalius contributed to this report.
Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at
msalinero@tampatrib.com
or (813) 259-8303.
Thirsty
river ties record low levels
By
TONY MARRERO
lmarrero@hernandotoday.com
NOBLETON — An unlikely animal told the story of
a thirsty
Of
all the feathered and finned wildlife that frequents the river, it was a
squirrel that helped show just how profoundly the drought has affected the
water level.
As
a reporter watched, the critter scurried from the boat ramp at
A
few months ago, such a dash would have required a walk on water. Now,
however, it’s simply a matter of speeding through sugar sand and tall
weeds that have sprouted from the bone-dry river bed.
The
“It’s
sad,” said Kathy McKeen, co-owner of the
Riverside Restaurant in Nobleton and a 27-year
county resident who said she has seen children riding four-wheelers on the
riverbed. “It’s getting critical.”
At
some points along its 157-mile length, the river has dropped to record lows
set during the drought 2001, according to gauges monitored by the
That
includes Croom and Nobleton
in
It’s
the same for portions of the river near
Rainfall
for the area in the last 12 months is about a foot below normal, said
Granville Kinsman, hydrologic data manager for the Southwest Florida Water
Management District.
Last
year’s rainy season wasn’t as wet, and now this year’s dry season has
lasted much longer than normal, Kinsman said.
And
recent rainfall across the state that has hinted at the start of the typical
summer storm pattern has generally missed the Withlacoochee watershed and
its source, the
“For
the most part, the
The
Forecasters
are calling for above-average rainfall this storm season, and it will take
every bit of that — and more — to get the
Ideally,
the area will see the forecasted above-average rainfall and then get an
added boost from a late-season rain event that drops six to eight inches of
rain, Kinsman said.
“We’re
going to need something like that to try to get system to back up to where
it should be,” he said.
Nobleton
Canoe Outpost, tucked into a verdant plot of land near the
Now,
the limit is about one mile in either direction before some heavy-duty
portaging is required — too much portaging, said co-owners Corrine Berry
and Marsha Warner, who have slashed prices in half to account for the
shorter trips.
The
outpost, which sits on a deeper spot of the river, usually has some 15 feet
of water. That’s now about 5 or 6 feet.
It’s
a new low for
They’ve
never seen the end of their boat ramp until now. A large rock in the middle
of the river that would had been well-submerged for years now pokes out of
the water, creating perfect perches for turtles.
“We
didn’t even know it was there,” Warner said.
The
pair are focusing on the finishing touches on
their new bar and concession stand that opens for weekends on July 1.
They’ve dubbed it Paddlers on the River and are hoping for rain to help
ensure the place stays waterfront property.
Across
“These
are desert conditions,” said Sumner, a contractor who lives in house that
he claims is one of the original homes built years ago for laborers
foresting in the area. “There’s been some rain, and it’ll make the
grass greener, but it won’t make the river flow.”
He
hasn’t been able to launch his canoe from
But
he said he remains optimistic that the
“It’ll
come back, man” he said. “It’ll come back.”
Swiftmud
board to consider extending restrictions
The
one-day-a-week watering restrictions could last even further into the rainy
season.
The
governing board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District will
consider extending the restrictions at a meeting on July 31. The board
earlier this year had set that as the tentative expiration date for the
tighter rules.
Because
of the drought, normal seasonal rainfall this summer is not expected to be
enough to return water levels to where they should be, according to a
statement released Thursday by the district, also known as Swiftmud.
If
the dry season begins in October with lower than normal levels, “even a
normal dry season will result in more serious water supply concerns than
those seen this year,” according to the statement. Extending the tighter
watering restrictions “could help save water that can be stored for the
next dry season.”
Reporter
Tony Marrero can be contacted at 352-544-5286.
This story can be found at: http://www.hernandotoday.com/MGB7V66WH3F.html
Deal
Would Cinch Parks In Wiregrass Ranch
Skip
directly to the full
story.
By
KEVIN WIATROWSKI The
WESLEY
CHAPEL - Future residents of Wiregrass Ranch will have access to a nature
trail and an 80-acre district park after developers and county officials
struck their latest deal Thursday morning.
With
a potential final approval looming July 10, the developers wrangled with
County Administrator John Gallagher and the Development Review Committee
over parks in the 5,000-acre project.
The
Porter family wanted to be released from county requirements to supply
small-scale parks throughout the ranch's future residential neighborhoods.
The county requires builders to include open areas to provide places for
children to play safely within a quick walk of their homes.
Wiregrass'
developers sought the exemption in exchange for giving the county 80 acres
for a district park and another 16 acres for a community park. The Porters
also have agreed to give the county 24 acres for the planned
On
paper, Wiregrass would be required to supply 125 acres of neighborhood
parks, based on plans to build 12,500 homes over the coming decades. That
calculation doesn't include the kind of large parks Wiregrass' population,
projected to be upward of 35,000 people, would demand by dint of its size,
county officials said.
During
behind-the-scenes talks, county officials gave Wiregrass credit for some of
the acres being set aside for parks. In the end, however, development
officials settled for 71.5 acres of neighborhood parks.
That
was still too much for Wiregrass officials.
"What
this is is a land-grab by your county parks
department," Wiregrass attorney Rick Millian
told the review committee.
Wiregrass
is surrounded by large parks, including new facilities at
Wiregrass'
lead attorney, Joel Tew, offered to spread 30
acres of neighborhood parks across most of the ranch - a
total county staffers said isn't enough.
As
a compromise, Gallagher suggested Wiregrass add nature trails and
picnic tables to a wildlife corridor on the ranch's west side. The
300-acre corridor straddles Trout Creek, which originates in the ranch's
northern acres and flows southwest, crossing under
The
nature trail proposal echoes an earlier park deal the county struck with the
developers of
Under
their deal with the county, Wiregrass officials must find 41 acres within
the wildlife corridor to use as park land. Otherwise, they have to make up
those acres elsewhere on the property to meet the county's limit of 71.5
acres.
Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201 or kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com
County
By
MIKE SALINERO, The
Published:
June 28, 2007
On
Tuesday, the 15-year
'We
need the two weeks to sort things out with her,' said Rick Garrity,
Kerr's boss at the
Garrity
attributed the suspension to 'management issues,' including the blog
posting. He would not elaborate, except to say the wetlands division manager
has no other marks on her record.
Kerr,
who makes about $116,000 a year, has been a lightning rod for criticism from
developers who think her department is unreasonable about granting permits
to destroy wetlands.
Developers
have lobbied for years to get rid of the county wetlands program. Their
efforts may have paid off June 21 when county commissioners voted to
eliminate the department, citing budget concerns. The move, which has not
been finalized, caught Kerr, Garrity and several
commissioners by surprise.
Kerr
excoriated the commissioners for the vote in her posting on the blog
Sticks of Fire. She called the vote 'rigged' and accused EPC Chairman Brian
Blair of orchestrating 'a circus.'
Kerr
said Blair's goal is to remove the wetlands unit from reviewing permits for
new developments. For years, developers have complained that EPC wetlands
reviews duplicate work done by state or federal agencies.
Blair
and Kerr could not be reached for comment.
In
the posting, Kerr also criticized the Southwest Florida Water Management
District, a regional water regulatory agency also known as Swiftmud.
The water district issues wetlands permits and often works with the EPC.
Blair
invited Richard Owen, head of Swiftmud's
regulatory programs, to attend the meeting last week to explain how the
agency protects wetlands. Kerr said in her blog
posting that Owen 'knew the questions that were going to be asked of him.'
Kerr
also accused Todd Pressman, a member of the Swiftmud
board, of pressuring the district staff to cooperate with Blair. Pressman is
a consultant who sometimes represents Stephen Dibbs,
a
Owen
and Pressman denied Kerr's accusations.
'We
went there at their request to describe our programs, and that's what I
tried to do,' Owen said.
Pressman
said he was shocked that Kerr had aired her accusations on a blog.
He denied having spoken to Owen or any other Swiftmud
employees about
'And
statements made in that regard are false, inappropriate, and, quite frankly,
I'm shocked by it,' Pressman said.
County
Commissioner Mark Sharpe, a supporter of Kerr and the wetlands division,
said he was dismayed by her comments about the water management district.
'I'm
just concerned about the ability of Swiftmud and
us to work together,' Sharpe said.
Commissioner
Rose Ferlita said the blog
posting was unfortunate but that she understood Kerr's frustration.
'When
she left the meeting, she just realized that in one fell swoop her division
was gone and everything was gone,' said Ferlita,
who voted to keep the division. 'I think because of that whole process, she
needed a venue to vent.'
Kerr's
blog posting has made her name a rallying cry
for county environmental groups that say they will fight to preserve the
local wetlands protections.
'Clearly
she felt her only hope for saving our county wetlands was for the citizens
to know what's going on,' said Mariella Smith,
an activist from Ruskin. 'Jadell's primary
concern is our natural resources, not her job.'
Reporter
Anthony McCartney contributed to this story. Reporter Mike Salinero
can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib.com.
Study
finds Florida roads some of the worst in U.S.
Walter
Pacheco
Sentinel
Staff Writer
9:13
AM EDT, June 28, 2007
Central
Florida motorists won't be surprised to learn that
Rural roads across the state rate well, but traffic congestion and
fatalities on urban roads such as Interstate 4 – which runs from
Although urban interstate conditions in
The state-by-state evaluation of highways was conducted by the
The study, based on data from 1984 through 2005, found that while road
conditions have improved in recent years, traffic congestion and highway
fatalities have increased slightly.
With the federal highway fund running short of money for major highway
projects, state governments are faced with having to pick up a greater share
of the cost of building and maintaining highways.
Dr. David T. Hartgen, the highway study's lead
author, says the results show that states need to prioritize, directing
their transportation money to projects specifically designed to reduce
congestion.
"Gridlock isn't going away," Hartgen
said.
Motorists in
The study ranked highway systems in each state according to their
cost-effectiveness, which was determined with several factors including
traffic fatalities, congestion, pavement condition, bridge condition,
highway maintenance and administrative costs. Evaluations were done on
highways and all state-owned roads.
The five states with the most cost-effective roads, according to the study,
are
The study found that traffic fatalities rose by less than 1 percent between
2004 and 2005.
Congestion rose by a similar amount. According the study, almost 52 percent
of the nation's urban interstate highways were regularly congested in 2005,
the last year included in the evaluation.
In a statement, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said congestion has
nearly tripled in metropolitan areas during the past 25 years despite
increases in spending over that period. Resolving the issue has been a
priority for the department, which last year announced a plan to combat
gridlock through long-terms investments in key corridors.
"It's so important to get our transportation policies headed in the
right direction -- away from the federal government and back to the states
and localities where innovation in America has always originated," she
said.
Congress will have to find new sources of revenue if it wants to tackle the
problems, said Matt Jeanneret, spokesman for
"This illustrates the capacity crisis that is facing this country,
which is only going to get worse if trends stay the same," Jeanneret
said. "We are bursting at the seams with motor vehicles and we're not
adding capacity to that."
Janet Kavinoky, who works on transportation
issues at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, says the nation's traffic woes are
at crisis levels.
"There's more bad news coming," she said. "You hate holiday
traffic? Pretty soon it's going to be business as usual."
Information from the Associated Press
was used in this report.
Don't
bet on two interchanges in Alachua, state says
By Mallory Colliflower
For The Herald
ALACHUA
-- Developers who purchased land near
The current interchange at
Suggestions for a new interchange in the
Two weeks ago, a developer speculating that an interchange would be built
near
What the developer may not be aware of is the lack of funds available to
even consider an interchange at this point, said Debrah
Miller, the interchange’s project manager at the Florida Department of
Transportation.
“There is not funding for anything other than this study,” Miller said.
The study she is speaking of is the current Project Development and
Environment (PD & E) study being conducted at the existing interchange
to examine ways to modify and improve the way it is designed, allowing it to
handle large volumes of traffic more efficiently.
“The
design of it isn’t good,” Miller said. “The interchange works well
except during peak hours when it does get pretty bad.”
Changing the current interchange would be plan A,
Miller said, and the odds for a plan B are very slim.
Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper
echoed similar comments at the June 18 city commission meeting where he said
the DOT may very well expand the U.S. 441 interchange first – before
building another interchange in Alachua.
An
intersection overhaul is more likely than a new interchange because the area
of highway near
A new interchange at
The only way to work around the policy would be to build a toll-based
entrance and exit ramp on the proposed site and even that option is not
likely, Miller said.
The public will have access to the results of the study when it is released
at the end of summer or beginning of fall, according to Miller. The DOT will
then get public opinion about solutions to the problem.
But no money has been set aside to pay for any solutions.
Miller wants to get the word out to developers not to get their hopes up.
“They know the study of the intersection is ongoing and they might be
hoping for the interchange,” she said. “In 30 years,
maybe.”
County
OKs Alliance Hill subdivision
By
June
28, 2007
The
Jackson County Commission took action on several development-related
requests at the board's meeting Tuesday evening, in one instance going
against the recommendation of its staff engineer in one aspect of the
project.
In
that case, commissioners approved the preliminary plat plan submitted for
Alliance Hill, a major subdivision to be located on the south side of
The
64-acre site will be divided into 64 lots, with the dwellings clustered on
39 acres and the remainder dedicated to common areas, for an overall density
of one unit per acre.
The
site is about 11 miles southwest of Grand Ridge just north of the
In
approving the preliminary plat, the board omitted a developer requirement
that had been recommended by staff engineer Larry Alvarez. He had advised
the board to require the developer to create two right-turn lanes and one
left-turn lane leading into the property.
However,
before the matter reached the county commission board, its advisory planning
board reviewed the project and determined that the condition was
"speculative" and advised that the condition be stricken.
Their
decision came after a presentation by the developer's engineer, Alday-Howell
Engineering, and planning staff members subsequently agreed with the
advisory board that the condition should be stricken.
County
commissioners agreed and omitted the requirement.
The
board had also previous given the developer a variance that allows all lots
to have less than 100 feet of road frontage, a condition normally required
in the county code.
Tortoise
burrows
The
property is located on a site that includes seven acres of wetlands and six
active gopher tortoise burrows. The developers want to move the burrows to
another location on site to make way for the homes.
County
staff submitted opinions relating to that:
"A
plan was submitted to acquire a Special Tortoise Relocation Permit to
relocate the burrows on site. Several telephone calls and e-mails to the
regional and state branches of Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and
Florida Department of Environmental Protection did not prove helpful in
determining if this was an appropriate plan.
"Based
on best available information, this appears to be a feasible plan and is
considered acceptable according to the county regulations. The report
indicates no federal or state listed plant species were observed and no
additional federal or state listed animal species were observed.
"Planning
staff recommends that the plat be updated to reflect the sites of gopher
tortoise burrow relocation and a protection area surrounding each site as
dictated by state regulations."
North
Port is growing rapidly, Census Bureau says
By
JOHN DAVIS
The numbers are even more remarkable considering that the 2000 census listed
The rate of growth almost assures
"By the 2010 census, we'll be the largest city in the county,"
The city's original plan included more than 67,000 platted lots, more home
lots than the city of
But for decades, the idea that
"It's about time," said Commissioner Barbara Gross of the Census
Bureau's acknowledgment of the city's size.
The city has gained a reputation for being friendly to home builders and
developers. The city's commissioners have repeatedly backed away from impact
fee increases, despite the advice of experts who have said the city needs
more money to keep up with growth.
In addition,
It is unclear what the population milestone might mean for
State tax dollars are distributed according to state figures, which have
"We challenge the state number every year," said Terri Gould,
According to Scott Cody, a demographer with the state bureau, many cities
call to lobby for a higher number. But in the case of
"We're probably a little lower than the Census (Bureau) but not as much
as it might look," Cody said. He added that the state will update its
figures in August, and that might add more to the
The numbers, which city and county leaders say are not surprising,
highlight differences between
Sarasota's overall taxable value is almost twice that of North Port, even
though North Port is four times larger that Sarasota in geographic area.
"We have the numbers, and there's certain areas that they could pay
attention to us a little more than they have," said North Port
Commissioner Richard Lockhart.
Keeping up with the growth has not been cheap. The school district is
spending $35 million on a new middle school in
The city is also lobbying the county to provide money for a second library,
more public transit and possibly a jail.
"We're going to be challenged as it is with providing city
infrastructure in
County leaders say the population numbers are not going to change anything,
and that the county is working with the city as best it can.
But Thaxton acknowledged Wednesday that the
census numbers underscore
"Shortly, the city's numbers will control a
Growth
steady for Port St. Lucie
By
TERESA LANE
Thursday,
June 28, 2007
PORT
ST. LUCIE — After 20 years of visiting what she calls a "postcard
town," Mary Clayton packed up her belongings and moved to Port St.
Lucie for good in 2006, helping the city retain its national bragging rights
as the third fastest-growing city in the country.
"Sometimes
I like to just drive around and look at all the new developments," says
Clayton, a retired postal worker from Birmingham, Ala. "I used to live
in Miami-Dade County, but it was awful - break-ins and crime all the
time."
Clayton
was one of 12,909 people who moved to Port St. Lucie between July 2005 and
July 2006, branding it the nation's third fastest-growing among cities with
more than 100,000 residents for a second straight year, according to U.S.
Census figures released today.
Although
the 9.9 percent growth rate last year was down from the previous year's 11
percent gain and a 12 percent rate between 2003 and 2004 that catapulted
Port St. Lucie to the No. 1 spot nationwide, city officials said the
continued high marks are proof of Port St. Lucie's
enduring popularity.
"We
still have a quality of life here that's kind of laid-back," said
Councilwoman Linda Bartz, a 20-year resident of
Port St. Lucie. "We've maintained this small-town charm through all the
growth. It's a caring place."
Port
St. Lucie debuted on the high-growth list in 2002, the year its population
exceeded 100,000 and it became eligible for ranking. Between 2002 and 2003,
Port St. Lucie grew at a 7.2 percent clip and earned the title of second
fastest-growing city in the land.
City
Manager Don Cooper said he was astonished the city remained near the top of
the chart this year because new housing starts dipped dramatically in 2006.
The Census data covers population gains between July 1, 2005 and July 1,
2006, and building records show the sharp housing decline started in fall
2006, hinting the city's position might slip next year.
"The
ranking has a huge impact on commercial development," Cooper said.
"I don't think Taubman would be looking at
us right now if it weren't for that growth rate," he said, referring to
plans by Taubman Centers Inc. to open a regional
mall in Tradition by 2011.
Indeed,
despite an ebb in new housing starts the past
year, commercial activity is at an all-time high, leaving the planning and
zoning department with its fourth-busiest year on record, Cooper sad.
In
addition to the Taubman mall, the city will
welcome its largest shopping center to date this summer when The Landing,
anchored by such big-box retailers as Target, Sports Authority, Babies R Us
and PetSmart, opens its doors. The retail center
will be joined by a 9-acre, open-air "lifestyle center" with
higher-end stores such as
Another
retail hub dubbed Village Pointe is slated for Tradition, featuring shops,
restaurants, offices and a large amphitheater for outdoor concerts. The city
is busily building a downtown district and still giddy at landing its first
biotech industry, the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies.
Council
members said that while the city may fall off the top-5 list next year given
a recent growth rate about half of last year's, a slowdown will give them
time to focus on the bigger picture.
"Do
we really want more rooftops?" Councilman Christopher Cooper asked.
"My goal is to concentrate on commercial and industrial now. We have
the demographics to attract some big players."
Critics
back off suit to block mall's construction
Opponents
had challenged federal oversight of the
By
CHUIN-WEI YAP
Published June 28, 2007
WESLEY
CHAPEL - Opponents of the proposed
Tuesday,
the mall's opponents sought to kill a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' permit
for the proposed "lifestyle center, "
which is retail-speak for an outdoor mall.
Land
O'Lakes resident Dan Rametta and the
environmental group Citizens for Sanity filed a 51-page lawsuit challenging
the Corps' permit, awarded May 15 to the mall's developer, the Richard E.
Jacobs Group, which gave permission to fill 56 acres of wetlands on the mall
site.
The
group also sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, saying it did not hold
formal consultations with the Army Corps before the permit's issuance.
But
at 3:10 p.m. Wednesday, a court filing gave notice of the group's
"voluntary dismissal" of the lawsuit.
Rametta
and his lawyers did not return several messages for comment.
At
slightly more than 1-million square feet,
Chuck
Underwood, a spokesman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said his
agency did hold formal consultations with the Army Corps on March 14.
Underwood
said his agency agreed with the Army Corps' opinion that the development did
not pose a major environmental impact to the wood storks, an endangered
species that was the subject of the two agencies' talks.
The
lawsuit was an attempt to stop work at the mall site, which began two weeks
ago.
Neither
the Army Corps counsel's office nor the developer's attorneys had been
officially notified of the lawsuit by the time it was dropped Wednesday
afternoon.
A
judge could have required plaintiffs to post a bond for a restraining order
to stop the mall's construction, said Charles Rose, a law professor at
Stetson University College of Law. The bond amount would be set by the
judge.
Last
month, Rametta and Citizens for Sanity also
tried to stop the mall's construction by filing a complaint with the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
They
alleged that the mall developer's environmental consultants did not have all
the permits required - specifically referring to Pasco County's site
development permit - before relocating gopher tortoises from the mall site
to another property.
The
state wildlife agency is required by law to deal with the complaint. It is
now deciding whether to hold an in-house hearing or pass the complaint on to
the state Division of Administrative Hearings.
Chuin-Wei
File
this next one under “you have got
to be kidding me.”
Brooksville
woman on river board until 2010
By
TIMES WIRES
Published June 28, 2007
COUNTYWIDE
Gov.
Charlie Crist has reappointed Janey
Baldwin of Brooksville to the Withlacoochee River Basin Board of the
Southwest Florida Water Management District, commonly known as Swiftmud.
Her
term ends March 1, 2010. The Withlacoochee River Basin Board area includes
portions of Hernando,
Swiftmud
has eight regional basin boards that provide guidance for local programs
specific to the basins they protect, working with local governments and
other entities on water resource projects and sometimes helping to fund
local projects.
The
eagle has landed, rather inconveniently, at UF
By
JACK STRIPLING
Sun
staff writer
The bald eagle will be moved off the endangered
species list today, but that won't alter existing protections that recently
forced the
UF had proposed placing a parking deck near the Cancer and
UF's "emerging pathogens" center,
which is a $55-million multi-disciplinary facility designed to fight
infectious diseases, will have to be repositioned slightly because of the
nest. Ed Poppell, UF's
vice president for business affairs, said the pathogens facility will be
moved a bit but still will occupy the corner of
Moving the pathogens facility will be a relatively low-maintenance affair, Poppell
said. The cost of moving the garage "could be significant," but Poppell
said he could not yet be sure how significant.
UF was taking soil samples in the area of the nest as late as April - nearly
a year after UF employees photographed an eaglet and its two parents in the
nest. Eagle nesting season typically runs from October to May, but employees
in the area say they sometimes still see the eagles flying around the nests
in the morning. Even so, Poppell said his office
only recently learned that eagles had taken over the nest, which he said was
formerly occupied by ospreys.
"This all was very much a shock to us that this osprey (nest) now
turned into an eagle (nest)," he said.
Poppell said his office changed its plan because
an employee in the
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also became involved,
responding to a call from an unnamed UF employee who was concerned the
project could disturb the eagles.
"I think I did what I had to do to make sure (UF officials knew) this
was serious," said Brad Stanley, the officer who visited the site.
UF's effort to abide by federal guidelines
designed to protect eagles highlights a larger national debate that's now
under way about the bird's future. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is
under court order to determine whether to keep the eagle on the endangered
species list or remove it because it has rebounded so successfully due to
conservation efforts. An official announcement is scheduled for today, and
reports say it will be removed.
Even after it is removed from the list, the birds will still be protected
under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, which was passed by Congress
in 1940 to prevent eagles from being disturbed. Furthermore, federal
guidelines designed to keep development away from nesting areas will still
be in place.
"You still can't go out and hunt them (if they're taken off the
list)," said Chuck Underwood, spokesman for U.S. Fish and Wildlife's
offices in
By most anyone's account, eagles being removed from the list marks one of
the great success stories in the history of conservation. Plagued largely by
the pesticide DDT, the bald eagle population was reduced to 417 nesting
pairs in 1963 but has since grown to a new high of 9,789 pairs, according to
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In
Despite the bird's impressive rebound, some environmental groups are
concerned about what lifting the eagle from the endangered list will mean.
Kieran Suckling, policy director of the Center for Biological Diversity in
"I think everybody is concerned, and especially in places like
U.S. Fish and Wildlife "guidelines" are just that - guidelines.
Developers building near nests are not legally required to follow them, but
at the same time they can be punished with fines for ignoring them,
according to Underwood, a public information officer for the commission.
Under current guidelines, which prompted UF to reconsider its construction
project, building is forbidden between 660 feet and 330 feet of a nest
depending on the type of construction and whether the nest is visible from
the construction site.
The current federal guidelines were reduced recently, when they were changed
from buffers of 750 feet and 1,500 feet.
Under the Endangered Species Act, developers can still get a permit that
allows them to break with the guidelines - even if they may incidentally
disturb an eagle in the process. U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials are
currently crafting plans that would allow such permits to be issued even if
the act no longer covers eagles.
Lynda White, who works with a group that monitors eagle populations in
"This growth in
Jack Stripling can be reached at
352-374-5064 or Jack.Stripling@gvillesun.com.
Development
approved
City
Commission OKs 508-acre district
By
Julian Pecquet
DEMOCRAT
STAFF WRITER
One
of the last large tracts of land in eastern
That
will let the developer, CNL, form a local government body and issue bonds
for the construction of roads and other infrastructure.
Joel
Embry, CNL's senior vice president and director
of community development, said construction of the proposed 1,252 homes and
163,000 square feet of commercial development just north of
In
all, 4,000 homes and 800,000 square feet of commercial development have been
proposed for the Welaunee Plantation.
Some
residents have been critical of the districts, which can raise assessments
to pay for bond-funded improvements and are controlled by developers for
several years before homeowners are progressively voted in.
"I
hate to see somebody else get into what I did," said Geraldine Rudd, a
Piney Z community development district supervisor who has been critical of
that development's change from its original concept. "Those people need
to look carefully at what they're getting into."
But
Embry said the Welaunee developer wanted to work
with future residents. And, he said, residents end up paying whether there's
a development district or if the developer has to get a higher-interest bank
loan to pay for infrastructure.
"There's
one thing that never changes," he said. "The homeowner pays for
everything."
Contact
reporter Julian Pecquet at (850) 599-2307 or jjpecquet@tallahassee.com.
Housing
chief being forced out
Miami
housing chief Barbara Gomez, under fire for questionable deals involving
millions in anti-poverty funds, is leaving her post and may get a hefty
pension.
BY
LARRY LEBOWITZ AND OSCAR CORRAL
llebowitz@MiamiHerald.com
With
her agency steeped in scandal over questionable housing deals and cronyism,
The
veteran administrator, who had fought to keep her position, is now
negotiating her final exit after an avalanche of controversy over the last
month stamped out her political support.
While
prosecutors pore over records showing that her agency funded millions in
questionable deals, City Manager Pete Hernandez is trying to work out the
details of a separation package that could allow Gomez to qualify for a
pension amounting to $1 million over 25 years.
Pressure
had been mounting on Gomez to step down since The Miami Herald began
publishing investigative stories early this month about her agency,
including revelations that her office provided more than $1 million to
companies that employed her ex-husband, Ruben A. Santana -- after his
release from federal prison.
In
addition, the newspaper found this week that her office funded a
social-service agency that employed her son, Ruben Santana Jr., despite a
warning from government administrators that the payments violated federal
regulations.
Records
show that Gomez's office provided thousands of dollars to SABER Inc. while
her son worked as a housing inspector there -- a conflict that ended when
Santana quit last year after seven months on the job.
Gomez,
whose annual salary is $144,000, insisted she did nothing wrong in either
case, but city officials said they were concerned over the controversies.
Gomez,
49, whose position as head of the Community Development Department allowed
her to control millions of dollars in anti-poverty money, said elected
officials knew the inner workings of her office, including deals now under
scrutiny.
''They
cannot look at my eyes and say, `I did not know,'' said Gomez, director of
the city department since 2003. ``I understand politics is an issue. I
understand that [Mayor] Manny [Diaz] has a lot of pressure for other reasons
and that he doesn't want my name to be coming out in the paper.''
Even
before questions were raised over conflicts, Gomez was under fire: A June 3
report in The Miami Herald revealed that her office directed millions of
dollars to developers who failed to build promised affordable homes and, in
one case, flipped land for profit rather than building homes for the poor.
Days later, a city audit reported many of the same problems.
The
city manager began negotiations to force Gomez to resign last week, but the
final details have yet to be reached. Hernandez said Gomez is now on leave
pending the settlement.
''I
initiated discussions trying to explore a way that will be good for her and
also definitely good for the city where we could in essence have other
leadership at Community Development,'' said Hernandez, who added that the
agreement would be reached soon.
``Obviously,
she has been an effective employee for the city over the last four or five
years, and that has to be recognized.''
Hernandez
said he was alarmed, however, by the most recent discovery that the city was
providing money to a nonprofit company while Gomez's son worked there.
Records
show that Santana began working for SABER, which provides a host of services
to the poor, in October 2005.
The
following month, Gomez asked the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development for a conflict-of-interest exception, since her office provided
federal dollars to SABER.
Her
letter indicated her son had been offered a job but that he hadn't accepted
it.
''Currently,
two agencies that have been funded for many years by the city of Miami
department of community development, of which I am currently the director,
have offered Ruben Santana Jr., my son, a position as housing specialist,''
Gomez wrote.
HUD
denied her request for the exception a month later, saying Santana's
employment would violate federal conflict rules.
Gloria
Shanahan, a HUD spokeswoman in
In
an interview this week, Gomez said she told SABER leaders in January 2006
that the city couldn't provide funds to an agency employing her son. She
said she gave SABER 60 days to ''cure their conflict'' or risk losing their
AIDS program funding.
''I
said if you don't fire him, I will take the money away,'' Gomez said.
Gomez
couldn't provide documentation supporting her contention that she threatened
to sever funding.
SABER
files, however, show that Gomez's son quit on May 31, 2006 -- six months
after the HUD ruling.
He
told his bosses he was moving to
She
said Santana -- who was certified as an inspector -- was not under pressure
to resign but left on his own.
Reached
at his home in
The
case involving the city's funding of two agencies that employed Gomez's
ex-husband is still under investigation by HUD and the Miami-Dade state
attorney's office, according to both offices.
In
addition to the problems surrounding her office, Gomez has been trying to
distance herself from another investigation targeting her most recent
ex-husband, Rene Rodriguez. The former director of the Miami-Dade Housing
Agency has been under scrutiny for his role in doling out millions to
developers who never built promised homes -- and in some cases, pocketed the
money.
Despite
the problems, Gomez -- who has worked for the city since 1998 -- may receive
a generous compensation package.
She
is a year away from qualifying for a pension valued at $1 million or more
over her life.
With
nine years of employment on the books, Gomez could receive payment for
another year that would enable her to draw a $42,000-a-year pension once she
turns 55. Hernandez said the city owes Gomez close to 800 hours of
accumulated vacation and sick time.
''I
want to effect a separation as early as I can, in the cleanest and most
professional way,'' said Hernandez. ``When you have senior executives in a
top position, it's not unusual for them to receive a severance package.''
Miami
Commissioner Tomás Regalado
said the city was trying to make it appear like they could solve their
housing problems by just getting rid of Gomez. ``I think there are people
higher up involved in all these deals, and it seems to me there is only one
fall person: Barbara Gomez.''
News
of Gomez's departure was greeted with applause by several in some of the
city's poorest neighborhoods that are still waiting for affordable housing.
''She
needs to go -- they all need to go,'' said Fanny Campbell, 67, who has lived
in the Model Cities area since 1958. ``I've been telling them for a long
time now: We want our neighborhood back.''
New
rules squeak by for waterfront density
Final
vote set for Aug. 14
By
MELANIE STAWICKI AZAM
Staff
Writer
NEW
In
a 3-2 vote Tuesday, Mayor Jim Vandergrifft said
he'd support the changes initially, but wasn't sure he'd vote for final
approval of the item, which is slated for Aug. 14.
"I'm
going to take a much better gander at it," he said.
The
measure aims to clarify how the number of condos allowed on beachfront land
is calculated, according to a city report. There has been some disagreement
between the city and developers as to whether density should be calculated
to the mean high water line or the platted lot line.
"I'm
not going to support this, because this is in litigation right now,"
said Commissioner Jack Grasty, voting with Vice
Mayor Jim Hathaway against the item.
Grasty
was referring to a pending lawsuit by
The
new rules would also state that land within the beach, underwater, within
public rights of way or otherwise dedicated to the public can't be used for
private purposes to calculate density or lot area. Concerning dock
construction, there has been some disagreement between the city and
According
to a city report, previous plats show the land on the east side of
But
Grasty said residents contend they are paying
taxes on that riverfront land. Hathaway said if all that riverfront land
belongs to the city, then it could be on the hook in terms of liability and
maintenance.
"Who's
going to be responsible (if a sea wall collapses there)?" Hathaway
said. He argued that with each dock the city permits, it is increasing its
liability.
Gummey
said the public can't use private docks, but citizens have a right to fish
off the public riverfront land. He said the docks are similar to other
incidental uses -- like mailboxes or landscaping -- allowed in the public
right of way.
"I
don't see where it's any different," he said.
3
activists win voice in talks on sector plan
Tuesday,
June 26, 2007
Three
community activists have gained permission to participate in settlement
negotiations for the sector plan, marking a victory for public participation
in mapping local growth.
Acreage
residents Patricia Curry, Alexandria Larson and Sharon Waite last week asked
to intervene, noting that they live in the area where the sector plan is
supposed to manage future development.
One
day later, on June 21, an administrative law judge approved their request.
The
women are not unusual for living within the sector plan area, roughly 85
square miles in central-western
But
they are regular fixtures at government and agency meetings, keeping abreast
of a multitude of proposed projects. When it came to the sector plan, they
wanted to make sure they were heard. "We're the ones that are really
affected," Larson said.
County
commissioners approved the sector plan in August 2005, but a few months later
the state Department of Community Affairs determined it wasn't in compliance
with
Several
parties have intervened in the process, including three bordering
municipalities and growth-management watchdog 1000 Friends of Florida. So has Callery-Judge
Grove, which wants to develop its 3,900-acre farm. Yet not a single area
resident or homeowners association has stepped in.
During
the past 11/2 years of negotiations, the three residents were able to listen
but not participate in phone conferences among the main players.
"I
felt cut of out of the process," Curry said. She also noticed changes in
revised documents sent to the state and wanted them addressed. Mainly, she
wants to be in the loop.
The
three women's involvement is fine with the state. "The growth-management
process is designed to have public participation," Department of
Community Affairs spokesman Jon Peck said.
Waite
said the trio's interest is their community, not making money or pushing a
particular project through. "We're not paid lobbyists," she said.
"That gives us the liberty to say what needs to be said, and no one can
gag us."
The
women have entered negotiations on the state's side, agreeing that the sector
plan has problems. For them, a main one is density.
Curry
said all the large parcels under the sector plan's purview shouldn't
necessarily receive the same density, because they are surrounded by different
types of land use. Larson and Waite said one unit per 5 acres is more
appropriate than the blueprint's current density.
The
sector plan calls for one unit per 1.25 acres. That can increase to 1.2 units
per acre if certain criteria are met, including clustering and open space.
Commissioners
most recently approved changes to the plan in April, and the state is
reviewing them
Live
Oak couple suing over odor from
By
NATHAN CRABBE
Sun
staff writer
A
Live Oak couple is suing a nearby dairy, saying the operation's odor prevents
them from using their property.
John and Sandy Killian filed suit this month against Shenandoah Dairy and
Sandy Killian said the dairy's growth creates an increasing odor problem that
reduces her property value.
"No one is against this dairy or farming, but we are against the fact
it's encroaching on us," she said.
Ed Henderson, part of the family that owns the dairy, said he's working to
reduce the smell. But he said neighbors must understand they're living in an
agricultural county.
"I'm trying to be a good neighbor, but it's a challenge some days,"
he said.
Shenandoah started in 1987 as a 20-cow dairy operation on 160 acres. Today it
has about 2,200 dairy cows on 1,600 acres.
The dairy disposes of manure by mixing it with water and spraying the mixture
on crops. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection approved the
dairy's permit for the spray fields in January 2006.
But the suit claims
But he said neighbors must understand there are limits to what he can do and
still stay profitable.
Killian said she moved there about four years ago.
She said the dairy's growth creates problems for even longtime residents, who
moved there before the dairy expanded closer to their properties.
"It has totally taken over the area where we live," she said.
"We're the source of the country character people move here for," he
said.
Nathan Crabbe can be reached at
352-338-3176 or crabben@gville sun.com.
2
protesting sprayfield plan
By
DEBORAH BUCKHALTER
Tuesday,
June 26, 2007
Two
men are protesting the state's intention to permit a sprayfield
that Grand Ridge wants to put on a 475-acre site off State Road 69.
The
petition was filed last month by Quillon and Kevin
Yon.
The
sprayfield site is located roughly 2 miles from
the intersection of U.S. Highway 90 and State Road 69 and near the Yon
property.
The
petitioners' lawyer, Kenneth Plante, said the
father and son believe the sprayfield site is too
close to Ocheesee Pond and that they are afraid
that if treated effluent were placed on the property, it could run into that
body of water during flooding or heavy rains.
According
to Grand Ridge City Manager J.R. Moneyham, an
administrative hearing is scheduled for September to air out the issues cited
in the petition.
Moneyham
said he is confident the project engineers submitted solid information to the
state in requesting the permit and that the city will be able to move forward
with its plan.
Meanwhile,
the city continues to install the wastewater collection lines that will bring
waste from roughly 420 residences into the treatment plant that the city will
build. From the plant, the wastewater would be sprayed on the field as a means
of disposal after treatment.
Moneyham
said three crews of workers are currently installing collection lines at
various locations which will be served by the treatment system.
This
is not the first time Grand Ridge has met with opposition to a proposed sprayfield
site.
The
The
administrative hearing on the Yon petition is set
for 9 a.m. central time on Sept. 17 at the state's Division of Administrative
Hearings, located on the
Grand
Ridge has been working for a couple of years to find a way to get city
residents on central sewer service; sections of the town are in low-lying
areas prone to flooding that can compromise individual septic tanks.
Sneads
and Grand Ridge had, at one time, worked toward an agreement that would send
Grand Ridge waste to Sneads' recently expanded
treatment system, but the two could not work out an acceptable agreement on
the cost of treatment.
Grand
Ridge has obtained several million dollars of commitments for state grants and
loans to solve its wastewater problems.
Rapid
deforestation poses warming threat
BY
TYLER BRIDGES
tbridges@MiamiHerald.com
Audio
| Interview with Sen. Bill Nelson TARAPOTO,
Brown,
denuded hillsides dot the landscape, cleared by poor farmers to grow coca or
food crops where dense jungle once stood in subtropical north-central
Boulders
stand bare. Topsoil, having lost its protection, washes away under the assault
of heavy rain.
Deforestation
in Latin America and the
Scientists
say deforestation, almost always to facilitate planting crops and raising
cattle, accounts for about 20 percent of the carbon emissions that contribute
to global warming. Environmentalists are pushing to allow countries and
companies to offset their emissions by paying to preserve forests elsewhere,
such as in Latin America and the
These
calls come amid the release of an annual report published last month by the
United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization showing that from 2000 to
2005, the rate of destruction of forest in Latin America and the
The
amount of forest lost each year from 2000 to 2005 averaged 11,077,734 acres,
the study showed -- about the size of
FARMERS
AND LOGGERS
Researchers
say forest is being increasingly cleared to make way for big cattle ranches
and large soybean farms -- especially in
The
culprits in smaller countries such as
''They
leave their site in one or two years to move somewhere else, because the soils
are not good,'' said Sandro Rivero,
Tarapoto's mayor. ``We need enforcement of the law
to keep the settlers out.''
In
''Historically,
the dominant pattern of forest conversion has begun with small-scale
exploration for timber or subsistence agriculture, followed by consolidation
into large-scale ranching operations,'' said the team's report from last year.
''The
clearings are huge,'' Gregory Asner, director of
global ecology at the Carnegie Institution, said by telephone from its offices
at
A
scientific paper written by Asner and others
disclosed that five of the 26 Brazilian states -- Mato
Grosso, Amazonas, Pará,
Rondonia and Roraima
-- account for 90 percent of the deforestation in
Asner
said the satellites also showed that nearly all logging occurs within 15 miles
of dirt and paved roads built through the forests.
That
points up the dangers posed by the further extension of the
The
highway -- known as BR-317 on the Brazilian side -- will spur trade between
the two countries and create badly needed jobs in
''But,
in general, highways serve as a means to accelerate deforestation,'' Foster
Brown, an environmental scientist at the Federal University of Acre in
Frank
Merry, a natural resource economist for the Massachusetts-based
CARBON
CREDITS
The
key to saving forest land, he said, is to make the value of preserving it exceed
the value of clearing it.
''That's
where carbon credits come in,'' Merry said by telephone from
The
Nature Conservancy, for example, wants to preserve 15,000 acres at Oxapampa,
in
''It's
very expensive,'' said Jaime Fernández, the
Nature Conservancy's project coordinator in
Florida
Sen. Bill Nelson, on a visit to Tarapoto in
February, was dismayed by the deforestation he saw.
Nelson
stood with one foot on a boulder, surveyed a field with only a few remaining
tree stumps and said he first became interested in the issue in 1986 when, as
a member of Congress, he flew in the space shuttle
''We
have to stop this process because of the impact on the climate,'' he said. If
not, he added, ``We will suffer, and all of us will
suffer.''
Court
fight continues over Riverside Resort
By
Terry Witt
The
Save the Homosassa River Alliance went back to court Monday in hopes of
convincing a judge it has the legal standing to continue its challenge of a
condominium project, but the judge didn’t rule.
Derrill
McAteer, an attorney for Riverside Resort owner
Gail Oakes, and Chief Assistant County Attorney Michele Lieberman said
alliance members don’t live close enough to the resort to have legal
standing to file the lawsuit.
Alliance
attorney Denise Lyn responded that state law has changed over the years and
given citizens a more liberalized right to file challenges against projects
they feel violate the local comprehensive plan.
Circuit
Judge Charles Harris, who has yet to rule in favor of the alliance, said he
would provide his ruling within two weeks.
The
ruling is key because without it the alliance has
no grounds for continuing their legal challenge.
Oakes
plans to convert her longstanding Riverside Resort motel and condo complex
into four-story condominiums. The complex would overlook the
But
the alliance said the county adopted changes to the comprehensive plan and
land development code three years ago to prevent this type of high-rise
development in Old Homosassa.
At
the urging of the Florida Department of Community Affairs, the county
participated in the Waterfronts Florida program to preserve the traditional
commercial fishing waterfront in Old Homosassa. Land use rules were changed to
preserve the general look of Old Homosassa and retain space on the waterfront
for what was left of the commercial fishing fleet.
The
county commission developed the Old Homosassa Area Redevelopment Plan and
adopted policies and objectives for Old Homosassa that became part of the
comprehensive plan. The Old Homosassa Overlay District was approved as part of
the land development code to set standards for development in Old Homosassa.
But
Oakes is now attacking the very right of the alliance to challenge the resort
project. McAteer said none of the alliance members
who filed suit live within a mile of the project and have no standing.
Lyn
said cited a long list of alliance projects that have centered on the river
and that she said give the group standing in the case. But McAteer
called it nothing more than a laundry list that gives them no more right than
any other citizen to file suit.
McAteer
said Oakes would be asking to be reimbursed by the alliance for attorney’s
fees if she wins in court, as he expects she will.
Audit:
Utility Sends Money Down Drain
By
ELLEN GEDALIUS The
Published:
Jun 26, 2007
Those
findings were included in a highly critical audit of the water department
released Monday.
At
a time when the administration has proposed an increase in water rates and
homeowners are constantly reminded to cut back on water use, the audit finds
problems within the water department are costing the city money and water.
Among
the findings:
•Overtime
costs rose 132 percent from 2005 to 2006, topping $500,000 a year.
•The
department loses about 13 percent of its water to leaks and poorly registered
meters.
•More
than 80 percent of fire hydrants are not regularly inspected.
Mayor
Pam Iorio had little to say Monday about the
audit, preferring to wait until she could talk with Water Department Director
Brad Baird.
Baird
laid most of the blame on the city's old pipes.
"The
audit verifies that we need to spend money for aging infrastructure,"
Baird said.
Utilities
keep track of the amount of water they lose each year by comparing the amount
produced with the amount billed to customers. The loss rate is referred to as
"nonrevenue water" or
"unaccounted-for water." The Tribune reported last month that the
city was losing about 4 billion gallons of water a year, amounting to about $3
million in lost revenue.
The
audit, conducted by the city's internal audit department, confirmed the trend.
A
2001 audit found that the city's water department was losing about 7.1 percent
of its water. In November, auditors found, the city lost about 13 percent. The
industry standard is about 10 percent.
Preventive
Maintenance Needed
The
department also isn't keeping up with preventive maintenance, the audit found.
"Although
management has set preventative maintenance standards, we noted a significant
number of exceptions to these standards," the auditors wrote.
For
example, some large meters require a part to be replaced every four years, but
72 percent of the meters weren't replaced on schedule. Small meters should be
replaced every 10 years, but 82 percent were not replaced on schedule.
Replacing
meters in a timely fashion is important because meters tend to malfunction
over time, usually under-registering readings rather than over-registering.
That means the city isn't capturing all the money it can from customers using
water.
Also,
fire hydrants aren't being regularly inspected.
More
than 80 percent of the city's 12,700 hydrants were not inspected at least once
every two years, as is water department policy.
That
increases the likelihood that firefighters trying to use the hydrants could
find that they don't function properly.
From
2004 to 2007, the amount of time workers spent on system repair climbed from
39 percent to 59 percent. Also during that period, the amount of time spent on
preventive maintenance fell from 22 percent to 16 percent.
Meanwhile,
overtime costs increased by 132 percent.
Overtime
costs in 2005 totaled $222,000. In 2006, the water department spent $515,000
on overtime.
Baird
said he knows he must develop a program to increase productivity and cut down
on overtime costs.
The
Reorganization
The
water department budget is about $68 million and has about 250 employees
responsible for producing and distributing water, engineering, consumer
affairs and administrative issues. Revenue generated by water rates fund the
department.
About
a year ago, the city's water distribution division was reorganized. Rather
than have experts focusing on various areas, such as meter replacement and
pipe repair, employees were assigned to geographic areas. The city was divided
into quadrants, and employees were cross-trained in different areas.
For
example, meter replacement experts learned how to repair pipes.
The
city paid a consultant $73,000 to develop the reorganization. In recent weeks,
the consultant came back to address problems with the new structure. The firm
was paid an additional $2,700.
The
audit covers Oct. 1, 2005, to Dec. 31. The reorganization went into effect in
early 2006.
"Those
kinds of overhauls don't go with some bumps along the way," water
department spokesman Eli Franco said. "You're cross-training. That takes
time. And that affects your productivity for a while."
Franco
said, however, that the water department realizes its focus must shift back to
preventive maintenance, rather than simply reacting to pipe breaks.
Baird
is relying on the city council to approve a rate increase this summer that
could double the cost of water over the next five years. The rate increase has
been pitched as a way to generate money to replace the city's aging
infrastructure; revamp the reclaimed water system; and increase the amount of
freshwater that flows into the
They
say that if the department has more money to spend on replacing pipes, it can
shift its efforts back to maintenance.
Reporter
Ellen Gedalius can be reached at (813) 259-7679 or
egedalius@tampatrib.com.
Arsenic
Levels Hit Unhealthy Highs In A Dozen Lithia Wells
By
MIKE SALINERO, The
Published:
June 26, 2007
State
environmental authorities are providing the owners of the affected wells with
alternative water supplies. Although arsenic levels in the wells are above
federal water quality standards, state officials say there is no reason for
alarm.
'I
think the arsenic numbers, the kind of exposure we're talking about, is not
enough to cause an immediate health impact,' said Bill Kutash,
an official with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's
Southwest District.
'So
no, it's not an emergency or imminent problem,' Kutash
said.
Arsenic
is a semimetal element that can enter drinking water from natural deposits in
the earth or from agricultural and industrial practices. It is a carcinogen.
Long-term exposure can cause discoloration of the skin, vomiting, diarrhea,
numbness in the hands and feet, partial paralysis and blindness.
The
contaminated wells are in an area dotted with small farms and orange groves,
east of the Polk County Line and south and east of the
The
Hillsborough County Health Department found the first contaminated well last
year at Stepping Stone Farm, a home for girls who are no longer in their
parents' care. Federal regulations require that the home's well be tested
periodically because of its size, said Cindy Morris, environmental
administrator at the Health Department.
After
the contamination was found, the Health Department had the home's residents
switch to another well on the property with low arsenic levels, Morris said.
'We
wanted them to get another drinking water supply,' Morris said.
The
Health Department tested another 25 to 30 wells in a half-mile radius south of
Stepping Stone and found three other wells with high arsenic levels.
The
Health Department called in the DEP, which expanded the investigation this
year in an effort to find the source of the arsenic. Investigators drove up
and down the rural roads, talking to residents about the history of the area.
They also studied old and new aerial photographs. So far, they've found
nothing that looks like a potential source.
'Some
of those people have lived there since the 1960s,' Kutash
said. 'None of them reported a business or industry in that area that would
account for the arsenic.'
The
DEP then decided to do its own testing over a larger area than the Health
Department covered. The agency asked about 180 property owners to test their
wells, and 67 agreed. Eight wells showed unhealthy levels of arsenic.
Randy
Tagliarini, who lives on
'They
said, 'Look, the water is unsafe to drink,'' Tagliarini
said. 'Nobody would say you'll be fine if you water your garden with it or
take a bath in it … It bothers me.'
The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says on its Web site that absorption of
arsenic through the skin is minimal. Hand-washing, bathing and washing clothes
with water containing arsenic does not pose a human health risk.
The
DEP has just begun a new round of testing farther east. If no other arsenic
hot spots are found, the agency may end the investigation, Kutash
said.
Researcher
Michael Messano contributed to this report.
Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at msalinero@tampatrib.com
or (813) 259-8303.
Water
authority budget increase has
By
ZAC
zac.anderson@heraldtribune.com
Rising
water prices have
The Charlotte County Commission likely will vote today to reprimand the Peace
River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority for
a 12 percent budget increase that could be passed along to local water users.
At the same time, the
The issue has strained the commission's relationship with the authority and
tested the county's commitment to following a regional water strategy espoused
by the state.
While the pipeline is important because it would link local water systems and
provide emergency backup systems, the budget increase has a more immediate
impact on local water users.
"Those costs have to be paid by our rate payers when they go up"
that dramatically, Assistant County Administrator Roger Baltz
said Monday.
Charlotte County Utilities purchases 95 percent of its water from the
authority.
A recent study that set
The authority, which serves Charlotte,
But that spending likely will be curtailed in light of criticism from
Charlotte and officials in the other counties who must approve the budget.
"I think they're already looking at ways to reduce those numbers," Baltz
said.
With the pipeline issue, commissioners must decide whether they want to build
the pipeline alone or in partnership with the authority.
Both possibilities have benefits and drawbacks.
A smaller pipeline paid exclusively by local taxpayers would offer more
control but could create bad blood with regional water officials.
Either way, the county would contribute $8 million in sales tax revenue and
bonds.
Caught in the middle is the city of
Punta Gorda Utilities Director Tom Jackson said
the extra revenue would be used to expand the city's Shell Creek water
treatment plant in 2013, limiting the impact on city rate payers.
"That would be very nice to sell that surplus and defray some of those
costs,"
In addition, Punta Gorda would be eligible for
state grants if the city is connected to the regional water system,
The benefits for Punta Gorda are enough to
convince Commissioner Tom Moore that the larger, regional pipeline is a good
idea.
"It's time to stand up and be big boys and do this,"
Other commissioners are wary of the regional pipeline because they would not
control the water, and because
"We could solve this by everybody putting in the right amount and sharing
it properly," said Commissioner Tom D'Aprile.
The
MPO
officials remain divided on merits of Port Manatee road
By
FRANK GLUCK
Even though officials in
On the one hand, supporters say a connector would improve vehicle traffic flow
from the growing port to destination cities.
But opponents point to its price tag -- guessed at $400 million -- and its
potential to increase development in North Manatee, where roads are already
overburdened.
Those divisions were apparent Monday even as the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan
Planning Organization formally authorized $3.8 million for the state to
conduct a port connector study.
The MPO consists of 15 local officials, such as mayors and county
commissioners. It prioritizes state and federal transportation projects in the
bi-county area.
They questioned the wisdom of building another road to link with I-75,
something they said would encourage more development and produce more road
congestion.
"We're already strapped, and here we are adding a project of gargantuan
proportions," Sarasota County Commissioner Jon Thaxton
said, later adding: "I can assure you this (road) will cause additional
sprawl in this area."
In a sense, it is too late for that, Manatee officials say. The county has
already approved developments that will bring thousands of new homes to the
farmland now between the port and the interstate.
But in those deals, developers have agreed to provide rights-of-way for a
future connector. That could drastically reduce the overall cost, they say.
Besides, this is just a study, said Manatee County Commissioner Carol
Whitmore.
"Let us do the study and see," she said. "If this is not
feasible, we won't do it."
The MPO agreed to the study only after declaring that the road itself should
be mostly funded by private sources. That may be tolls or some other
public-private arrangement, MPO officials said.
No one on the MPO disputes that the port is an economic boost for the area.
The port contributes more than $2.5 billion to the regional economy, up from
$685 million in 1995, port officials say.
About 2,000 trucks leave the port daily en route to the interstate, said David
McDonald, executive director of the port.
Port officials say they want to avoid the congested road systems that have
developed near the ports of
"This is not just a little, local port anymore," said Manatee County
Commissioner Joe McClash. "This is something
that services the nation."
City
OKs ecological rules on some land
By
JEFF ADELSON
Sun
staff writer
The regulations increase the distance buildings must be "set back"
from environmental features such as wetlands.
The restrictions approved Monday cover eight parcels totaling 47 acres between
The restrictions, known as the "Significant
Ecological Communities Overlay," was created in 2004 to increase
protections for environmentally sensitive features. Since then, officials have
been gradually bringing "high-quality" properties before the
commission to add the new restrictions.
Opponents of the regulations say they increase the cost of developing
properties and that the criteria for inclusion in the program are too vague.
Supporters say that while the overlay provides some benefits, it is not
protective enough.
"These are pieces of property that have been rated to have a quite high
environmental value," Commissioner Craig Lowe said. "I think this is
something that residents of
Much of the discussion Monday concerned a property that had been on the list
but was temporarily removed by staff to be considered at a later time. The
property, an 84-acre tract near
"We only brought forward at this time the parcels we didn't have much
conflict with," Gainesville Planning Manager Ralph Hilliard said.
Ted Nichols, the property's owner, has previously argued that the policy would
make it harder to develop east
Some commissioners said the overlay should be applied but that officials
should also take into account concerns about development on the east side.
Commissioner Scherwin Henry urged staff "to
look at all the avenues to ensure that we are able to achieve what we would
like to achieve with the ecological overlay. But at the same time not overly
hinder the development of east
Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan
warned that all properties should be viewed in the same way and said the
regulations could be seen as a benefit.
"Setting aside valuable environmental resources often-times makes for a
very valuable development," Hanrahan said.
Jeff Adelson
can be reached at 352-374-5095 or adelsoj@gvillesun.com
Where
did
Dailey
says county needs to step in to save lake
By Bruce Ritchie
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Leon
County Commissioner John Dailey said Monday it's time for the county to take
action to bring water back to
The
lake has a history of periodically draining and refilling.
Dailey
said Monday he agrees with some lake-area residents who want to fill in the
sinkhole or build a berm around it to help the
lake refill. He took an airboat tour Monday with resident Olin Granthum.
"Now
we are just going to let that investment go to waste?" Dailey asked.
"If anything, we need to protect the water body."
He
said he wants to form a working group to consider options. Among them are
filling in the sinkhole with limerock and dirt or
building a berm around it to restrict water flow,
Dailey said.
The
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hasn't discussed blocking
flow to the sinkhole because of the likelihood that another sinkhole could
open, said Jim Estes, leader of the freshwater fisheries research section.
Tom
Scott, assistant state geologist at DEP's Florida
Geological Survey, said other sinkholes could open in the near future and
likely will in coming centuries.
Granthum,
who lives along the
Dailey
said he hopes the new work group could be formed to meet starting in July. The
county, he said, also should reconsider policies that require new developments
around the lake to trap all stormwater to reduce
lake pollution. Granthum said those ponds are
holding back water that should be flowing into
Water-quality
specialist Sean McGlynn said he isn't sure there
is enough water in the treatment ponds to refill the lake. And he said the
county should move cautiously on blocking the sinkhole.
"I
wish we could appreciate what we have for what it is," McGlynn
said. "The birds and wildlife in
Haven
Holds Firm on Boat Slips in Development
By John
Chambliss
The Ledger
WINTER
HAVEN — City Manager David Greene and a local developer, longtime amicable
partners, had a rare tiff on Monday in a City Commission meeting.
The argument started after Jack Brandon, a lawyer with Peterson & Myers,
and developers requested several amendments to a recommendation to city
commissioners that would allow 25 overnight boat slips at a future home
development on
Brandon, Lennar Corp., and David C. Carter Consulting Engineers wanted 35
overnight boat slips, and the removal of conditions that forced boats to be
moved after 31 days and banned fueling of boats on the water.
City officials complied with two requests -- not to force boats to be moved or
to ban fueling -- but held firm on 25 overnight slips.
Commissioners voted 5-0 in favor of the amendments but sided with the city on
the 25 slips.
Greene said he was under the impression that developers and the city had
reached an agreement in previous meetings.
“I’m disappointed (developers) are not acting in good faith,” Greene
said.
Community Development Director David Dickey echoed Greene.
“Up until 20 minutes ago, I was not aware that these conditions were going
to be an issue,” Dickey said.
“This has been consistent with our stance,”
The commission’s vote comes nearly three months after planning commissioners
voted 5-0 in a packed meeting filled with
Port
Road
will provide 2nd access route west of I-95 for residents, schools
BY SUSANNE CERVENKA
A
mile-long stretch of road scheduled to open next month will help thousands of
residents evacuate during natural disasters and ease congestion when the only
storm is the flurry of students and buses coming and going from nearby
schools.
Work
on the two-lane, $4.5 million Port St. John Connector began in July and is
expected to be done by the start of the school year in August.
Last
year's long-burning wildfires refueled the fear held by some residents and
officials about evacuating people from that area of the community west of
Interstate 95.
"There's
only one way to get in and out and if something tragic happened, what would
we do?" said Chanel Headlam, 17, who
lives on
The
new road links
County
officials have been concerned that Port St. John residents would be trapped
west of I-95 if something happened on
"It's
really important for them in a safety, evacuation perspective," he said.
Not
a new idea
The
idea of a west connector began during initial planning for the I-95
interchange in the late 1980s, Brevard Metropolitan Planning Organization
director Bob Kamm said.
Very
few people were living west of the interstate at the time, but many lots were
platted.
"It
was clear it was eventually going to fill up," Kamm
said.
State
and county officials decided to use the interchange to link both sides of
unincorporated Port St. John, but they didn't know when or where to build it.
The
"when" became clear in the mid-1990s as housing boomed west of the interstate.
That, in turn, led to Enterprise Elementary and the then-Space Coast Middle
School opening in 1994 and 1995, respectively.
But
as construction grew, so did the concern: If the
Last
year's fires reinforced the need for the second access route, Denninghoff
said.
Flames
raged for more than a month in the dense wilderness that wrapped behind
"The
need to have two ways in and out became pretty clear," Denninghoff
said.
While
the fear of trapped residents has remained a concern, the connector will
relieve the daily reality of traffic congestion, especially at the beginning
and end of school days when buses, students and staff congregate around
When
school starts in the fall, traffic will be able to flow west to the connector
and then onto either
"Bring
it on," Corie Downey, 37, said in reaction to
the connector's near completion. "We're ready."
It
takes
Ricky
Capellaro, 50, doesn't even try to leave his Golfview
home when school is letting out. He hopes that will soon change.
But
while even school officials are excited about clearing some of the traffic,
not all residents are.
Some
on
"I
just dread what the traffic will be," said Ursula Forde,
77, who was the first to build a house on the street 20 years ago.
Darlene
Schaad, 41, picked her lot because
"I'd
rather it be on a different street," she said.
Not
always easy
Port
More
than 20,000 people live in the community, but much of the land west of what's
already built is either publicly owned or is too wet for construction, Kamm
said. With little new room for development, the two access points will likely
handle all of the town's future traffic needs, he said.
Joining
split communities is not rare in
In
Viera, for example, officials have know
for years -- since the development was proposed in 1991 -- how traffic would
go between its two sides.
Plans
show five different possible I-95 crossovers, including the Viera
overpass that is now being built, as well as upgrades at the Pineda extension,
on
When
General Development Corp. started building Port St. John in the 1960s, no such
planning was required by
But
with its sister communities, it's not so easy.
In
the southern part of the county, Port Malabar, also built by General
Development, is home to thousands of residents who live west of I-95. They use
the same four crossing points each day to travel to their jobs, most of which
are east of the interstate.
Officials
hope to widen Palm Bay Road and are making progress on the St. John's River
Parkway, which, when completed, will give area residents another interstate
crossing, Kamm said. But he admits that
Contact
Cervenka at 360-1018 or scervenka@floridatoday.com.
Biotech
bid stung Opa-locka
Before
he pitched a biotech park for
Long
before his companies received millions in poverty money for a floundering
biopharmaceutical park in
The
city of
Like
the proposed Poinciana Biopharmaceutical Park in Liberty City, the Town Center
building that Stackhouse constructed in Opa-locka
was supposed to attract a biotech firm to the job-hungry community --
transforming its blighted downtown into a vibrant urban core, teeming with
jobs, industry and more tax dollars.
But
seven years after Stackhouse showed up in Opa-locka
with elaborate plans and promises, there are few new jobs, little new tax
revenue -- and no biotech firm, a Miami Herald investigation found.
In
fact,
The
cost to Opa-locka taxpayers: $400,000 a year in
rent.
Meanwhile,
• The
nonprofit social-service agency of an Opa-locka
city commissioner who voted to give Stackhouse's company tax breaks while her
charity worked out of his building rent-free.
• A
day-care center managed by a woman who pleaded no contest last year to
defrauding the state's social-service agency.
• Former
congresswoman Carrie Meek's foundation, which received free office space in
the building.
With
no biotech firm in
For
the past three years, the four-story building with Moorish flourishes and
accents has been the headquarters from which Stackhouse launched his efforts
to gain commitments for more than $30 million in public money for his projects
in Opa-locka and
''That
rich man has received more from this community than any of the local
businesses,'' said former Opa-locka City
Commissioner Steve Barrett, whose wife runs a modest restaurant down the
block.
Stackhouse
arrived in South Florida on the heels of a bankruptcy case in
In
2000, he founded a development company in Opa-locka,
a city in North Miami-Dade, where street names and buildings are inspired by 1001
Arabian Nights and more than half of the residents live in poverty.
In
September 1999, the
It
was supposed to be a catalyst for revitalization in a city that hadn't seen a
major commercial development in 15 years.
Four
months later, the City Commission approved the sale of the lot to a Stackhouse
company for $1 a square foot after he proposed building a mixed-use
development that would include retail space and badly needed affordable
housing.
''Once
the downtown is revitalized, that will radiate outside of the city,''
Stackhouse said in his application.
The
project was supposed to create 30 jobs and generate $20,000 a year in taxes,
records show.
But
even before construction began, city commissioners eliminated that potential
tax revenue by voting in 2002 to give Stackhouse a break on $250,000 in
property taxes.
A
year later, the developer dramatically altered his plan. Instead of a project
that would include housing for the poor, he decided to build an office
building.
He
said the new development, called
Based
on the new plan, a county antipoverty task force chaired by U.S. Rep. Kendrick
Meek gave Stackhouse a $2.2 million loan in 2004 for medical equipment to help
lure MediVector to Opa-locka.
''
But
MediVector didn't move to Opa-locka.
Stackhouse
said that MediVector had a contract with Eli Lilly
-- a multibillion-dollar pharmaceutical company -- to work on drug trials but
that the deal had fallen through. That prevented MediVector
from making the move, he said.
MediVector's
president, Api Rudich,
would not respond to questions.
USE
OF
With
MediVector out of the picture, Stackhouse used the
county's money instead to pay down a $1 million construction loan for Town
Center, an additional $800,000 for direct construction costs, and $100,000 on
lawyers and consultants -- including Opa-locka's
former Assistant City Manager Ed Brown, who received $25,000 from the Town
Center project, according to receipts that Stackhouse submitted to the county.
For
the past year, Stackhouse's company has failed to make payments on the loan
and owes Miami-Dade $140,000, records show.
His
company also has more than $50,000 in federal tax liens on the building
because he hasn't been paying his employment taxes, records show.
Now,
three years later, he says MediVector will anchor
the biopharmaceutical park two miles away in
When
the building in Opa-locka finally opened in 2003
-- nearly four years after Stackhouse's company acquired the land -- more than
60 percent of it was vacant, although he claimed when he applied for the
county loan that the building was 92 percent preleased.
The
largest tenant when it opened was a preexisting day-care center managed by a
woman who would later plead no contest to charges that she reaped thousands
more in state dollars by inflating the number of children in her care.
Because
Stackhouse failed to attract new businesses to Opa-locka,
then-Vice Mayor Terence Pinder moved to rescind
the lucrative tax breaks for
But
Pinder was overruled in a 2-2 vote in 2005.
Voting
in favor of Stackhouse's company: City Commissioner Dorothy ''Dottie''
Johnson, whose nonprofit had been receiving free
rent in
AN
ETHICS FINDING
The
Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust found that Johnson violated
county ethics rules by voting in favor of the tax breaks while receiving free
rent, but the commission didn't take formal action because it had allowed her
to cast a previous vote related to zoning for Town Center.
Johnson
said she assumed that the commission's ruling on the zoning issue applied to
all votes she would cast related to
''I'm
a tenant just like everyone else,'' Johnson said at the time.
According
to canceled checks and Ethics Commission files, Johnson's nonprofit
social-service agency also received three $600 checks dated the same day from
In
an interview with an Ethics Commission investigator, Stackhouse was evasive
about his involvement with the company.
''He
did say he was familiar with the entity
According
to corporate records and court documents from
The
same company, along with a handful of other entities controlled by Stackhouse,
donated tens of thousands of dollars to Opa-locka
politicians since 2002 -- including nearly $10,000 to Mayor Joseph Kelly, who
was elected last November, and more than $4,000 to Johnson, who is now vice
mayor.
Now,
instead of spawning new industry and dozens of jobs,
Last
October, Johnson -- the commissioner who received free rent from Stackhouse's
company -- sponsored a resolution to move City Hall to
Johnson
declined to comment.
Mayor
Kelly said the city's interest in purchasing the building is on hold while the
city waits to see the impact of tax cuts proposed in
He
also pointed out that a public library opened in
''I
just want to make sure that citizens get the best services for the money,'' he
said.
Opa-locka's
former mayor, John Riley, who received two $500 contributions from
Stackhouse's companies in 2002, said Stackhouse quickly became a power player
in the city.
''For
a person who has been here for such a short time, Stackhouse has got a lot of
politicians in his corner,'' Riley said.
Miami
Herald staff writer Robert Samuels contributed to this report.