Drought may be
lasting condition
By RUFFIN
PREVOST
Gazette Wyoming Bureau
LOVELL, Wyo. - Sportsmen pinning their
hopes on Mother Nature to bring more water to Bighorn Lake and the Bighorn River
might do better to work for more accurate weather data and efficient water use.
That's because most long-term climate models call for average annual regional
temperatures in 2050 to be three to seven degrees higher, which could mean even
less water in the future, State Climatologist Steve Gray said Thursday.
He briefed members of a group studying potential solutions to the water
shortage on how decadeslong global climate changes and shorter-term regional
fluctuations may affect water availability.
"We need to be thinking about a changing climate in all of the planning
we're doing. Not only global changes, but also the fact that climate changes
naturally from year to year and decade to decade," Gray told the group.
Scientists don't know if expected higher temperatures over the coming decades
will mean more or less moisture, but assuming precipitation stays the same or
shrinks, that could mean dry times for the Bighorn Basin, he said.
5th driest
Wyoming has an average annual precipitation of 16.8 inches statewide, making it
the fifth driest state in the nation, Gray said.
Most of Wyoming, 71 percent, is much drier than the average, with high-altitude
snowpack in the northeast corner accounting for much of the state's
precipitation.
Even a small rise in average temperatures could mean huge changes to the
state's water outlook, said Gray, who also is director of the Wyoming Water
Resources Data System.
Much of the spring snow that collects in the high country falls at temperatures
just below freezing. Raise the temperature a few degrees, and that snow turns
into rain.
Higher average temperatures mean snow melts sooner, bringing earlier and faster
peak runoff and diminished late-season flows. That can mean increased
evaporation and more severe water shortages later in the year, Gray said.
It also means the high country becomes drier, bringing more widespread insect
infestations in the forests and making them more prone to large wildfires, he
said.
Whether temperatures rise from global climate changes or the natural variations
in regional weather patterns, "drought is really business as usual in this
part of the world," Gray said.
Historically dry
A scientific analysis of tree rings from around the Bighorn Basin shows severe
and extended dry spells occurring with relative regularity over the past 700
years, he said.
"When we take the driest year in the 20th century, 1936, that kind of
drought has been equaled or exceeded on numerous occasions," he said.
"Severe and sustained drought is part and parcel to life in the Western
United States, and we better make sure that whatever work we're doing takes
that into account," Gray said.
Other factors besides climate also are shaping demand for water around the
region, including growing populations and changing land use, he said.
The water tug-of-war on the Bighorn system, pitting boaters and lake fishermen
against river fishermen downstream, breaks the mold of many traditional water
disputes, he said.
"Agriculture has always been such a huge player in Western water, but with
the increases in recreation, that's another fundamental change shaping the
demands for water," he said.
Growing demand in neighboring states and regions downstream is another changing
factor.
"There are more people in one Las Vegas suburb than in all of the state of
Wyoming, and when you look at it from that economic or socio-political reality,
being a headwater state in the New West makes us vulnerable in ways we haven't
been in the past," Gray said.
Things to do
There are things Wyoming planners and residents can do to make the most of the
existing water, he said.
"The first is we can work on our infrastructure, and that includes things
like concrete, dams, pipes and ways to store water and move it where we need
it.
"Second is conservation of water, and getting rid of the inefficiencies
and losses in our water system.
"Finally, we need to get a better handle on how water availability and
climate change over time," he said.
Gray said the Legislature provided more than $400,000 last year for badly
needed weather monitoring equipment, but more funds are required for long-term
maintenance and operation of the gear.
"In the past, we have partnered with federal agencies on installing and
maintaining a lot of that equipment, but they are getting out of the business
and putting more and more burden on states to monitor climate, and water in
particular," Gray said.
With so few residents, Wyoming is at a disadvantage because it lacks weather
reporting stations and volunteers helping to record and report data.
Gray encouraged residents to participate in a national program called CoCoRaHS,
or Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, for which amateur
weather spotters can monitor and report on precipitation.
"By adding a few hundred citizens to that program, we essentially double
the amount of information coming in for the state," Gray said.
Contact Ruffin Prevost at rprevost@billingsgazette.com
or 307-527-7250.
OPINION &
EDITORIAL – The BadgerHerald school newspaper of the University of
Wisconsin-Madison
America
fighting inner water wars
by Andrew
Wagner
Friday,
October 19, 2007
The thought may seem odd,
but it looks to me like the United States could sure use a hurricane right
about now. Even a tropical storm or two would do. Right now, the majority of
land in the southeastern United States is suffering from either severe or
exceptional drought — the U.S. Drought Monitor’s two highest classifications
for water deficits.
The issues being debated
in that area of the country and others that remain at the mercy of uncaring
weather patterns serve as an excellent primer on problems that states across
the nation may have to deal with as water supplies become increasingly
stressed.
The situation around
Atlanta, Georgia shows the consequences of what can happen to a large
metropolitan area suffering from extreme drought. The reservoir that supplies
the city with nearly all of its drinking water, Lake Lanier, is running dry. A
two-year drought that has plagued the region has now resulted in this sorry
state of affairs. Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division says that Lake
Lanier’s supply of drinking water could exhaust itself within the next 81 days.
Furthermore, the exhaustion of Lake Lanier will threaten power plants and
industries downstream from the reservoir that depend on the flow of water from
it to operate, not to mention the river’s ecosystem.
Unsurprisingly, there is a
clear ripple affect throughout society. As outflow from the reservoir
decreases, industry and power generation downstream will fall as well. As the
reservoir falls, citizens and businesses within Atlanta itself will face cuts
far beyond the restrictions on lawn-watering and recreational use already in
place. Without even looking at the devastation this drought has already caused
for farmers in the area, the water shortage will clearly cause a big economic
impact.
The consequences of the
situation in the Atlanta region are not isolated. North Carolina, South
Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee are all facing similar problems. Across the
Southeast, reservoir and river levels are dropping. Many other communities
could soon face situations as dangerous as Atlanta’s with a massive economic
toll.
The drought in the
Southeast, traditionally a wet area of the country, should serve as a wakeup
call. Here in Wisconsin, we could face some of the same problems, yet it seems
water issues are often overlooked. Part of this is no doubt due to the fact
that the state sits next to two of the largest bodies of freshwater in the
world. However, if the state does end up facing an extended drought as severe
as the drought in the Southeast, there will be major problems.
The biggest problem
relates to the usage of aquifers as a water source. A report commissioned in
2002 for the municipal and wastewater industry cites declining aquifers in Dane
County, the Fox River Valley and western Milwaukee suburbs as key problems. Increases
in demand are placing stress on these aquifers, which cannot replenish
themselves as fast as they are being drawn down. The demand problem will
undoubtedly be compounded as Wisconsin’s population continues to grow. If a
prolonged and severe drought does strike, will these aquifers be able to keep
up with demand? I have my doubts.
The report outlines some
possible solutions to the problem. Obviously, municipalities could switch over
to using river water or pipe it in from Lake Michigan. However, both solutions
have further problems. River levels will undoubtedly already have been affected
by the drought and taking water out of them will only compound the stress they
are under. Furthermore, it may impact industries or power plants that depend on
the river water for operation, potentially setting up some very nasty fights.
A commonsense look also
reveals plenty of problems with getting water from Lake Michigan to any place
more than a small distance inland. The distance between Madison and Milwaukee
is more than 70 miles. Now imagine building a pipeline to pump water that far.
Not only would the pipeline be expensive to build, but it would be expensive to
operate and maintain. How much more expensive is yet to be determined, but it
is certainly much more so than pumping water from an aquifer.
The situation in the
Southeast shows what happens when you get caught by surprise. Whether we use
education to encourage greater conservation, the use of new technologies to
reduce inefficiency, build a new pipeline or whatever other solutions present
themselves, they all have one thing in common: They should start sooner rather
than later.
Andrew Wagner
(awagner@badgerherald.com) is a
junior majoring in history and political science
TC
Palm Editorial Series: Is Florida over? It's our decision, Part IV of IV,
Quality of life
The old growth model
is collapsing under an onslaught of congestion, dysfunction and a lack of
natural resources. And Floridians are paying for it. Let’s look beyond our battered
real-estate market, which will recover, to map out six steps toward a better
way of life on the Treasure Coast.
MANAGE GROWTH:
Size matters
If bigger really is
better, Miami would be the cleanest and most livable city in Florida. Need we
say more?
Comprehensive plans
already on the books call for a state population of 100 million — 82 million
more Floridians than are here today.
The Treasure Coast
still has a chance to avoid the mistakes of South Florida, but local officials will
have to grow a spine. They can start by scrapping the false doctrine that
dramatic growth is “inevitable.”
This doesn’t mean
governments shouldn’t plan for growth. Like everything else in government,
growth is a political decision. Just look at the strict growth controls in
Martin County. On the other end of the spectrum, Port St. Lucie and Fellsmere
view growth as a panacea.
City councils and
county commissions can be proactive in governing for the greater good, and
planning ahead, or they can continue making ad hoc deals with landowners that
boost densities, facilitate sprawl and pave over what’s left of paradise.
BOND: Get to
know your neighbors
“Community” isn’t
defined by endless rows of new houses and retail outlets linked by miles of
asphalt. Real, functional communities are built on a scale that promotes
safety, healthy lifestyles, wholesome recreation, civic involvement and a
diversified economy.
Strip malls are
vestiges of an era when gasoline was $1 a gallon. So are far-flung tract
developments that demand time-wasting commutes through concrete jungles where
there’s no “there” there.
Mixed-use communities
that carefully connect residential, retail and commercial components bring
people together in a functional way — not drive them apart.
The current
development model breeds anonymity and alienation as it elevates the profits of
itinerant homebuilders over the well-being of residents who are already here.
This upside-down agenda produces unsafe neighborhoods, juvenile delinquency and
a host of social pathologies among urban strangers. Who wants to live there?
CONSERVE:
Think and act green
Recognizing that
bulldozed fields or dried-up wells are gone forever, voters have generously
approved programs to purchase environmentally sensitive lands. Initiatives like
Florida Forever and local conservation bonds have rescued some pristine
properties. But even if everyone emptied their bank accounts, the public cannot
outbid developers.
So stop the shakedown.
Government can conserve natural resources without transferring billions of
dollars in public funds to private landholders. Enforce current zoning
regulations and quit “tweaking” urban service boundaries. Call on public and
private land trusts to use their funds more efficiently, and let existing
federal tax breaks for land donations do their job.
Enact and strictly
enforce ordinances to save trees. Punish anyone who violates environmental
regulations with more than a slap. Maximize the cost-saving potential of solar
power, especially at new public buildings.
A region that receives
more than 30 inches of rain per year shouldn’t have to ration water. But
diminishing aquifers are a wakeup call that population is outstripping supply.
Pursue water-saving strategies, such as converting thirsty and non-native St. Augustine
sod to xeriscape and natural flora.
Finally, move sewage
plants away from the Indian River. Dumping even treated waste water into the
lagoon is slowly but surely killing it.
RECYCLE: Waste
not
The biggest
“mountains” on the Treasure Coast needn’t be garbage dumps. With new
technology, landfills can generate energy through compression and composting.
Follow the lead of
Seattle and other cities that recycle more than 40 percent of their garbage.
Ban recyclable products, such as paper, from landfills. Expand the types of
plastics (Nos. 3-6) that can be recycled. Track progress in the public and
private sectors.
Government officials
don’t have to pay for third-party “accreditation” to do the right thing. Just
do it.
GET EDUCATED:
Knowledge is power
From distance learning
to charter schools to private college grants, Florida must enlist partners to
raise the scholastic bar.
This is more than an
academic exercise. Chronically high dropout rates — four of every 10 Florida
high school students fail to earn a diploma — are a drag on society. Not only
do dropouts earn less, they also are more prone to crime, teen pregnancy and
all manner of abuses/addictions.
Education — whether
vocational or collegiate — can break the cycle of misery and save future
generations from the mire. For pennies on the dollars that taxpayers are
expending today, self-paced, online education is available free through Florida
Virtual School (flvs.net). Likewise, charter schools — which are free and open
to all — deliver K-12 programs that meet or beat those offered at traditional
public campuses, also at a fraction of the state’s standard spending formula.
Whatever school districts do or don’t do, parents have an obligation to educate
themselves about the available choices.
Support public and
private education and measures that will help them become more accountable and
effective.
As for higher
education, if Florida Atlantic University can’t ramp up a full-fledged
four-year program on the Treasure Coast, Indian River Community College must
aggressively (and cost-effectively) expand its baccalaureate offerings. This is
crucial to revving up the academic engine and preparing students needed to
power a diversified and globally competitive regional and Florida economies.
VOTE: Hold
politicians accountable
Low voter turnout and
public apathy ensure status quo. When only one in five registered voters (10
percent of eligible adults) cast ballots in local elections, people get the
politicians they deserve — the ones who take money and orders from special
interests.
If an uninformed
electorate is a prescription for corruption, an engaged populace has the power
to restore accountability and a spirit of pure public service. Of course, no
government program will increase popular participation. That’s the people’s
job.
Ultimately, local
government’s job is to protect and enhance citizens’ quality of life. So
register to vote, pay attention, get involved and, when office holders fail to
work for the greater good, throw the bums out. That’s how good communities get
better.
Things are
tight in Florida's citrus belt
THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT PIERCE, Fla.
There seem to be more tractors tearing up St. Lucie County’s citrus
groves than tending them these days.
This county once had more orange and grapefruit trees than almost any
other place in Florida, the nation’s largest citrus producer. Now it is one of
the fastest-growing counties in one of America’s fastest-growing states, and
that land is fast giving way to housing tracts.
The same is happening in varying degrees across Florida’s citrus belt.
It has been for years, but the slow slide has suddenly quickened. Farmers are
replanting fewer trees than at any point since the 1970s, and cropland is
disappearing. Previously high land prices, such diseases as citrus canker and
greening, and even the rising cost of trees are hurting farmers and driving up
orange-juice prices to record levels, up more than a third since 2002.
“It’s a very, very expensive process to get back into the business, even
though you have land sitting there fallow,” said Doug Bournique, the head of
the Indian River Citrus League. “It’s not a dollar a tree like it was 20 years
ago, just to pop them into the ground.” It can now cost $10 a tree.
Florida lost 127,182 acres (17 percent of its total) in the 2006 crop
census - the second worst decline in history behind only a January 1986 freeze.
The net loss was higher than the previous eight years combined.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture does not tie specific reasons to any
acre lost, but growers and other industry officials say that the problems are
plain. Canker and greening led to the destruction of tens of thousands of acres
of trees in the past 10 years, and bad hurricane seasons in 2004 and 2005
damaged groves. Some farmers sold to developers when land prices rose sharply
during the past few years, though the recent slowing in the housing market has
probably stymied that trend.
The problem is that it keeps costing more to grow citrus. Because of
canker and greening bacteria, farmers have had to adopt tedious and expensive
procedures to decontaminate workers and find infected trees.
Canker, which makes fruit unusable, is spread by the wind and
contaminated clothes and equipment. Greening kills trees and is spread by an
Asian insect accidentally brought to Florida. Neither disease harms humans.
To protect trees, citrus nurseries now use greenhouses, and many are
moving away from commercial citrus territory. The changes have sent tree prices
higher.
Despite the trouble, officials in the $9 billion Florida citrus industry
remain optimistic. Bournique likens it to 1980s freezes, from which the
industry rebounded with increasing acreage that peaked in 1996.
The USDA predicted this month that Florida would rebound from last
year’s dismal orange crop with a 30 percent increase in production, up to 168
million boxes of oranges. Growers were ecstatic, but juice-maker Tropicana
warned that it was still much lower than prehurricane production that regularly
exceeded 200 million boxes.
Most Florida oranges are pressed into juice, and Tropicana buys 40
percent of them. The company said it expects cost pressures to continue.
VIEWPOINT ~~ No rest for the 'Citizen Army'
News-Leader commentary By Robert M. Weintraub/East Nassau
Homeowners' Council
Victory in a pitched battle can be exhilarating, and multiple
victories, one after the other, much more so. But looking at the happy faces of
the battle-hardened troops you can see the fatigue, the evidence of shell-shock,
experienced in the struggle. The troops need some R&R, some downtime with
their families, time to get back to their normal lives. But the enemy is
relentless and so soldiers have to be recalled to the front line to repulse yet
another attack.
Iraq? No, Nassau County!
Two hundred of the citizenry mobilized to turn back the 300-unit apartment
complex proposed for Barnwell Road in August. In September, a strong citizen
turnout for the vision committee's meeting in Callahan put the chamber of commerce's
minions on notice that the public considers keeping Nassau beautiful the second
most important priority in developing a vision for the county (a bare
percentage point behind controlling growth; the business/developer interests on
the vision committee had ranked Nassau's beauty fourth among the list of eight
concerns).
And in early October, some 60 citizens marched to the podium to tell county
officials they want a strong, enforceable land development code to protect
Nassau's trees and its natural beauty.
Good work for the Citizen Army that gave up time and energy to let our county
government know what the voters really want. But the troops can't lay down
their arms just yet, for the forces that would turn Nassau from lush green to
concrete gray, clog our highways, litter the landscape with ugly strip malls,
are relentless. Their highly paid mercenaries keep bringing the challenges that
will destroy our way of life.
The next pitched battle between developers and the Citizen Army is
shaping up over a large-scale commercial development on A1A at the already
congested Chester Road that will further blight the landscape, add to the
traffic bottleneck and continue to make Nassau's comprehensive plan irrelevant.
And in the pipeline are a number of plans to change the Future Land Use Map
(FLUM) and build more ugly storefronts along Nassau's highways that are working
their way through the planning department.
To make the situation more difficult, a new threat has emerged in the form of a
traffic guru in the pay of the power brokers who is making outrageous
statements to county officials that A1A traffic is not as bad as many say and
that long turn lanes can mitigate traffic problems caused by massive new
developments.
Must the Citizen Army continue to parade to the county commission and planning
board month after month to protect our way of life? Must we find our own
traffic authority to counter the ridiculous statements of the developers' new
hired gun?
Shakespeare's Henry V exhorted his troops with the cry, "Once more into
the breach, dear friends, once more!" Must we make this call every month?
There may be a better way. An effort is being made to get a
"Hometown Democracy" amendment to the Florida Constitution on the
ballot for November 2008. If this amendment is passed by the voters, it will
require comprehensive plan and FLUM changes to be approved by the public. It
would slow the developers' mad rush to turn Nassau from green to gray. It would
give Floridians control over growth for the first time. And it would head off
the imminent rise in our taxes to pay for the infrastructure required by
out-of-control development.
The developer-controlled Florida Chamber of Commerce is so scared of this
amendment that it has conducted a "full-court press" to derail it.
Chamber executives have toured the state exhorting local chambers to fight it.
Disinformation has been spread about it. A rival amendment has been proposed to
confuse the public. A lawyer-lobbyist for developers has sent out a mass-mailing
to scare voters.
To get the amendment on the ballot petitions must be signed by 700,000
registered Florida
voters by the end of the year. More than 500,000 have been obtained as of the
beginning of October. The rest must be collected by the end of the year. To
learn more about this issue, and to get a copy of the petition, go to
www.floridahometowndemocracy. com
Getting the amendment on the ballot, and then voting to approve it, will allow
our Citizen Army to rest, to go about its normal lives and not have to worry
about the monthly threats to our way of life.
Until voters get the power to control growth, we must indeed be prepared to go
"once more into the breach!"
Pro-growth group mobilizes against referendum
By ZAC
ANDERSON
zac.anderson@heraldtribune.com
SARASOTA -- A variety of well-financed
pro-growth groups are opposing an ordinance that would make it more difficult
for the Sarasota County Commission to approve new developments.
Protect our Constitution, the Florida Chamber of Commerce's powerful political
action committee, has begun distributing fliers against the Nov. 6 referendum
with the financial support of groups like the National Association of
Homebuilders.
With $3.2 million in contributions over the last two years, the PAC has
successfully campaigned against similar rules in other Florida communities.
The group typically works through local pro-business PACs. Citizens for a
Better Sarasota, a committee financed by Sarasota developers and builders, has
raised $12,000 since July.
Supporters of the proposal like Sarasota architect Bill Zoller call Protect our
Constitution an "attack PAC" and decry the "outside influence of
these carpetbaggers."
Those who oppose the measure, along with a similar one proposed for the city of
Sarasota, say they need to get the word out that such restrictions are
undemocratic and bad for business.
The county proposal is designed to rein in growth by requiring a 4-1 commission
vote, a super majority, to approve new developments that are larger or
otherwise more intensive than the county's comprehensive plan currently allows.
"It's not how representative democracy is supposed to work and it's not
good for a struggling economy," said Adam Babington, a spokesman for the
Florida chamber.
Zoller said such talk was preposterous.
"Who hurts our economy? Concerned citizens or the greedy developers and
speculators who have caused the disaster we're in now?" he asked,
referring to the recent slide in real estate values.
The two sides are gearing up for a publicity war with the referendum less than
three weeks away.
Supporters of the proposal have raised $61,000, which they plan to spend on
direct mailings and other campaign literature, Zoller said. Volunteers with the
Citizens for Sensible Growth PAC, which collected 12,500 signatures to get the
proposal on the ballot, also are speaking to dozens of local neighborhood
associations and manning booths at upcoming festivals.
The opponents have been relatively low-key thus far, but Protect our
Constitution often waits until the last minute before deciding where to spend
money.
The PAC's first foray into the race came on Oct. 10, when hundreds of fliers
were distributed during a Sarasota County Civic League breakfast.
Citizens for a Better Sarasota has spent only $585 since July. The group was
formed by developer Piero Rivolta and builder Frederick Derr. Neither returned
telephone messages Tuesday, nor did the group's largest contributor, William F.
McDonough Plumbing Inc.
Pro-growth PACs have spent heavily on Sarasota elections in recent years with
little success.
Citizens for a Better Sarasota helped finance television advertisements
attacking slow-growth County Commissioner Joe Barbetta. Barbetta narrowly won
his election last November.
All told last year, Citizens for a Better Sarasota and a larger,
Tallahassee-based PAC called Citizens for Housing and Urban Growth spent nearly
$500,000 on Southwest Florida campaigns, but many of their candidates lost,
thanks to a backlash against the region's recent development boom.
Protect our Constitution has had some success, though.
Earlier this year, the group gave $10,000 to a PAC in Fort Worth that
successfully worked to defeat a super-majority referendum in that city by 118
votes.
Babington said such efforts were needed to suppress the larger statewide goal
of slow-growth groups: The Hometown Democracy amendment to Florida's
constitution, which would require communities to vote on every comprehensive
plan amendment in their borders.
"This initiative in Sarasota is not bubbling up from citizens,"
Babington said. "This is a coordinated effort by the people behind
Hometown Democracy to get some traction."
But this is not the first slow-growth political movement to take hold in
Sarasota County in the last two years.
Although they often were outspent, slow-growth political candidates like
Barbetta and Sarasota City Councilmen Dick Clapp and Kelly Kirschner won
elections by railing against the excesses of the recent development boom.
Similar campaigns are under way in Venice, where a slate of slow-growth
challengers are working together to defeat three council incumbents.
"Citizens throughout the state have lost confidence in their elected
officials," Zoller said. "We don't see that they're safeguarding the
quality of life in our communities."
Hillsborough and Collier counties both have super-majority rules related to
development, but Sarasota would be the first to have such restrictions in the
county charter.
County Commissioner Jon Thaxton's view is that people on both sides of the
charter amendment issue appear to be overstating their cases.
Over the past 10 years, there have been nearly 150 attempts to amend the
comprehensive plan. But only two of those resulted in 3-2 votes on changes that
would have increased the density on a property or increased the intensity of
the land's use, Thaxton said.
Otherwise, county commissioners have been in agreement not to allow new
development east of the urban service boundary.
"In this case, the charter amendment would have negligible, frankly no
impact, on the growth of Sarasota County," Thaxton said.
Feds
explore drought options for Apalachicola River
By Bruce Ritchie
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Without agreeing to take immediate action, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has
responded to Georgia's request to cut water flowing into Florida's Apalachicola
River.
Georgia officials last week asked the federal agency to reduce flow to the
Apalachicola River as much as 60 percent or more. They say the action is needed
to prevent reservoirs that provide drinking water for cities from going dry.
The Corps of Engineers is operating reservoirs under a plan to provide minimum
flow to the Apalachicola River for threatened and endangered mussels and Gulf
sturgeon.
Florida officials say the water is needed for the seafood industry in
Apalachicola. They say cutting the flow will cause economic and environmental
harm.
In a response to Georgia, Maj. Ronald D. Payne of the Corps of Engineers'
district office in Mobile, Ala. wrote the agency is exploring options with
federal wildlife officials for dealing with the drought.
"I hope you and the other states and stakeholders will continue to share
information that can assist us in planning and managing for this drought,"
Payne wrote.
Contact reporter Bruce Ritchie at (850) 599-2253 or britchie@tallahassee.com.
UPDATE:
Ga. governor says state will sue to cut Apalachicola flow
By Bruce Ritchie
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue says his state will ask a court to force the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers to cut water flowing to the Apalachicola River.
Georgia officials last week asked the federal agency to reduce flow as much as
60 percent or more to prevent reservoirs that provide drinking water for cities
from going dry.
The Corps of Engineers is operating reservoirs under a plan to provide minimum
flow to the Apalachicola River for threatened and endangered mussels and Gulf
sturgeon.
“I am confident that Congress did not pass the Endangered Species Act with the
intention of providing protection for species of mussel and sturgeon at the
expense of critical human needs,” Perdue said in a news release.
Florida officials say water is needed for the seafood industry in Apalachicola.
They say cutting the flow will cause economic and environmental harm.
DEP Secretary Michael Sole wrote in a letter Tuesday that Georgia's request
would "severely impact" Florida's natural resources and cause
"profound disruption of the socioeconomic foundation in Florida's
Panhandle region."
In a response to Georgia, Maj. Ronald D. Payne of the Corps of Engineers'
district office in Mobile, Ala. wrote the agency is exploring options with
federal wildlife officials for dealing with the drought.
"I hope you and the other states and stakeholders will continue to share
information that can assist us in planning and managing for this drought,"
Payne wrote.
Contact reporter Bruce Ritchie at (850) 599-2253 or britchie@tallahassee.com
Florida:
Don't cut water flow
State wants to keep river at same level
By Bruce Ritchie
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Georgia's request to reduce water in the Apalachicola River would
"severely impact" Florida's natural resources, Department of Environmental
Protection Secretary Michael Sole told the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on
Wednesday.
Georgia last week asked the corps to reduce the flow into Florida to stop the
draining of federal reservoirs in Georgia that are used for drinking water. But
Florida says the low flows from upstream already are harming the Apalachicola
River.
"If flows are reduced by half again, significantly increased negative
impacts will occur, including a profound disruption of the socioeconomic
foundation in Florida's Panhandle region," Sole wrote in a letter to the
corps.
Officials with Georgia and the Corps of Engineers could not be reached for
comment Wednesday night.
Florida officials say water is needed in the Apalachicola River to support the
seafood industry around Apalachicola Bay. The flow also provides cooling water
for Gulf Power Co.'s Scholz generating plant near Sneads.
Alabama, Florida and Georgia have been fighting in the federal courts over
water since 1990. Much of Georgia, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle now are in
a severe drought.
In her letter last week, Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director
Carol Couch stated that water-intake pipes in Lake Lanier could be exposed by
the end of the year and that the reservoir could be emptied in January.
But Maj. Daren Payne, deputy commander of the Corps of Engineers district
office in Mobile, Ala., said earlier Wednesday that any rainfall would slow
down the predicted draining of the reservoir.
Water-intake pipes can be extended to take advantage of the 40 percent of the
reservoir's volume that still is left, Payne said.
"Atlanta is not going to be running on bottled water by Christmas like
some people might think," Payne said. "They are not going to be going
thirsty in 90 days."
Contact reporter Bruce Ritchie at (850) 599-2253 or britchie@tallahassee.com.
Florida
citrus land yielding fast to housing, tree diseases
By TRAVIS REED
Associated Press Writer
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) -- There seem to be more tractors tearing up St. Lucie
County's old citrus groves than tending them these days.
This county once had more orange and grapefruit trees than almost any other
place in Florida, the nation's largest citrus producer. Now it's one of the
fastest-growing counties in one of America's fastest-growing states, and that
land is fast giving way to housing tracts.
The same is happening in varying degrees across Florida's citrus belt. It has
been for years, but the slow slide has suddenly quickened. Farmers are
replanting fewer trees than any point since the 1970s, and crop land is rapidly
disappearing. Previously high land prices, diseases like citrus canker and
greening and even the rising cost of trees are hurting farmers and driving
orange juice prices to record levels, up more than a third since 2002.
"It's a very, very expensive process to get back into the business, even
though you have land sitting there fallow," said Doug Bournique, head of
the Indian River Citrus League. "It's not a dollar a tree like it was 20
years ago, just to pop them into the ground." It can now cost $10 a tree.
Florida lost 127,182 acres (17 percent of its total) in the 2006 crop census -
the second worst drop in history behind only a January 1986 freeze. The net
loss was higher than the previous eight years combined.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture does not tie specific reasons to any acre
lost, but growers and other industry officials say the problems are plain.
Canker and greening forced the destruction of tens of thousands of acres of
trees in the past decade, and bad hurricane seasons in 2004 and 2005 raked
groves. Some farmers sold to developers when land prices skyrocketed the past
few years, though recent slowing in the housing market probably stymied that
trend.
The fundamental problem is that it keeps costing more to grow. Canker and
greening bacteria have forced farmers into tedious and expensive procedures to
decontaminate workers and find infected trees.
Canker, which makes fruit unusable, is spread by the wind and contaminated
clothes and equipment. The disease has made three waves in Florida, the most
recent starting in 1995. It quickly infected not only groves, but also
nurseries, leaving replacement trees in scarce supply. Previously, any tree
within 1,900 feet of one tested positive for canker had to be destroyed. The
state abandoned that program after hurricanes spread the disease so far it
couldn't be contained.
Greening kills trees and is spread by an Asian insect accidentally brought to
Florida. Neither disease harms humans.
To protect trees, citrus nurseries now grow in greenhouses, and many are
relocating away from commercial citrus territory. The changes have sent tree
prices soaring.
New stock won't be available until spring 2009 for Leroy Smith Inc., said Trey
Smith, vice president of marketing. He said some nurseries had trees available
sooner, but it was much more expensive.
"I know some people that paid close to $10 for immediate delivery,"
Smith said. "It's a huge increase and it's a greater risk. Your cost
inputs have increased, but at the same time your risk is more with the
situation with canker and greening."
As a result, Bournique said, some farmers are leaving land unplanted. For
example, only 58 acres of citrus was replanted in Indian River County in 2006 -
by far the lowest in history. That figure was as high as 3,225 acres in 1992,
and had never been under 200 acres.
"A lot of growers are sitting there with fallow land, but you don't want
to plant new trees. You're looking at your friends and neighbors to see if
there's infected land next door," Bournique said. "Tree costs have
doubled. You've got to spray more and do a lot of different things to protect
them. The gamble is bigger, the expense is bigger."
Despite the trouble, officials in the $9 billion Florida citrus industry remain
optimistic. Bournique likens it to 1980s freezes, from which the industry
rebounded with increasing acreage that peaked in 1996.
"Men became millionaires," Bournique said of growers who stayed
through the tough times.
The potential difference is that replanting spiked after the freezes, and that
hasn't happened this time. It takes three years for a new tree to bear fruit.
The USDA predicted this month Florida would rebound from last year's dismal
orange crop with a 30 percent increase in production, up to 168 million boxes
of oranges. Growers were ecstatic, but juice maker Tropicana warned it was
still much lower than pre-hurricane production that regularly exceeded 200
million boxes.
The vast majority of Florida oranges are pressed into juice, and Tropicana buys
40 percent of them. The company said it expected cost pressures to continue.
An average gallon of orange juice now costs $5.97, the most recent ACNielsen
data shows, up 22 percent over the same time last year and 37 percent from five
years ago.
That's bad news for consumers, but helps growers as the prices somewhat offset
higher production costs.
Smith said he expected production to rebound, but not to pre-hurricane levels
and not immediately. He envisioned the harvest striking a balance that could
keep revenue high but not drive consumers away.
"I think we're probably in the trough right now," Smith said.
"I'm not saying it's not going to drop a little more through the next few
years. ... I think we'll stay at a comfortable level."
Climate
Center Says Drought To Deepen This Winter
Posted Oct 18, 2007 by Neil Johnson
Updated Oct 18, 2007 at 11:23 AM
The latest forecast from the National Climate Prediction Center shows drought
conditions growing worse in West Central Florida from November through January.
Currently, coastal counties in the Tampa Bay area—including Hernando and
Citrus—are classified as abnormally dry by the U.S. Drought Monitor. Polk
County is listed as in a moderate drought.
The seasonal outlook released today shows climate forecasters believe there is
a good chance areas in and around Central Florida that now are abnormally dry
may sink into actual drought. Abnormally dry is considered to be on the
doorstep of drought.
On a larger scale, the climate center forecasters say that though there may be
some short-term relief for the dire drought conditions covering most of the
Southeastern United States, “this drought is not going away soon.” Some places
need more than a foot of rain to emerge from the drought.
Forecasters are basing this grim outlook on the presence of the La Nina in the
Pacific. When water near the equator from South America to the date line cools,
winter in the Southeast, including Florida, usually is drier than normal.
That’s why the climate center predicts rainfall here will be below average for
November, December and January.
That’s despite the center’s call for above-average rain in West Central Florida
for the next 14 days.
As for the state’s drought outlook, little changed in this week’s monitor
compared with last week. Two-thirds of the state still is under some type of
drought condition—from abnormally dry (23 percent) to extreme drought (9
percent).
West
Viera's impact alarms Rockledge
Council decides to notify county about
road, flooding concerns
BY REBECCA ADAMUS
FLORIDA TODAY
ROCKLEDGE - With an eye toward future development in Viera, city council
members on Tuesday voted unanimously to send a letter to Brevard County
officials about concerns over that development's impact on roads and flooding.
"Viera has failed to meet their obligations to mitigate off-site impacts
to neighboring communities relative to transportation issues. . . It is time to
hold the Viera Co. accountable for these impacts," City Manager Jim
McKnight wrote.
The Viera Co.'s West Viera plan calls for construction of 11,500 housing units
and various commercial properties west of Interstate 95 over a 20-year period,
including tens of millions of dollars in road projects funded by the company to
handle additional traffic.
In its letter, Rockledge also is requesting that all transportation mitigation
projects on a list submitted to the county Aug. 9 be funded and constructed by
the company; that a westbound turn lane be added at Eyster Boulevard southbound
to Fiske Boulevard and that the turn lane also be funded by the company; and
that the county not give impact fee credits to the company until the projects
are finished.
The city also wants a statement about flooding potential in the area as a
result of the development.
A public hearing before county commissioners set for earlier this month on the
West Viera plan was postponed in response to a report by a county-hired
consulting firm that raised concerns about the company's traffic impact
projections.
Contact Adamus at 242-3618 or radamus@floridatoday.com.
GRU
gets sludge permit
By NATHAN CRABBE
Sun staff writer
7:00 am, October 18, 2007
Alachua County planning commissioners gave their support late Wednesday to a
permit allowing Gainesville Regional Utilities to continue spreading sludge on
a farm in a southwest corner of the county.
In a contentious meeting, the Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend
approval of a special-exception permit for the sludge operation. County
commissioners are expected to consider the permit Nov. 13 for final approval.
Sludge is a byproduct of the process to treat human waste and neighbors have
expressed concern about its impact on air and water quality. A male goat that
developed udders on a nearby property has been a symbol of those concerns.
Ziploc bags of sludge-treated soil were placed in front of commissioners as GRU
officials reassured the public that sludge fertilizes crops and poses no health
risks.
"It's a very environmentally sustainable process," said Rick Hutton,
a senior water and wastewater engineer for GRU.
Neighbors brought photos showing dust clouds being stirred up from the site and
expressed worries that the health effects of sludge were not fully understood.
"How can you assure me I'm not going to get sick or my children are not
going to get sick?" said Tracy DeCubullis, who lives to the west of the
farm.
GRU has spread sludge on Roger Williams' farm for 26 years, but new land-use
regulations require the utility to get a special exception to continue the
operation.
The utility is also trying to buy the property for $11.5 million and needs the
permit before the purchase can proceed.
Planning commissioners put several conditions on the permit, including setbacks
75 feet from property lines and 300 feet from drinking-water wells. They
rejected proposals to require trees be planted in the setbacks and the plan to
be reviewed in five years.
The farm is located on 1,400 acres wedged between the city of Archer and the
Levy County line. GRU officials said spreading sludge on the farm provides the
benefits of fertilizing crops while preventing the need to put it in landfills.
While the practice of spreading sludge on farms is widespread among U.S.
utilities, health concerns have led some jurisdictions in this country and
abroad to restrict its use.
The Cornell Waste Management Institute has documented 163 health incidents in
the U.S. associated with sludge applications, including respiratory distress
and gastrointestinal problems.
Neighbors at the meeting questioned whether GRU's operation was sickening them
and their animals. Wendy Biggs, a neighbor who is a veterinarian, said she's
seen animals coming to her property with allergic reactions and has seen deaths
in cattle being grazed on the farm.
"There are things going on there that I've experienced," she said.
While a long line of neighbors asked commissioners to reject the permit, one
neighbor said he supported the operation. Warren Thomas said he owns a
neighboring property and he's been involved in the sludge-spreading operation
with no health problems.
"I can't say that I have any ill effects," he said.
But environmental advocates questioned why GRU would continue the practice
instead of alternatives. Some suggested sludge be used to produce power, an
option that GRU officials said they might consider in the future.
Rob Brinkman of the local Sierra Club chapter noted that the Archer area is a
place where water on the surface can sink directly into the aquifer. Pollutants
that don't get into the groundwater are being fed to livestock, he said.
"It's either going down into the water supply or it's going out in the
food chain," he said.
PBC
environmentalists protest natural-gas plant
By Kristi E. Swartz
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 18, 2007
CORAL GABLES — A group of Palm Beach County environmental activists turned up
at a renewable-energy conference in Coral Gables this morning to protest
Florida Power & Light Co.'s plans to build a natural gas-fired power plant
near Loxahatchee.
Panagioti Tsolkas and four other members of the Palm Beach County Environmental
Coalition tried to stand in the hallway near a meeting room at the Westin
Colonnade Hotel where the 2007 Renewable Energy Conference is being held today,
and display signs for the 200-some attendees to see.
Hotel staff quickly grabbed Tsolkas by the arm and began shuffling him through
the hotel and outside.
He and the other members planted themselves in front of the hotel for about 30
minutes displaying a sage-green sheet directed at Gov. Charlie Crist that read,
"Hey, Charlie, don't pass gas on the Everglades." "I have a lot
of respect for the governor, and he should be aware of what's going on,"
Tsolkas said.
As attorney general, Crist was one of the state Cabinet members that
unanimously signed off on FPL's plans to build a natural gas plant in Palm Beach
County. Under the guidance of Boca Raton attorney Barry Silver, Tsolkas and
others have filed federal and state lawsuits contending that the plant's impact
on the environment and global warming was not taken into consideration.
"We wanted to get a message to the governor," Silver said. "I
think he got the message." Crist had been scheduled to give a keynote
address this morning at the conference, but remained in Tallahassee to work
with legislators convened in a special session.
FPL spokesman Mayco Villafana said today FPL that the West County Energy Center
will be state-of-the-art and have the latest emission controls. He added that
building another plant, especially in Palm Beach County, is necessary to
support all of Florida's growth.
FPL is adding between 80,000 and 100,000 customers a year, 13,000 alone in Palm
Beach County.
"It's a clean energy, and the emissions will be well below the established
limits," Villafana said.
Flagler
builders bail out of jail, face more lawsuits
By HEATHER SCOFIELD
Staff Writer
BUNNELL -- Herbert Heron and Noel Richardson -- who were recently arrested on
accusations of defrauding homeowners --now face three new civil lawsuits.
Anthony Rappa, Alfred Mascolo and Josef Fortun each filed the three latest
civil suits against Canterbury Estate Homes Inc. and its owners, Heron and
Richardson. Darren Thomas, a construction supervisor for the company, was also
named in their suits. Thomas has not been arrested or charged.
The court filings didn't identify compensation amounts sought by each of the
three.
"Bills are still coming in," Rappa said, so it's hard to give a
dollar amount just yet.
Including the new cases, Heron and Richardson are now defendants in 11 pending
civil suits, according to records at the Flagler County Clerk of Court's
office.
Heron and Richardson were arrested Oct. 2 on charges of grand theft, organized
fraud, misapplication of construction funds and worthless checks.
Rappa said he was dismayed when he learned Heron and Richardson were released
from jail Oct. 4 after each posted $100,000 bail with the help of a local
bondsman. Heron and Richardson had to pay the bondsman $10,000 each in
non-refundable fees.
For Rappa, , their release from jail basically means the $20,000 paid for bail
fees and won't go to a customer or unpaid bill.
These latest suits are being brought by some of the same customers who worked
with Flagler County Sheriff's Office Detective John Gaspar to put Heron and
Richardson in jail earlier this month.
The men landed in jail after several customers came forward saying they paid
Heron and Richardson to build a house for them but ended up with unfinished
homes and liens slapped against them by unpaid subcontractors. Subcontractors
also showed investigators other unpaid bills and bad checks.
Before they were arrested, Heron and Richardson said in an interview they'd
simply gotten behind on their bills after the Palm Coast housing market cooled
and said they will pay their outstanding debts to customers and subcontractors.
In the civil suit documents, Thomas is named as the licensed contracting agent
for Canterbury homes at the time of Rappa, Mascolo and Fortun's contracts. The
suits say Thomas failed to properly oversee the construction of their homes.
The documents also accuse Heron and Richardson of breach of contract and
indicate the homes were left with construction defects and lacking various
improvements that were contracted and paid for.
Rappa, Mascolo and Fortun further contend in the court filing that Heron and
Richardson misapplied their money and used unfair and deceptive trade practices
while doing business with them.
Rappa said he was surprised the men had the money to get out of jail.
"I was under the impression that their assets were frozen," Rappa
said. Detective Gaspar said he doesn't have the authority to freeze assets
during his investigation. That's usually done by a judge at the behest of
prosecutors or civil suit complainants.
So there was nothing stopping Heron and Richardson from bailing out of jail two
days after they were arrested.
Group
confirms its rural emphasis
October 18, 2007
OVIEDO
The Black Hammock Association on Monday gave the Oviedo City Council a letter
stating its position on the recent controversy over a suggestion about economic
development in its rural community.
The association said it thinks Oviedo has affirmed its commitment to preserving
the Black Hammock's rural character. However, the group also said it would like
to get more involved with city planning and visioning efforts at earlier stages.
Oviedo's economic development task force a few weeks ago suggested the city
consider annexing part of the Black Hammock and using it to develop high-wage
business. The suggestion upset many rural residents, and city officials have
since strongly backed away from the idea.
The Black Hammock Association said in its letter that while it supports many
other recommendations of the task force, "the suggestion of moving the
city northward and changing the development pattern in this area is not a sound
concept."
The association put forth a list of observations "that we would have
shared if we had been engaged during the committee deliberations." Among
them: Annexation tends to lead to urbanization.
Sandra Pedicini and Robert Perez contributed to this report.
Debts
stall homes project
The developer files for Chapter 11
bankruptcy protection.
By CHUIN-WEI YAP, Times Staff Writer
Published October 18, 2007
LAND O'LAKES - On May 22, residents in the Lake Patience neighborhood showed up
at the County Commission to protest the flooding risks and density of a
proposal by Burcaw Development Group to put 36 homes on 20 acres along Lake
Patience Road and Kristen Road.
They thought they had wrung a victory when Burcaw's representatives seemed
unusually cooperative and the County Commission threw the proposal back to
staff planners for re-evaluation.
"We are going to be buffered pretty well - if it ever gets built,"
said neighbor Edward Moore.
There could be a reason why things seemed to go the neighbors' way that day.
About three weeks before that hearing, Burcaw Development Group already had
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a form of court-assisted reorganization that
allows a company to regroup without having its assets seized by creditors.
Now, two Land O'Lakes properties linked to companies owned by developer Laurie
S. Burcaw face different fates as the financially troubled Burcaw Development
Group wades through reorganization proceedings.
An 11-acre site in the Willow Bend development off Collier Parkway and State
Road 54 - once advanced as a commercial proposal by Buca Development LLC, a
Burcaw company dissolved last month - will be auctioned off by the Pasco
sheriff's civil division on Monday, the Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.
The Sheriff's Office conducts the sale because of a court-ordered levy on the
property, sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll said.
Laurie Burcaw, listed in court filings as the company's sole shareholder and
president, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
But Burcaw's controversial 20-acre residential proposal on Lake Patience and
Kristen roads appears to be protected under bankruptcy rules for now.
Burcaw still holds a $1.6-million stake in the Lake Patience property,
according to court filings.
The tax collector's office is owed $1,302 on the property, the bankruptcy
papers say.
But officials in the tax collector's office say there's also a bankruptcy
notation on the Lake Patience property, which means the agency can't enforce
tax collection on it.
The company owes a variety of debts - some secured, some not - totaling
$26.6-million.
Among the debts: $3,000 owed to Englehardt, Hammer & Associates, the
Tampa-based planners who are handling Burcaw's Lake Patience project. Ty Maxey,
Englehardt's principal planner, didn't reply to a call from the Pasco Times on
Wednesday.
Chuin-Wei Yap can be reached at 813 909-4613 or "cyap@sptimes.com.
Cottondale
updating its development code
By ANNE SPENCER / Floridan News Editor
October 17, 2007
This city's development code isn't hit or miss, but leaves enough to be desired
that it's being revamped.
In the October Cottondale City Commission meeting, its Melvin Engineering
consultant suggested a rewrite and commissioners unanimously agreed.
The firm's Rick Pettis said he was getting numerous calls from the city clerk
and he could prepare applications and processes for her to follow.
"Of late, Cottondale has been blessed with interest in developments of
various types, and you have a fairly comprehensive code, but it has some big
holes in it," Pettis said.
He said the city code calls for a 90-day review for major developments and a
30-day review for minor ones, but "what you don't have is how the review
is done."
He said he would look at all aspects of development and concurrency issues of water,
sewer transportation and schools.
"You have quite a bit of interest in developments coming to your city or
to your area, and you've not seen this in years," he said.
Among them have been a telecommunications provider wanting to erect a cell
tower, two or three outfits wanting to build subdivisions, and some commercial
development in town.
Pettis explained this week that a lot of the development code was written as
"interim regulations," just what was needed at the time.
"You start with a basic document ... it needs to be fleshed out," he
said
For example, he said there is no process for a planned unit development, which
is "a fairly large residential development that also includes some kind of
town center."
A housing development proposed for near Cottondale is one like that, and though
outside the city limit now, it would use services of the city.
"There's lots of things that come up from time to time, and regulations
need to be in place to address them," Pettis said.
The consultant also reported to the city commission on the park and a
commissioner's inquiry into the national Main Street downtown redevelopment
program.
He had two change orders on the park, one for a booster water pump so the
sprinkler could be used at the far end of the athletic field, and one for the
restrooms.
He said the restroom doors needed to be changed to steel for more secure locks
because of the park's distant location.
To answer initial questions about the Main Street program, Pettis provided a
handout on the state agency that oversees such redevelopment.
The first steps would be providing public notice to receive comments on the
potential of creating a Community Redevelopment Agency, which would authorize
any improvements.
Pettis said the city commission could designate itself as the CRA.
Then if the city decided to go forward, it would do a finding of necessity; set
a boundary; provide notice to the taxing authority of desire to create a CRA;
submit the plan to the Jackson County Commission; adopt a resolution and
ordinance; create the CRA; and implement the plan.
He said recent changes have been made to the program because of impacts on
local governments, and whatever Cottondale decides would have to be submitted
to the county.
Pettis said the initial amount of money required "would probably be very
small."
Cottondale's downtown business district is full of deserted storefronts.
Recently an Italian restaurant closed.
Once the highway through town was full of bustling produce stands and other
small businesses lined the main street.
Now with a new industry set to open nearby and potential housing developments,
owners of downtown property may be interested in economic assistance.
Also on the October agenda was first reading of an ordinance that raises water
and wastewater service rates.
Closing
Hickory Hill Road gets support
Neighbors, opponents, and even the giant project's developer agree its best for
traffic.
By DAN DeWITT, Times Staff Writer
Published October 18, 2007
SPRING LAKE - Joyce Denilen, one of the most outspoken critics of the Hickory
Hill development, has no real objection to closing off the road of the same
name.
"As long as we can get in and out, and ambulances can get in here, that's
my biggest concern," said Denilen, a resident of Shirley Drive, which is
surrounded by the development. She uses Hickory Hill Road, which runs east-west
between Spring Lake Highway and Lockhart Road, to access her property.
If the county agrees to give up the road, Sierra Properties, the project's
developer, has promised to install a gate with a keypad to allow access only to
residents, emergency vehicles and delivery trucks.
Sierra Properties of Tampa plans to build 1,750 lots and three golf courses on
the 2,800-acre property. Officials first discussed closing the road to most
public uses when Sierra proposed the project more than three years ago.
Though the neighborhood was sharply divided on whether the subdivision was a
good idea, most of them now favor closing the road - as does Sierra Properties.
Closing the road, or giving the roadway to Sierra, would prevent Hickory Hill
Road from becoming a shortcut for the thousands of residents expected to live
in planned projects near Interstate 75 and State Road 50, residents said. Those
residents are expected to use other gated access roads to the development.
It might also help preserve the flavor of what is left of the Spring Lake
community to the west of the Hickory Hill development. Sierra did not want a
public road cutting through its private, gated subdivision, where many homes
are expected to cost more than $1-million.
Nearby residents discussed closing the road Tuesday night at the Spring Lake
Community Center. Most of them favored it, though the county and developer
still must work out many details, said County Engineer Charles Mixson.
These details include where the gate will be built, said Herbert Meares, who
lives on Hickory Hill near Shirley Drive. He wants it installed east of Shirley
Drive, so he will not need to go through it to drive back and forth to Spring
Lake Highway.
"I would like the road closed partially but not so that it impacts access
to our home," Meares said.
The county also must decide whether residents of Hickory Hill will be allowed
to use the gate, Mixson said, and whether Shirley Drive residents will be able
to use it after the project is mostly developed, possibly in 20 years or more.
To address these issues, the County Commission will decide in November whether
it favors closing the road or giving it to Sierra. If they agree to vacate the
road, the commission will vote on a detailed plan after staffers have had time
to negotiate an agreement with the developer. That probably will not happen
until early next year, Mixson said.
Dan DeWitt can be reached at dewitt@sptimes.com or (352) 754-6116.
Wiregrass
okayed despite objections
Hillsborough wants $28-million to help deal with the traffic the Pasco project
will generate.
By BILL COATS, Times Staff Writer
Published October 18, 2007
TAMPA - The state gave a green light Wednesday to Wesley Chapel's Wiregrass
development - the largest in Pasco County history - despite the objections of
Hillsborough County.
It means Hillsborough, which is planning to spend $130-million widening Bruce
B. Downs Boulevard by 2012, won't get any money from Wiregrass, which will
largely fill up the new lanes with traffic.
Pasco County is requiring Wiregrass to pay for $579-million in road
improvements in Pasco. Hillsborough wants $28-million for Bruce B. Downs.
"I've never seen doors slammed so fast," complained Hillsborough
County Attorney Renee Lee.
Hillsborough thought it had a foot in the door a month ago when the Wiregrass
plans were held up by the Department of Community Affairs, Florida's growth
management agency. But Pasco and the department quickly made peace without
indulging Hillsborough's request. The department concluded Pasco had the right
to allot the Wiregrass road money.
Pasco has considered the case closed since then. But David Goldstein, a senior
assistant county attorney for Pasco, said further intervention by Hillsborough
could prompt Wiregrass' lenders to balk.
"Wiregrass could consider claims against Hillsborough for damages,"
Goldstein said.
On Wednesday, all state objections formally ended.
Lee said her staff would study Hillsborough's options. She could sue Pasco, but
Florida law imposes extra administrative hurdles when one county sues another.
"What they're doing is legal," Lee said of Pasco. "But legal
doesn't always make it right."
Atlanta Area Could See Just 90 Days of Water Reserves
Oct 17, 2007 04:30 PM EDT
Lake Lanier, Ga. -- At Lake Lanier's Starboard Cove Marina boats
are being pulled onto dry land before dry land comes to them.
It's not just boaters watching water levels, though. The lake
is also the primary water source for all of Atlanta.
If nothing is done, there may be just 90 days of useable water
left.
Sam Olens, a member of the Atlanta Regional Commission
says,"We're talking three to four months from now not having drinking
supply".
It's a fact that has the state of Georgia now entering
uncharted waters.
Now, a ban on business and industrial use is being considered.
That is something drought experts say may be unavoidable.
"Tthe scope and the scale of why it might need to take place
in the southeast is rather unprecedented up to this point,"
says, Michael Hayes of the Drought Mitigation Center.
For many businesses it could be the last straw.
Marina manager Michael Duling thinks a lot of people will have to
adapt or go out of business.
Some are already doing what they can to conserve.
At the Cactus Car Wash water is collected, cleaned, then recycled.
"We're using the same water over and over again," says
one employee.
At restaurants, water doesn't come with the food anymore
unless you ask, and if you don't finish that glass one worker
explains, "We have a dump bed in the kitchen where we will take the
water and boil it and use it as mop water."
For now, the recycling is only voluntary, but water restrictions
for businesses could become law meaning the river banks might not be the only
ones that see business drying up.
As the lake gets drier every day, Georgia is now in a fight with
the federal government to get the Army Corps of Engineers to stop letting water
flow downstream for mussels and fish protected under the Endangered Species
Act.
The state says it is the people that are in real danger.
Brent Batten: Petition drive takes novel approach
By BRENT
BATTEN 
Wednesday,
October 17, 2007
If you like stories about political intrigue, odd
characters, big money and strippers, you could read a Carl Hiaasen novel.
Or you could just follow the campaign to get Florida
Hometown Democracy on the ballot.
Hometown Democracy is a proposed amendment to the state
Constitution that would require major land use changes to go to voters for
approval. Now, county commissioners and city council members can make those
changes.
Proponents say it will give people the power to put a
stop to the sort of overdevelopment that so many decry.
Opponents argue it will put complicated land use
decisions in the hands of an electorate ill-equipped to handle the intricacies
of the law and will bog down the state’s economy.
The relative merits of the two positions will play out
over the course of the next year, as Hometown Democracy organizers try to
gather enough signatures to get the proposed amendment on the 2008 ballot and
opponents seek to thwart them.
Campaign finance reports filed so far with the Florida
Secretary of State foreshadow a cast of characters worthy of a best seller.
The group urging people not to sign the Hometown
Democracy petition _ and trying to get those who have to rescind their
signatures _ is called Save Our Constitution.
Its Web site indicts the Hometown Democracy concept,
stating, “It takes responsibility for planning away from local planners and
elected officials and turns power over to ‘electors,’ the cronies of special
interests and their slick lawyers, who will decide our fate and the fate of
Florida.’’
As if casting aspersions on the voting public by putting
“electors’’ in quotation marks and insinuating they are cronies to special
interests isn’t enough, the group goes on to say, “Unless you want higher
property taxes, higher utility bills and Florida’s scenic beauty destroyed by
big developers, revoke your signature from their petition, and keep it off the
ballot this fall.’’
But campaign reports show Save Our Constitution is
primarily backed by developers. Of the $133,000 the group raised in the third
quarter of this year, $50,000 came from the Florida Transportation Builders
Association, $50,000 from the Florida Association of Realtors, $5,000 from the
Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association and $5,000 from road-building giant
APAC.
Neal Communities, which boasts it has built more than
7,000 homes in Manatee and Sarasota counties, chipped in $2,500.
The financial backers of Save Our Constitution form a
nice cross-section of the builders, land owners and special interests the
group’s rhetoric suggests it opposes.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes at Hometown Democracy, a
collection of strange bedfellows has been even more successful at raising
money.
So far this year, Hometown Democracy has raised nearly
$600,000 from more than 650 contributors. While the vast majority of donors
kicked in $100 or less, a few major donors stand out.
Leading the cause is Palm Beach environmental attorney
Lesley Blackner. Her in-kind contributions to Hometown Democracy, covering
legal work and office expenses, total close to $200,000.
For good measure, Blackner wrote a series of 12 checks,
each for $10, the report shows.
Providing the big money are branches of the Sierra Club
in Florida, with a total of more than $125,000 in donations, and a pair of
businessmen.
Steven Rosen, a doctor and purveyor of skin care products
from Fort Lauderdale, has put in more than $180,000 individually and through
his company, Tend Skin International.
Joe Redner, the Tampa-based owner of the Mons Venus strip
club contributed $25,000 to Hometown Democracy.
Redner, a sometimes candidate for local elected office,
once offered free admission to his club for anyone who voted.
When Redner showed up at a forum to speak in favor of the
amendment last month, a group dressed as strippers and holding signs with
“Democracy’’ spelled “Dimocracy’’ demonstrated outside.
It wasn’t entirely clear if they were there to support
Redner or to mock him.
Maybe that will be revealed in the next chapter.
(E-mail Brent Batten at bebatten@naplesnews.com)
Bonita council opposes local democracy intiative
Wednesday,
October 17, 2007
A push to require Florida residents to vote on every
change to any city's comprehensive plan worries much of the Bonita Springs City
Council.
If state voters approve this initiative -- which is likely
to appear on the January ballot -- it would amend the state constitution to
require local residents to affirm or deny many decisions that are now made by
local governments.
Council voted 5 to 2 Wedneday to oppose that effort.
"People love the sound of that: Hometown
Democracy," Councilman Ben Nelson said. "But I think it's going to
cause more urban sprawl."
It could also lead to a lot of paperwork, Councilwoman
Martha Simons said.
"People want to have responsible growth management
and I agree," she said. But this initiative won't do that, she said.
"It has't been coming from for the public," she
said.
A city's comprehensive plan can cover anything from where
a park should be located to what type of development can be allowed in any
area.
Both Councilman Pat McCourt and Councilman Alex Grantt
voted not to oppose the Hometown Democracy initiative.
Indian River Shores first
local government to oppose Florida Hometown Democracy
By
Hillary Copsey
Originally
published 01:56 p.m., October 17, 2007
Updated 01:56 p.m., October 17, 2007
The
town council unanimously adopted a resolution against Hometown Democracy last
month and then sent a letter to the 2,800 homes of the small
Councilmembers
discussed their stance on the issue after receiving an e-mail from Floridians
for Smarter Growth, an anti-Hometown Democracy organization, urging all
municipalities to oppose the petition and its proposed amendment. The e-mail
included a sample resolution against Hometown Democracy.
So
far,
But
Indian River Shores Mayor Tom Cadden said the council acted on its own beliefs
about Hometown Democracy, which would require voter approval for all changes to
a city or county's comprehensive growth plan. Government by referendum is just
a bad idea, Cadden said.
Hayes County
Published: Oct 17,
2007
NEW PORT RICHEY -
Sixteen years ago, Land O' Lakes lawyer Tim Hayes was the top choice of a
committee searching for a county attorney, but he didn't get the county
commission's endorsement.
After being
rejected in a split vote, he vowed never again to seek
Hayes again is
embroiled in controversy as the commission winds down a months-long search for
Sumner's successor. The board interviewed five finalists Tuesday, and while
Hayes emerged as top choice of two commissioners, the other three said they had
reservations about him.
"I thought Tim
did his best to be honest and straightforward," Commissioner Ted Schrader
said after the interviews. "The fact remains that the perception is out
there that he was handpicked by the development community."
After five hourlong
interviews in a conference room at the
Commissioners are
to make a final selection Tuesday.
'Developer's Candidate'
By his own account,
Hayes has been held up as the "developer's candidate," someone who
cleans house in the county attorney's office and pushes to "fix"
ordinances builders find cumbersome. He rejected that characterization several
times during his interview, saying he was asked by "nameless sources"
to do developers' bidding but flat refused. "I applied for this job
because I thought I could make a difference," he said. "A week and a
half ago, I was ready to withdraw because I did not want to be the focus, but a
friend said if I did that it would be saying all of it was true. None of it is
true. The perception is if you choose me, you have sold out to developers, and
that is not the case."
Hayes said he would
not fire Chief Assistant County Attorney Barbara Wilhite, also a finalist for
the post, and other lawyers who have held a hard line with developers.
"I have no
intension of terminating anyone in the county attorney's office," Hayes
said. "I got calls from nameless sources who have told me they would
support me if I would make a commitment that I would terminate this attorney
immediately. I don't have any animosity toward Barbara. Someone asked if I
would terminate everybody. That would be downright stupid."
Cox and Mariano
pushed for Hayes, saying he is a known quantity, a litigator and gets along
with County Administrator John Gallagher. Other commissioners noted that Sumner
has three designated litigators and focuses on managing the office.
Wilhite Has Strong Support
Wilhite, also among
the top picks, got strong support from Schrader, commission chairwoman Ann
Hildebrand and Commissioner Pat Mulieri.
Mulieri said
Wilhite presented a strong plan for the county attorney's office but suggested
appointing her for a year to see if she works out.
Cox wanted to
eliminate Wilhite as a candidate. He asked why she is suggesting changes now
when she had the opportunity to make adjustments in her current position. He
also wondered whether Wilhite would have a good working relationship with
Gallagher and said staff members in that office have confided that they don't
like her management style.
Wilhite said she
has been consumed with revising
Schrader suggested
that if Hayes and Wilhite were too controversial, perhaps the board should go
with a third candidate.
Douglas Wycoff, who
has a private practice in the Panhandle, was also a favorite. Commissioners
commended him for a sense of humor, range of experience and success as a
litigator. They wondered if he is a "job hopper" because of a history
of staying in positions for a year or two.
Schrader agreed
Wycoff was qualified but championed Jeffery Steinsnyder, a former assistant
county attorney in
Hildebrand agreed
Steinsnyder was a good candidate but wondered whether he would be assertive.
Mariano and Cox said they were uncomfortable hiring a candidate who, by his own
account, is "not a litigator."
Reporter Julia
Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.
Georgia: Cut water flow
Drought conditions threaten water supply in some
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
The Corps of Engineers releases water
from federal reservoirs under a plan to maintain endangered mussels in the
"The Corps must take action now to
avert this catastrophe," Carol Couch, director of
A Corps spokeswoman in
A spokeswoman for the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection said
"We offered to work with them on a
plan both parties agreed to before we submitted it to the Corps,"
spokeswoman Sarah Williams said. "They submitted the one on Friday before
taking us up on our offer to work together."
She said
Some seafood industry representatives
are concerned that the already low flow into
"Right now, we're just hoping the
red tide doesn't come this way," said Kevin Begos, executive director of
the Franklin County Oyster and Seafood Task Force.
Couch requested a response from the
Corps of Engineers by today. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said his state will
considering suing the agency if it doesn't receive a response, according to
news reports.
Contact reporter Bruce Ritchie at (850)
599-2253 or britchie@tallahassee.com.
Alachua-Marion water coalition may be
on tap
Proposed forum would speak with more
regional voice, organizers say.
BY CHRISTOPHER CURRY
STAR-BANNER
During a September workshop, commissioners asked staff to look for regional
partners who shared
Enter the Heart of Florida Regional Coalition, an organization of government
officials, business people and community organization representatives from
Alachua and
Following the County Commission's call for partners in September, Heart of
Florida approached Marion with what Water Resources Manager Troy Kuphal
described in a memo to commissioners as a "willingness to assume a lead on
helping to build a 'water coalition.'Ę"
Tuesday, commissioners approved spending up to $1,000 for a water supply forum
that Heart of Florida wants to organize in
"The issue hasn't gone away," Heart of Florida Executive Director Ron
Barnwell said. "The issue is what is the most equitable way of providing
adequate water supply in Florida."
While
Barnwell said Heart of Florida wants the water supply forum to "speak with
a larger, more regional voice." He said it's important to get state
legislators involved in the discussion to talk about issues such as
conservation laws and desalination plants.
No date has been scheduled for the planned forum, but Barnwell said he expects
it to be held before the end of 2007.
Christopher Curry may be reached at 352-867-4115 or chris.curry@starbanner.com
County to scrap western growth plan,
try again
By HECTOR
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
But a new one is about to begin.
County commissioners on Tuesday
followed their attorneys' recommendation by moving ahead to repeal a 2005 plan
that attempted to establish how land could be developed west of Royal Palm
Beach.
State planners have not approved the
sector plan, and its fate was in the hands of an administrative law judge who
next month was to hold a hearing on it. Landowners, area residents and
neighboring cities were lined up to challenge or defend the plan.
Since 2005, the county changed details
about permitted residential and commercial development as the state and county
have tried to settle their differences.
State Administrative Law Judge J.
Lawrence Johnston threw a wrench into negotiations by denying a request to
postpone the hearing so the two sides would have more time to reach a
settlement.
The state's Department of Community
Affairs also issued a stinging letter to the county last week that said
proposed changes to the 2005 sector plan required more analysis and
justification.
Commissioners will cast a final vote to
repeal the sector plan on Nov. 26.
Then, they will look ahead to what
should be built in the area, although detailed talks may not get moving until
next year.
Scrapping the 2005 plan will allow a
"fresh and new" start, said Barbara Alterman, director of the
county's planning, zoning and building department.
But several large landowners within the
sector plan's boundaries are moving ahead with their own projects, including
Callery-Judge Grove and GL Homes.
The 2005 plan called for about 7,700
homes and 1.7 million square feet of commercial use.
The revisions proposed earlier this
year increased the number of homes to 12,931 and commercial space to about 5
million square feet.
Commissioner Karen Marcus worried that
other landowners would quickly submit their own proposals once the sector plan
is scrapped, limiting the county's ability to plan ahead. But commissioners
would have the final say on whether to approve those plans.
Marcus hopes any new growth blueprint
for the area would also incorporate residents' thoughts.
Loxahatchee resident Nancy Gribble said
that having no plan in place would allow individual landowners the chance to
present their own developments in a piecemeal fashion.
"They've just given developers the
green light," said Gribble, one of three residents who had filed
challenges to the 2005 sector plan.
Residents decry density of
By ELIOT KLEINBERG
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The commission held its first reading
on the Midtown Delray plan which would place 116 townhomes and a three-story,
30,000-square-foot medical building on 10 acres at
Henry Iler, an urban planner hired by
residents of a half-dozen communities along Old Germantown Road, told the
commission the project's 17 unit-per-acre density was incompatible and
"out of character" with those neighborhoods, which average six to
eight units per acre.
Residents said they worried about
safety at the entrance to the proposed neighborhood, adjacent to
Hammock Reserve resident Sanford Herman
urged commissioners to come out and see the rush-hour traffic for themselves.
Commissioner Woodie McDuffie, who lives
in one of the communities adjacent to the project, said many other nearby
neighborhoods are dense and "this is not a precedent-setting
project." But he also worried about traffic at the entrance and urged the
city to study traffic counts and work with
"We have a lot of things coming
together at one spot," McDuffie said. "The safety of our children,
nothing could be a higher concern than that."
The city's planning and zoning board
voted Sept. 17 to send the project to the full commission. The commission voted
4-0 Tuesday to move to a public hearing Nov. 6.
Delray Beach-based Ascot Development
plans to offer 32 of the units for $225,000 to $275,000, to people from
professions such as teaching, nursing and firefighting. The firm is set to
receive a $5 million state grant for the affordable housing units. Residents
said they didn't oppose the workforce housing or having blue-collar neighbors;
just the scope of the development.
Foxe Chase resident Ezra Kreig rattled
off a series of "shame on you" proclamations at city planners and
"What we are here to object to is
the process," Kreig said. "Your planning and zoning department didn't
trust us. They didn't come and talk to the neighbors there. They decided that
because we're 'elitist" and 'racist" they would try to jam this
project down on us."
Commissioner Gary Eliopoulos drew
applause when he urged
No
Opponents did not make good on a threat
to raise the history of
Foreclosure suit imperils condo
development on Manatee River
By MICHAEL
STAFF WRITERS
michael.braga@heraldtribune.com
If Wells Fargo's suit against the 700-unit Riviera Southshore is successful,
Riviera Southshore will be the most prominent
Other projects have died, and in recent months about 200 homeowners a month
have been losing their homes to foreclosure in the region.
Exactly how developer Frank Maggio will respond to the suit from the nation's
fourth largest bank is unclear: he did not return calls on Tuesday for comment.
But people who have followed the project closely are not optimistic about its
chances for survival given the state of
Maggio defaulted on a $22.3 million loan from the bank, according to the suit
filed earlier this month by Wells Fargo.
"We would have hoped that he was better capitalized than that," said
Bradenton Mayor Wayne Poston. "A lot of approved projects are not being
built. All of
It would mark the end of a project that generated strong passions.
Maggio and his First Dartmouth Homes -- developers of the condo towers at
Riviera Dunes, the community across the
The city grudgingly approved the project only in May, with Poston breaking a
tie vote as critics on the council continued to worry about Southshore's
unprecedented density on the river in Old Manatee.
Now the city can only wait to see if Maggio will be able to settle with his
lenders and salvage the project or whether another developer will step in and
take over.
"Timing is everything in life," said Ron Cornette, an agent with
Wagner Realty in
Every city in the three-county region can point to abandoned plans and bankrupt
developers.
But Maggio's idea for redeveloping about 60 commercial and residential parcels
between
That is partly because Maggio had to fight so hard to get it approved.
Maggio began assembling land on the southern banks of the river in mid-2005 --
at the tail end of the boom.
To pay for his initial purchases, he received a $7.15 million loan from Wells
Fargo, and the loan grew to $18.5 million by the beginning of last year.
But that appeared to be chump change for Maggio, who said he planned to spend
$400 million to build three 19-story condo towers alongside an assortment of
townhouses, single-family homes and 45,000 square feet of retail.
Just like Maggio's Riviera Dunes project revitalized Palmetto and added
considerably to its tax base, Riviera Southshore was destined to gentrify an
otherwise neglected area of east Bradenton.
But Maggio had trouble convincing some residents that high-rise condos on the
At first, residents complained that the development would require bulldozing
about 15 homes dating back to the 1860s, some of which were occupied by
After threats of suits and countersuits, the project was finally approved six
months ago.
The city bent its land use laws to allow Maggio to include
"We all agreed there was a need to redevelop that neighborhood," said
Bradenton City Council member Bemis Smith, who voted against the project.
"A lot of bad houses and some historic houses got destroyed for
potentially no benefit."
Smith said he thought that Maggio had paid too much for the land.
The good news is that Maggio has not yet brought any buildings out of the
ground, said Cornette, the Wagner Realty broker.
"There are builders all over
"So maybe it's a good thing he never got off the ground."
Golf
course owner sues DeBary over flooding
Staff Report
DELAND -- The owner of a local golf
course is suing the city of
The suit, filed by the owners of Glen
Abbey Golf Club on Monday at the Volusia County Courthouse, seeks more than
$15,000 in damages for each of several claims, including inverse condemnation,
civil trespass, and breach of settlement agreement.
Golf course owner Briarwood Golf Course
Inc. claims the city has failed to pump at least 1,400 gallons per minute water
from nearby "No Name Lake" when it reaches an elevation of 44.4 feet.
Those are the terms the city agreed to in a 2000 settlement of the golf
course's 1995 lawsuit over flooding issues, the suit states.
Reached late Tuesday afternoon, DeBary
City Manager Maryann Courson said she had not seen the suit and had no comment.
Ex-justice to mediate Weeki Wachee
dispute
Posted on Wed, Oct. 17, 2007
BROOKSVILLE -- (AP) -- Former Florida
Supreme Court Justice Ben Overton will mediate the ongoing legal dispute
between the Weeki Wachee mermaids and the state agency that acts as the
landlord for the venerable roadside attraction.
Lawyers for the 60-year-old
The attraction and the water agency --
which owns the land and leases it to the park -- have been in and out of court
and failed at previous attempts to mediate the dispute.
The two sides have clashed over issues
ranging from the wording of the lease to whether the city of nine residents can
legally own the for-profit enterprise.
Both sides have filed lawsuits accusing
the other of violating the lease, and park managers say a judge's ruling on any
of the issues could result in the water district canceling the lease and
closing the park.
A judge delayed a trial on the issues
and ordered both sides back to mediation last month. The latest session is
scheduled for Tuesday.
One proposal to end the dispute has the
state managing the land as a state park while preserving the mermaid attraction
Official: Fruit market too crucial to
give up canker fight
By Susan Salisbury
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
WEST PALM BEACH — The state continued
with its program to wipe out citrus canker even as the struggle got tougher
because it was too important that Florida's citrus industry maintain its access
to the fresh-fruit market, a state official testified today.
"
More than 40,000
Under questioning today from Wes
Parsons, a Coral Gables-based attorney representing the Florida Department of
Agriculture, Gaskalla said officials also weighed the cost of continuing the
eradication effort, which ended in January 2006 and destroyed 16.5 million
commercial and residential fruit trees.
The cost of living with canker was
estimated to be about $200 million a year, while sending crews out to test and
cut down trees was expected to cost $20 million to $30 million annually, he
said.
Canker is now endemic in the state, and
federal officials have barred
"Unfortunately, what we predicted
has come to pass, and more," he said.
The trial continues this afternoon.
Lead plaintiff David Mendez of suburban
Building fee to rise like a condo
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published October 17, 2007
The Tampa City Council on Thursday will
consider a 75 percent increase in permit fees for commercial construction and a
10 percent increase for residential projects.
The change means the fees for permits
to build a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 2,800-square-foot home would grow from
$1,096.60 to $1,206.25.
Fees to build a 5,000-square-foot convenience
store with a carwash would swell from $1,711.90 to $2,995.83.
Council members interviewed Tuesday
said they support the increase.
"Growth should pay for itself, and
that's a good place to start," said John Dingfelder.
"It's at least an attempt to keep
the rest of the taxpayers from paying for something they're getting no benefit
from," said Charlie Miranda.
Linda Saul-Sena said the increases will
put the city's fees more in line with what is charged in other
"We've been underpriced,"
Saul-Sena said.
But not everyone from the development
arena is keen on the price increases.
Land use consultant Steve Michelini
said the boost comes at "the worst possible economic time for the building
and development community. It seems odd that you would want to raise the rates
at a time when most builders are just struggling to get by."
Janet Zink, Times staff writer
Fast facts
How
Comparison of permit fees to build a
20-story condo tower
Seminar: County is behind the human
services curve
BY PAT FAHERTY
SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BANNER
But in addition to a dour outlook on meeting those needs, the session touched
on a possible solution being used in other areas.
About 100 people turned out Tuesday for the institute's fall seminar:
"Taking Care of Our Own: Planning for Future Human Service Needs in
Keynote speaker Jack Levine set the tone by emphasizing the changing
demographics that are driving demands.
Levine, founder of the 4Generations Institute, said that two-thirds of all the
75-year-olds who have ever been alive in the
"If you think that today we have the diversity of services necessary to
care for - safely and with dignified service - our elders, we don't. You're
wrong," he said. "Let alone, where we will be in the next
generation."
"We're going to have some challenges affording health care coverage and
health care services," said Jeff Feller, of the WellFlorida Council.
"In
Feller explained that figure represents a gross annual pretax income of $39,000
for a family of four for all expenses. And discretionary income often
determines access to health care.
"In
Feller said the county's uninsured population is growing faster than its
general population and 27.5 percent of all county residents are either
uninsured or on Medicaid. While there are a lot of positive aspects about the
health services offered, needs are going to far outstrip those services, he added.
"I have children in school who can't see the blackboard," said Scott
Hackmyer, who was representing the Marion County Children's
Hackmyer said, "It scares me that I hear that is the first generation not
supposed to live longer than their previous generation, mainly due to wellness
and obesity issues."
"I have a waiting list of children that I can send food home with so that
they won't be hungry over the weekend," Hackmyer said. "There is
something wrong when you talk wellness when I've got hungry children and I
can't do anything."
He cited numerous programs that are making a difference with children, though
adequate funding is a challenge for all of them.
"Where you put your attention is where you get your results."
Hackmyer said. "It's time in my mind that we put our attention to our
children."
Gail Cross, of Marion County Senior Services, shared a different perspective.
"Today we have a waiting of list 354 people," she said. "We have
an estimated 11,000 Alzheimer's victims in
"The funding for our programs has been flat for close to six years,"
Cross said. "We are looking at those growth numbers and seeing this huge
train coming at us that everybody is in denial about . . . As a community how
are we going to take care of our own, how are we going to be able deal with
these problems?"
One possible funding solution was presented by executive director Gay Lancaster
and deputy director Browning Spence Jr. of the Juvenile Welfare Board
Children's Service Council of Pinellas County. It became the nation's first
county agency to use dedicated property tax revenue to fund health and human
services for families and children.
It started with a half-mil referendum, then voters approved another half-mil.
"It's a local decision," Spence said. "County commissioners must
authorize going to a referendum. It's a political decision, and you have to
treat it that way."
Eleven
Business
Groups Fire At Initiative
Published: Oct 17, 2007
TAMPA - Terrified that voters may get
the power to kill development projects, Florida business interests are
unleashing an array of political weaponry to defeat the Hometown Democracy
initiative.
A mass mailing from one opposition group alleged that the
Hometown movement is a shadowy conspiracy fomented by out-of-state special
interests called "electors," another name for voters.
Another group sent an e-mail last week that inserted a phony
message onto a doctored photo of the Mons Venus strip club marquee, making it
appear the club was offering free admission to Hometown backers.
The chicanery is drawing comparisons to the Watergate era.
"It's the dirty trick business just like [President]
Nixon used," said Hometown supporter Robert Page of Islamorada.
Behind the tactics are two of Florida's most powerful
pro-business groups, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries
of Florida. The two groups have formed political committees that together have
collected almost $840,000 in contributions from developers, Realtors and road
builders.
Hometown Democracy would allow voters to approve or reject
changes to county comprehensive growth plans. Supporters say the amendment is
the only way to stop unrestrained growth.
Critics call it a "no-growth" amendment that would
raise taxes and kill the state economy.
Business interests are employing a double-pronged strategy
to keep Hometown Democracy off the November 2008 ballot. A chamber-backed
political committee, Floridians for Smarter Growth, is circulating petitions
for its own amendment that promises to control growth through popular
referendums. The amendment imposes barriers, however, such as making residents
who want to vote on a comp plan change go to the elections supervisor's office
to sign a petition.
Proposed amendments to the state constitution must get
petitions signed by 611,009 registered voters by Jan. 30 to get on the ballot.
Michael Caputo, a longtime Republican operative who heads Floridians for
Smarter Growth, would not say how many signatures the group has gathered.
"We're gathering signatures at the pace we need to make
the ballot by January," Caputo said.
Palm Beach lawyer Lesley Black- ner, who co-founded the
Hometown Democracy movement, said her group has collected more than 500,000
signatures, but only 331,000 have been verified by the Florida Department of
Elections so far.
Save Our Constitution, a committee backed by Associated
Industries of Florida, is using a state law passed this year that allows people
to revoke their signatures on initiative petitions up to 150 days after they
signed.
The group is sending revocation forms to people who signed
the Hometown Democracy petition and following up with phone calls. The forms
are filled out with the signer's name and only require a signature at the
bottom. They come with a preaddressed envelope that can be mailed back to the
Save Our Constitution group.
Hometown Democracy is challenging the constitutionality of
the revocation law. The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on
the challenge Oct. 26.
'Special Interests' Of
'Electors'
John Thrasher, co-chairman of Save Our Constitution and a
former speaker of the Florida House, wrote a letter accompanying the revocation
forms saying passage of Hometown Democracy would raise taxes and utility bills.
Thrasher's letter also said the Hometown amendment would
place land-use decisions in the hands of "special interests" called
"electors." He failed to explain that an elector is the same thing as
a voter.
Michael Aston, of Neptune Beach in Duval County, said he
received Thrasher's letter plus two phone calls urging him to revoke his
signature. He said he found both "distasteful."
"The phone call lent an air of urgency and importance that
I had made a terrible mistake that was going to destroy Florida," Aston
said. "It drives me crazy to have to base decisions on omissions and
half-truths."
Thrasher defended the letter, saying it drew attention to
the pitfalls of putting all land-use decisions to a popular vote.
"Our letter was intended to stir things up," he
said. "It did that and it was intended to get people to take a second
look. I don't make any apologies for that."
Thrasher declined to disclose how many voters have agreed to
revoke their signatures.
Battling Amendments Cause
Confusion
With two ballot petitions circulating the state, both
promising better growth management, many voters are confused. Both sides accuse
the other bullying and lying to get signatures.
Bev Griffiths, chairwoman of the Sierra Club's Tampa Bay
Group, said a man approached her in Tampa International Airport and asked if
she wanted to sign a petition "to save our parks and beaches."
Griffiths, a Hometown Democracy supporter, told people
nearby the petition was "bogus."
"I said, 'Don't anybody sign it. It's not about parks
and beaches; it's a petition promoted by the Chamber of Commerce,'" she
said.
Caputo, who is being paid $10,000 a month to head the
Smarter Growth committee, said he has received "constant complaints"
about Hometown Democracy's petition collection methods.
In once case, he said, a man was told, incorrectly, that he
was signing the Smarter Growth petition.
"We hope that Hometown Democracy would correct some of
the misleading information," he said.
At times, the campaigns seem like they are battling over a
student council seat instead of an amendment that could fundamentally change
how business is conducted in the nation's fourth-largest state. Mudslinging
abounds.
Caputo calls Hometown Democracy's financial backers a
"creepy cabal" that includes Tampa strip club owner Joe Redner and
Steve Rosen, a millionaire owner of a skin-care business and an animal rights
activist.
Wednesday, Caputo sent out an e-mail "blast" featuring
photos of Redner's Mons Venus. The message on the club's marquee reads,
"Free Entry for Hometown Democracy Signature." Redner said his
marquee has never displayed that message and that the e-mail must have been
doctored.
"Are we going to be riding Joe Redner until election
day? No, but he's part of that creepy cabal," Caputo said.
Blackner describes her business opponents as
"liars," and delights she's rattling the rich and powerful.
"It's the first time in my life I've ever seen the
developers scared," Blackner said. "I just have to enjoy it while it
lasts."
Although it's not clear how many signatures Caputo's group
has collected, Floridians for Smarter Growth is leading the money race. Figures
posted this week with the state Division of Elections shows the group collected
$706,925 during the most recent quarter. Most of the contributions ranged from
$10,000 to $200,000 and came from developers, Realtors, road builders and big
landowners.
Thrasher's group has collected $133,100.
Hometown Democracy raised $174,787, but showed a wider base
of support with 260 contributions compared with 26 contributions for Floridians
for Smarter Growth. Of the 260 contributions, 228 were for $100 or less. Rosen
gave the most, $102,000, followed by Sierra Club chapters around the state,
which gave a combined $41,209. Redner, who has given $35,000 to Hometown
Democracy in past quarters, gave nothing this time.
Researcher Michael Messano contributed to this report.
Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib.com.
Today's Letters: Builders wield undue
influence
By
Published October 16, 2007
I read with great interest the article
concerning a small group of developers and builders who met to discuss the
replacement of the county attorney. They want, one attendee put it, to have a
county attorney who would be friendlier to his interests.
I am of the opinion that the Pasco
Builders Association would agree. What is the Pasco Builders Association? It is
a group of builders, developers, planners and legal advisers; many do not live
in
We do not need a fox to watch the
henhouse. We need to insure the continuity of the policies of the present
county attorney and county administrator operating under the
I have noted in past election years
that the builders, developers, etc., are heavy contributors to the campaigns of
some of our county commissioners. This board needs to know that it is the
citizens who elect them, not the developers' dollars.
Wake up, taxpayers and let your
commissioner know your feelings.
M.L. Phillips,Trinity
Rules must apply to developer too
Local developer Joe Borda, who has been
the principal builder in the Gulf Harbors and Gulf Landings area for more then
two decades, is again demanding that Pasco County allow him to have his way
under what he and his attorney call vested rights.
Regardless of the fact that new rules,
guidelines and laws have been introduced and upgraded in the effort to protect
the community as a whole, Mr. Borda still thinks the rules need to be set aside
as his attorney stated, that he should not be bound by height limits, rules
governing wetlands, right of way, parking, landscaping, environmental studies
or mandates for neighborhood parks.
This arrogant and pretentious man has,
for all the 10 years I have known of him, shown contempt for the citizens of
this area as well as the
I would recommend that all citizens
that can, attend the Oct. 23 commission meeting in New Port Richey. The intent
would be to impress the commission to demand that all of today's rules be
applied when it comes to Mr. Borda's intentions.
James W. Coakley,New Port Richey
BY FRED HIERS
STAR-BANNER
They met at
But unlike last month, when representatives from several counties met to
discuss the river's fate, there were some conspicuous absences.
That's because the St. Johns River Water Management District, the agency that
oversees the project, told thirsty
"We started looking at the demand for water among the utilities and
concluded not everyone could go to the Ocklawaha for water. There's just not
enough there," said David Fisk, assistant executive director of the St.
Johns River Water Management District.
He said several factors led the water management district to tell the three
One reason was
There also were problems getting "political and social consensus" for
the project, he said.
One such problem arose when
The
With
Marion County Commissioner Stan McClain, who opposes other counties dipping
into the river, said the decision is only a half victory.
"I think they unloaded the 800-pound guerilla," McClain said, citing
the three counties absent. "Did our saber rattling help? Yes, it helped
some. It's a step in the right direction."
But, while fewer counties are slated to take water from the river, the amount
being siphoned from the Ocklawaha would still be about the same.
The advantage to only three counties in the project is that it would simplify
discussions about conservation and protecting the river, McClain said, but he
also said that drawing 90 million gallons per day from the river is too much.
Water management officials said the river's flow varies between 225 million and
500 million gallons per day. They said their plan is to remove up to 90 million
gallons daily only when the river's flow allows such siphoning.
But the district has yet to determine the river's minimum flow levels needed to
sustain its surrounding environment. That information will be needed before
construction of a new plant can begin.
Last year, area water districts decided water allocation levels would not
increase after 2013 for
During the meeting,
McClain said the Ocklawaha is only a stop gap, though, for
Local environmental activist Guy Marwick said Monday that when the other
counties bailed out of the plan to siphon Ocklawaha water, it was an indication
the project was falling apart.
"Things are beginning to crumble. I think we're looking at the beginning
of the end," Marwick said. "There is not the same veracity as before.
They are beginning to feel the pressure."
And
"They look like spiders doing pushups, and they'll fall over with the
slightest breeze," Marwick said. "It's ludicrous to think you can
take any water out of the river."
Fred Hiers may be reached at fred.hiers@starbanner.com
and 352-867-4157.
New Drawdown Request For
By Douglas Carman of
Published: October 16, 2007
LAKE PLACID — After last week's cut-off
against water permit holders using
SFWMD spokeswoman Missie Barletto wrote
a press release last week saying they were going to apply to the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers for a "temporary deviation to Lake Istokpoga's
regulation schedule" to allow more water than usually permitted from the
lake to supply farms and residents downstream.
In other words,
"The District intends to file a
new request to the Corps for a revised deviation, which may provide some relief
for users whose withdrawal points are directly connected to the lake,"
Barletto said in the e-mailed release.
Dozens of homes and four other permit
holders had their permits suspended while SFWMD moved forward with its plans.
No details were released concerning the limit of the drawdown, and Barletto
said Monday that she had no further information on the pending request.
The U.S. ACE approved a 36.5-foot
drawdown limit earlier this year to supply the parched farms and residents with
irrigation water in
Istokpoga's water level stood at an
elevation of 38.47 feet Monday, which is a foot down from this point last year.
Dave Douglass, vice president of the
lake watchdog group Save Our Source of Florida Lakes, anticipated the coming
dry season would be much harder on the lake than the last one.
He said SOS-FL already contacted U.S.
ACE and said they will take it to Gov. Charlie Crist to keep SFWMD from going
below 36.5 feet, but he expects a much tougher fight this time around.
"You'll get to a point where you
wonder which is more important, habitat or people," Douglass said.
Gary Albin, the owner of the Trails End
Fishing Resort in Lorida and a board member of Friends of Istokpoga, said he
and the rest of FOI were more prepared for this since SFWMD had contacted them
through the process. The last drawdown request in March came as a surprise to
Albin.
As for the pending drawdown request?
"It depends on what the wording is
and what levels they are seeking," Albin said. "We have to wait and
see."
Schenck faces a challenger
By
TONY MARRERO
lmarrero@hernandotoday.com
Published: Oct 15, 2007
BROOKSVILLE — Aaron Whitaker claims to
know firsthand how growth can affect a community.
The 31-year-old was born in
Now Whitaker lives in Royal Highlands
and is running for the District 44 seat of the House of Representatives to help
prevent the same thing from happening here.
“I want to do what I can to help this
area retain its identity,” Whitaker said.
Rep. Rob Schenck, a Spring Hill
Republican and former
Whitaker said he is unimpressed with
the amount of legislation that Schenck has authored since then. He also
acknowledged that Schenck has more experience but added, “I’m not replacing
somebody who’s been in the seat 25 years. I think somebody who has a deep love
of
“I think authoring and co-authoring the
largest tax rollback in the history of
The bill didn’t pass, but Schenck said
he is re-introducing it. He also has worked on legislation that addresses the
inequities in the property appraisal process that Whitaker addressed.
Schenck said Whitaker’s announcement
“really doesn’t change anything” when it comes to his plan. He’s already
started campaigning and fundraising and “will continue to provide property tax
relief and cost of living relief to
Al Hernandez, Hernando’s state
committeeman for the Democratic Party, said of Whitaker: “I think he has the
passion and the drive and certainly the intelligence to get in there and do the
job. I’m going to help him every way I can.”
Whitaker said he filed papers with the
state Division of Elections Wednesday. A spoke-sman for the division confirmed
the filing yesterday.
District 44 includes most of Hernando
and parts of
He said he is currently working toward
an associate’s degree in management information systems from
The political novice, who calls himself
“a centrist and more of a Carter Democrat than a Clinton Democrat,” is already
uttering the “m” word.
He said it’s time that public officials
start thinking seriously about a temporary moratorium on residential
development to give infrastructure the chance to catch up with the demand.
There is more support for the idea than
many think, he said, and so it’s worth fighting for.
“Are we playing to a market where we
have investors come in and build homes that are immediately put up for rent or
are we marketing to retirees and families who want to come here and contribute
to the community,” he said. “Right now we have a several large developments in
the works and we don’t have the backbone — the roads, the schools, the fire and
police protection — to support it.”
While Whitaker said he wants to help
craft legislation that would “completely revamp” the home appraisal process to
help ease the property tax burden. He also said he would ask for justification
for ad valorem tax breaks for corporations.
Even more important is the need to
readdress the rising cost of property insurance, he said.
Considering the ongoing drought and the
geological impact that comes with it, doing away with sinkhole coverage “is a
very dangerous game in this county,” he said.
Whitaker said his desire to pass
legislation limiting the kind of automobiles teenagers may drive has only
increased with the recent spate of accidents in the Bay area resulting in
deaths. The legislation would put a limit on the amount of horsepower in a
vehicle that a teenager may drive.
Reporter Tony Marrero can be contacted
at 352-544-5286.
Focus: Keep area roads clear
Agency touts mass transit to prevent
gridlock
By Julian Pecquet
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Their suggestions came during the annual
retreat of the Capital Region Transportation Planning Agency, which includes
elected officials from Leon, Gadsden and Wakulla counties.
Until recently, the agency had mainly
served as a conduit for federal and state funds for road projects. Commissioners
now want to pay more attention to bus service, bicycling and pedestrian options
and better planning and design so future developments don't clog major roads.
Torrio Osborne, a business consultant
from
"This is a first step," he
said. "Thank gosh they're doing this today. If they continue with the old
way they've been doing things, they're going to be gridlocked, and it's going
to have an impact on their tax revenues."
The region's economic future was a
major part of Monday's discussions, which centered on how to create a vision
for growth that preserves the area's environment and way of life while avoiding
sprawl.
Suggestions included reviewing
developments to see if they're transit-friendly and creating a
multi-jurisdictional discussion for developments that may cross county lines.
The hope, said Harry Reed, the agency's
executive director, is that "developers will spend less money on lawyers
to get permits and spend that money on design."
That regional approach will be tested
during the drafting of the long-term transportation plan for 2035, beginning in
July. Under state law, the long-term plan must be completed by 2010.
Contact reporter Julian Pecquet at
(850) 599-2307 or jjpecquet@tallahassee.com.
Settlement Clears Controversial
Development
By Suzie Schottelkotte
The Ledger
Bartow reporter
Dept.: East Polk News
(863) 533-9070
suzie.schottelkotte@theledger.com
BARTOW | A legal battle between the
city of
Lawyers for the two sides signed a settlement agreement late Monday afternoon that
gave the developer unconditional approval to develop the 272-acre site. For its
part, the developer agreed to drop its pending appeal challenging the city's
previous denial of the project and not to pursue a separate $9.24 million
lawsuit, representing the firm's loss if zoning hadn't been approved.
The agreement, though, doesn't impact related litigation involving a citizens'
petition seeking to halt the project. A citizens group, the Enough Already
Committee, collected more than 2,200 signatures to force a voter referendum
that could overturn the zoning decision.
"While Highland Cassidy is encouraged to have reached an amicable
settlement with the city of
After the Enough Already Committee submitted its petition to the city, Highland
Cassidy filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the validation of the signatures,
saying the petition violated a state law that prevented petitions and
referendums in zoning actions like this one. Chief Circuit Judge David Langford
ordered the city to halt the count last week until the issue could be argued in
court.
That action aside, the developer can move ahead with plans to begin
construction.
"I think this shows that they are more interested in moving forward with
their development than in playing legal games," he said.
The agreement ends litigation that started about a year ago, when the City
Commission denied Highland Cassidy's zoning proposal for a second time.
The developer took its appeal to Polk County Circuit Court, asking the court to
review the city's decision to ensure that commissioners followed their own
rules.
Last summer, Highland Cassidy agreed to drop the lawsuit if the City Commission
would reconsider the zoning request. But the developers said they wouldn't sign
off on the settlement until the zoning was approved and the 30-day period in
which to appeal passed without a challenge.
That 30 days ended Oct. 4 without an appeal from nearby residents. Bartow
lawyer John Frost II, a resident of
"This solidifies the city's approval," Weeks said. "This means
that Bartow is saying we have a property right to develop that site as a mixed
use planned development."
Highland Cassidy wants to build 835 single-family houses on the
Deltona approves town-house plan
By SARA KIESLER
Staff Writer
DELTONA -- Wearing little yellow
buttons that read "ill-conceived and poorly-planned," about 15
residents came out to City Hall on Monday night to protest town homes being
built near their rural property.
"The town-house concept is
entirely too invasive," said Mike Sisler, a resident of
But the City Commission voted 4-3 to
rezone 100 acres that will allow 218 single-family homes and 128 townhomes
along
Commissioner David Santiago led
argument for the project by going through the residents' complaints and saying
only their concern for traffic along State Road 415 was valid. He urged
commissioners not to vote it down based on their feelings because the rezoning
was a quasi-judicial hearing, or an ordinance where the commission steps out of
creating policy and into a judicial role where they weigh the good of the
community.
Representatives of Terry Hagen Property
Consultants told the commission they including many amenities, such as adding a
20-foot landscape buffer, a stoplight at
A lawyer for the developer objected to
the suggestion of a wall from an opposing resident Lori Warnicke that she hoped
would keep residents of the town homes from crossing into lakes and woods near
her home because he said it would "not allow critters to roam as they roam
today."
The developer had proposed another 70
acres of development, but tabled it until Dec. 3 to further meet with the
landowners upset with the concept of putting 154 town homes and 63
single-family homes near their backyards.
City officials see the town homes as a
way to provide options to families that can't afford or don't want to live in
the single-family homes that blanket Deltona. But in the end, the residents
were disappointed in the commissioner for their district, Michael Carmolingo,
who voted for the development, and in the outcome. Mayor Dennis Mulder, Vice
Mayor Bill Harvey and Commissioner Janet Deyette voted against the development.
The issue is up for final approval at
the commission meeting Nov. 5.
"We did all we can do,"
Sisler said. "They already had their minds made up."
Allstate Reaps Financial Benefit Of
Limiting Risk
By DAVE CARPENTER, The Associated Press
Published: October 16, 2007
The nation's largest publicly traded
personal-lines insurer pulled back aggressively from areas susceptible to
expensive storms. It did not renew many homeowners' policies. It dramatically
increased its own insurance, or reinsurance.
Two years later, despite the continuing
risk of a consumer and regulatory backlash, the strategy is paying off:
Allstate, which reports third-quarter earnings Wednesday, is on a pace to
exceed last year's record annual profit of $5 billion.
Not only has the company reduced its
exposure to catastrophic events, it is benefiting from a calculated shift away
from the riskier homeowners' business into the increasingly profitable auto
line. Automobile insurance now accounts for 67 percent of its
property-liability premiums and more than double the revenue from homeowners.
'Allstate has come a long way in
becoming more sophisticated in understanding the risks that it underwrites, and
it's had very, very good financial results because of that,' said Donald Light,
an analyst at research and consulting firm Celent. 'They've clearly made a
management judgment that they'll take the lumps that they have to take, public
relations-wise, in order to insulate themselves from the shock losses.'
'Why Are They So Risk-Averse?'
Criticism has been harsh.
The Consumer Federation of America says
the
'It's OK to make a profit, but they are
ripping people off,' said J. Robert Hunter, the consumer group's insurance
director. 'Why are they so risk-averse? If they're not going to take on risk,
what do we need insurance companies for?'
Allstate declined to make an executive available
for this story, citing the mandated quiet period before its earnings
announcement. But the company has been very public, if not blunt, about its
intentions.
Less than two months after Hurricane
Katrina devastated the
'We will continue to take our
homeowners' coverage and exposure down because we have no moral or legal
obligation to provide this kind of coverage to people,' current CEO Thomas
Wilson, then president and chief operating officer, said on an Oct. 20, 2005,
conference call.
That strategy accelerated with Katrina
but it reflects a more hard-nosed approach toward pricing that began years
earlier.
Insurer Seeks 41.9% Rate Increase
The insurance industry began
re-examining its pricing after Hurricane Andrew devastated
The company boosted homeowners' rates
by double digits for the next two years to revive a line that had suffered
losses, and big increases continue in select coastal states today. Allstate
Floridian Insurance Co., for example, is asking regulators for a 41.9 percent
rate increase, and some premiums in other states along the
Allstate also has shed hundreds of
thousands of homeowner policies by nonrenewal in
Banc of America Securities analyst
Alain Karaoglan said in a research note last week that heavy exposure to
catastrophes in its homeowners' business has long been Allstate's Achilles'
heel.
He applauded the company's increased
pricing discipline, reflecting the prevailing view on Wall Street.
'It's purely model-driven, it's purely
risk-driven - it's not like they hate
Watchdog: Is sludge habit a hazard
By NATHAN CRABBE
Sun staff writer
ARCHER - A male goat that developed
udders has become a symbol of concerns about waste being spread on a southwest
Gainesville Regional Utilities has
spread sewage sludge on Roger Williams' farm for 26 years. A byproduct of the
process to treat human waste, sludge is used as a fertilizer for crops.
GRU is now trying to buy the property,
but new regulations mean the utility needs a special permit to continue
spreading sludge there. The County Planning Commission will hold a hearing
Wednesday on the issue.
County health officials support
granting the permit, saying the site poses no apparent health risks. But
neighbors say they're concerned that sludge is contaminating their wells and
dust from the dried sludge is being blown onto their properties.
Neighbors base some of their concerns
on mysterious ailments and problems with their livestock, including the goat's
development of female parts.
"When you put all these things
together, it begins to look suspicious," said John Biro, a
Experts say the goat's changes and
human health problems could be caused by factors unrelated to the site.
Utility officials say they plan to
create setbacks of 75 feet from property lines and will conduct monitoring to
ensure pollutants aren't contaminating groundwater.
But a growing list of health concerns
has led to questions about using sludge as a fertilizer. A handful of European
countries have banned the land application of sludge, and some
The Cornell Waste Management Institute
at
She said sludge application regulations
are based on the assumptions that pollutants are trapped in soil before
reaching groundwater and do not travel through the air. But anecdotal evidence
and emerging research suggest otherwise, she said.
"If I lived near a site, I would
be concerned about airborne contaminants," she said. "And I'd
certainly be concerned if I had a well nearby." The sludge site is just
east of the Alachua/Levy county line on
He reached an agreement with GRU in
1981 to also put sludge on the site. He said the farm had sandy soils that are
poor for farming, but the applications improved the ability to grow crops.
Sludge, which utilities prefer to call
by the public-relations term biosolids, can fall in two classes. Class A has
been treated to remove all bacteria and viruses, while Class B can contain
detectable levels of pathogens.
GRU spreads Class B sludge on the
Williams farm. The state restricts public access to such sites and imposes
waiting periods before crops can be harvested.
In the past, GRU put sludge on several
sites around
Williams said he's getting older - he's
72 - so he agreed to sell the farm to GRU. The Gainesville City Commission
voted in June to buy the site for $11.5 million over the next four years, if
all necessary permits are first obtained.
GRU presented the city with two other
options for its sludge-disposal operations. It could treat and dry sludge to a
level where it could be sold as fertilizer, or sludge could be used as a fuel
to produce energy.
Utility officials said the first option
was more costly and there's a glut of such fertilizer on the market, meaning
the utility might still need the farm to dispose of the material.
They said the second option would
require an unproven technology. But they said the choice of the Williams farm
doesn't permanently lock them into the site.
"We can continue land applications
indefinitely (but) it doesn't mean we'll be doing land applications
forever," said David Richardson, GRU's assistant general manager for water
and wastewater systems.
He said the utility's purchase of the
site could reduce the level of some pollutants in groundwater. GRU plans to do
mostly hay farming on the site, he said, which would reduce the need for
artificial fertilizer.
New land-use regulations, implemented
in 2006, mean the utility needs a special-exception permit to continue
spreading sludge on the site.
The Planning Commission will consider
the permit Wednesday, while the full
Biro, who has lived on a nearby
property since 1995, said the process allows neighbors to air long-standing
concerns.
"We have been concerned about this
practice for years, but we didn't think there was much we could do about
it," he said. Neighbors say heavy winds can blow residue from the dusty
site onto their properties. They say these dust clouds coincide with health
problems such as nausea, dizziness and flu-like symptoms.
There's been anecdotal evidence that
people living near sludge sites are getting sick, said Jordan Pecchia, an
assistant professor of environmental engineering at
While bacteria and viruses had been
thought to be killed in the air, Pecchia is studying whether pathogens or
metals can be airborne. He said the research is ongoing and the issue is
unresolved.
"There's not a huge amount of
evidence that it's affected human health, but there's a lot of
uncertainty," he said.
Groundwater is another concern. The
farm is located in a part of the county where residents rely on wells and where
sandy soils and a lack of a solid barrier between the surface and the
groundwater can allow contaminants to enter the aquifer.
The county Health Department has tested
18 wells on and around the farm. The tests found nitrate levels exceeding state
drinking-water standards in one well on the farm and another just east of the
property, said Anthony Dennis, the county's assistant director for
environmental health.
While nitrates help plants grow, they
can cause human health problems such as a blood disorder in infants. One of the
wells with high nitrate levels isn't being used, and the owner of the other
well is being offered a water filter under a state water-quality program,
Dennis said.
He said follow-up testing is being done
to determine whether those wells and others east of the farm have high level of
metals or other contaminants.
Biro and other concerned neighbors live
to the west of the farm. Dennis said tests suggest groundwater is flowing in
the opposite direction, meaning the area where most residents live is not at
risk.
"Given the data we've collected
and reviewed to this point, we do not feel there's a significant risk to
citizens living around the site," he said. But neighbors aren't convinced.
Biro said his horses have had problems reproducing and his wife has experienced
headaches and nausea.
His groundwater has shown high levels
of uranium and arsenic. Health officials say the contaminants likely occur
naturally in his soil and they are doing follow-up testing to see whether a
filter on the well is removing them.
Jose Sifontes is an environmental
consultant who owns a property near the sludge site where he keeps several
goats. He said a billy goat last year developed udders that produce milk.
"He is the father of all these
goats, but he developed udders," he said.
Click
here to view more photographs of the goat at Jose Sifontes Farm.
Chris DeCubellis, a neighbor who works
as an animal-science extension officer in
"All that stuff goes down the
drain," he said.
Male goats have been known to develop
udders on sites where sludge is not an issue, said Owen Rae, chief of the UF
College of Veterinary Medicine's food animal reproduction and medicine section.
He said goats can experience the
phenomenon if fed or exposed to estrogen. He said one possible explanation is
clovers containing chemicals that have the same effects as estrogen.
GRU officials say the waste-treatment
process removes all but trace amounts of pharmaceuticals and personal-care
products that can act as hormone disrupters.
But
"It's not insane to think that
feminization of animals is an issue," she said.
Patricia Cline, a risk-assessment
expert with CH2M Hill, working with GRU, said such chemicals are incredibly
complex. A complete diagnosis would be needed to connect to problems with human
or animal health, she said.
"It's hard to link them with what
we know is in the solids," she said.
But Biro said he doesn't have the money
to fully investigate the problem. GRU should be responsible for proving the
site is safe, he said.
"It's a sad day when a citizen has
to prove he should be protected," he said.
Nathan
Crabbe can be reached at 352-338-3176 or crabben@gville sun.com.
Don't
Allow Managers, Utilities To Drown Local Source Water Law
The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 14, 2007
In Florida, drinking water can be a
volatile liquid.
In the 1980s, overpumping at drinking
water wellfields prompted 'water wars' among Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco
counties. North Florida residents continue to fret that urban counties will try
to tap their springs and rivers. And state government has spent years battling
Georgia and Alabama in court over shared water resources, including the
Chattahoochee River.
A 1998 Florida law sought to douse local
water-supply conflicts by requiring counties to fully tap their own resources
and devise other local sources before looking to other areas for water. It's
appropriately known as 'local sources first.'
But in rapidly growing Central Florida,
some water managers and utilities don't seem to understand the concept.
Led by the St. Johns River Water
Management District, they are eyeing water sources many miles away to satisfy
their communities' needs for more drinking water. Their aggressive moves are
violating the spirit of the law and could easily ignite another round of water
wars.
Although no projects have been approved, a
couple of outrageous proposals have been proposed.
One is to pipe water from Lake Rousseau
and the Withlacoochee River west of Ocala - where Marion, Citrus and Levy
counties meet - southeast to other counties.
Another pipedream that seems to be picking
up much more steam is to pump water from the Ocklawaha River at State Road 40
near Ocala more than 100 miles southeast to the Orlando area.
The St. Johns River, which flows from
Indian River County north to Jacksonville and into the Atlantic Ocean, also is
being eyed as a water source for Orlando and other central Florida communities
- a prospect some biologists say could adversely affect the river near
Jacksonville.
Citrus and Marion residents and
Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority officials, among others, are
rightly worried about these possible raids. They may need their water sources
to meet the needs of their own communities, and the law clearly states that an
area's current and future water needs are paramount in applying 'local sources
first.'
Unquestionably, tapping more surface water
from rivers and lakes is a necessity. Florida must continue to move away from
excessive groundwater pumping that dries up wetlands and prevents the
underground aquifer from being replenished.
But communities that have failed to
control growth and plan for future water needs shouldn't be allowed to siphon
water from other regions. Such a practice allows them to escape the true costs
of growth while compromising the resources of the 'donor' community.
Florida Public Service Commissioner Nancy
Argenziano, a former state senator who was a key author of the local sources
law, says the St. Johns district, which covers part or all of 18 counties from
Northeast Florida south to Indian River, has 'gotten lazy,' and she's right.
As an example of success, she points to
the Tampa Bay area. The Southwest Florida Water Management District and Tampa
Bay Water, a regional water utility that serves Pinellas, Pasco and
Hillsborough, have partnered in the development of a wide range of water-supply
sources, including desalination and a massive reservoir, to reduce dependency
on groundwater.
In contrast, St. Johns is behind the
curve. It refuses to immediately pursue desalination, which, under local
sources first, must be considered before water transfers can be allowed.
District officials argue that desalination
is expensive, which is true. Still, cost is not a good reason for raiding water
from another region. Tampa Bay Water has faced numerous problems with its
desalination plant, which cost more than $100 million, but the technology works
and the plant is producing drinking water.
The Legislature hasn't done communities
that need more drinking water any favors, either, with its latest round of
budget cuts. Lawmakers sliced $60 million previously allocated to develop
alternative water supplies and fund other water-related programs.
Conservation also must be addressed before
authorizing transfers. On that measure, St. Johns flunks. District residents
are allowed to irrigate their lawns twice a week. Tampa Bay residents are
limited to one day a week.
Water is a state resource, and
transporting it from rural counties to urban ones may sometimes be an
appropriate strategy. But, as Argenziano says, strict criteria must be followed
first. And the environment and welfare of donor counties also must be
protected.
St. Johns and eager utilities are looking
for an easy way to avoid paying the price of poor growth policies. State
officials should make sure these pipedreams never get past the discussion
stage.
Extending protection around the Myakka River
By BILL HUTCHINSON
bill.hutchinson@heraldtribune.com
The nearly 40-year effort to guarantee a "wild and scenic" future for
the Myakka River resumes this week.
Public hearings are set on plans to extend existing state protection from
Sarasota to Manatee and Charlotte counties, both of which have resisted such
moves in the past.
Typically for conflicts over environmental protection, the dividing issue is property
rights. Residential and commercial landowners on and near the shallow, scenic
66-mile river fear that any state protection automatically means regulation.
In the case of the Wild and Scenic River designation the Legislature granted in
1985 to the 34-mile midsection of the Myakka, the title comes with little in
the way of regulation not already covered by state and federal statutes.
But, as has been demonstrated in Sarasota County, the Wild and Scenic
designation can become an intermediate step to more aggressive protections, and
that is enough to rekindle old opposition.
"I expect it to be a squeeze, but I think the juice is worth the
effort," said state Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, one of the sponsors of
legislation that could effectively double the length of the Myakka under
special state stewardship.
"If you're going to provide meaningful protection for a river, you have to
protect the river, not just a piece of it," said state Rep. Keith
Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota, who first proposed expanded protection in the House in
2006 and then enlisted Bennett's support.
A moss-hung Old Florida waterway that nourishes an unusually rich diversity of
plant, animal and bird life, the Myakka was considered for a place on the first
national list of Wild and Scenic Rivers in 1968.
But a federal evaluation committee eventually shied away because of opposition
in all three counties, especially the farmers and ranchers and developers and
phosphate miners of Manatee, who feared that the protected designation would encroach
on their property rights.
In 1985, after a generation of failed attempts to get some special protection
for the Myakka, then Sen. Bob Johnson, R-Sarasota, managed to push through a
Wild and Scenic River bill by restricting its coverage to the Sarasota County
length of the river.
Even into the 21st century, subsequent attempts to bring Manatee County into
the Wild and Scenic fold met with continued resistance.
While those concerns still exist, some long-time river partisans see evidence
of a softening in traditional resistance.
"We've had pretty good support in Manatee County thus far," said Jono
Miller, chairman of the advisory body created by the Legislature in 1986 to
oversee management of the Wild and Scenic Myakka.
The current county commission has endorsed the Fitzgerald-Bennett effort to
extend protection northward.
And phosphate interests have indicated a willingness to at least discuss how
they would be affected by an expansion of the protection zone.
"I think they would like to be in a position to support it," said
Miller, who has met with executives at Mosaic, the phosphate producer with
processing facilities on one of the Myakka's principal feeder streams.
"I am optimistic," he said.
So is Bennett, who nonetheless anticipates "a lot of opposition" to
surface at either end of the Myakka.
"The important thing is to keep talking. That's what we hope happens out
of these hearings: Sit down, tell me your concerns and let's see what we can
all do to work things out."
Bennett's support for extending protections of the Myakka is especially
significant because he is not usually associated with environmental causes.
He has supported a move to remove the manatee from the state's endangered
species list, and dismisses an anti-growth mentality he characterizes as
"bananas -- build absolutely nothing almost nowhere anytime soon."
Expanding protection of the Myakka, he said, is a reasonable goal that can be
accomplished while also accommodating private property rights. "In this
case," he said, "I believe we can have it both ways."
Ironically, opposition to the Wild and Scenic designation has risen to the
south as it may have declined to the north.
Charlotte County bowed out of the Wild and Scenic campaign originally because
so much riverfront land had been platted into small lots with individual owners
that county administrators were daunted by the task of tracking each down
individually.
Twenty years later, much of the land along the Charlotte part of the river has
been acquired by the state or other public entity.
But two homeowners associations in particular have registered vehement
opposition to bringing protection into their area.
"If you folks in Sarasota want to do all that, fine," says Dennis
Curtis, president of the South Gulf Cove Homeowners Association. "But
leave us out of it."
Along with its sister association in nearby Gulf Cove, Curtis' group dominated
a town meeting on the Fitzgerald-Bennett initiative held last June by state
Rep. Mike Grant.
"We just don't see the need for it," said Curtis. "One more
layer of bureaucracy to tell us what we can and cannot do -- no thanks."
Specifically, Curtis and his boater neighbors are concerned that extending the
designation will mean extending the no-wake zone along the Myakka, which ends at
the U.S. 41 bridge, and eventual restrictions on building and repairing docks.
Fitzgerald points out that the Legislature has asked for a report by the Myakka
River Management Coordinating Council, which includes representatives from all
three counties through which the river runs. "We're very early in the
process here," he said.
And even if the Legislature eventually approves extending the Wild and Scenic
designation, there would still be a great deal of work required to make the
action meaningful.
It took Sarasota County more than 10 years to pass laws establishing slow speed
zones and a protected 220-foot buffer at either side of the river, the
foundations of the county's efforts to protect the Myakka as the centerpiece of
an enormous swath of green space known as "Myakka Island."
"When people believe their property rights are under attack, passions
become inflamed and reality goes out the window," said Fitzgerald.
"I respect the people and their opinions," he said, "but I have
to respectfully submit that in this case they are misinformed."
In any case, Fitzgerald sees the endorsement of Manatee County as the crucial
aspect of the current effort.
"If the people of Charlotte County absolutely don't want this to happen,
then we can simply exclude Charlotte County, which I think would be a mistake,
but the Manatee portion is more important."
"Manatee," agreed Bennett, "is the key."
There remains opposition to broadening the Wild and Scenic designation because
of the unknowns of how the legislation may affect use of the river, said Jono
Miller.
While describing himself as "sympathetic," Miller said, "if you
follow that line of thinking, nobody would ever get married because they
wouldn't go on the first date."
St. Johns marsh project to create new lake
By JIM WAYMER
FLORIDA TODAY
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers broke
ground today on a $10.2 million, two-year project to reflood about 14,000-acres
of marsh.
The project is going to create 4,000 to 5,000 acres of an open water lake,
measuring about 3-to-6 feet deep — equivalent to the size of Lake Washington in
Melbourne.
U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Indialantic, joined about 40 people at the
groundbreaking. He said the project was going to be a benefit for generations
to come.
“It’s also going to be a recreational resource,” Weldon said. “I’m excited
about getting this final phase under way. I’m told it will be the best bass
fishing in the United States.” He added to laughter: “No guarantees.”
The project culminates a 20-year restoration of the St. Johns River’s upper
basin to its pre-farm glory.
Bass fisherman Leroy Wright, president of SAVE St. Johns River, motioned to the
large dried out marsh and said: “There’s going to be great fishing here.”
He fought for years to get the project completed. A parking lot area was
created in the late 1990s, but the project stalled when the water management
district decided to expand the size of the reflooded marshes.
Corps officials promise the Three Forks Marsh Conservation Area will absorb
hurricane flooding in Palm Bay, cleanse drinking water for Melbourne, Cocoa and
several other cities and keep farm fertilizers from Indian River Lagoon.
The project stretches from U.S. 192 in Melbourne south through Indian River
County.
CSX To Submit Application In December
By Tom Palmer
Write an email to Tom Palmer
WINTER HAVEN | CSX officials plan to
submit an application for approval of their Winter Haven freight terminal in
mid-December, a consultant for the railroad said Monday.
The announcement came during the first of
two pre-application meetings for the controversial project.
The application for approval of a development of regional impact will go to the
Central Florida Regional Planning Council, which will review the 318-acre
project and make recommendations to the Winter Haven City Commission, which has
the authority to grant final approval.
Pat Steed, the council’s executive director, said the agency is opening a Web
site — csxdri@cfrpc.org — to take comments on the project and will post documents
related to the project on the council’s main Web site, which is www.cfrpc.org.
North Port grappling with history of poor planning,
study says
By PATRICK WHITTLE
patrick.whittle@heraldtribune.com
NORTH PORT -- Sarasota County's fastest-growing city is a place where low
housing prices attract young families, but a lack of employment opportunities
encourages them to leave.
North Port's man-made canals made it possible to build where drainage is a challenge,
but the waterways also block emergency routes and make firefighting difficult.
And the city has more than 500 miles of roads in need of repair.
A new study by a local academic traces those problems, and many others, to a
lack of foresight by North Port's now-defunct developer, General Development
Corp.
Jono Miller, who directs the environmental studies program at New College of
Florida, did the study for a graduate program course that required him to write
the story of a Florida community.
He found the perfect subject 35 miles south of the New College campus, in North
Port, a place where the costs of rapid population growth and outdated urban
planning are left on the shoulders of 50,000 residents.
The study, titled "Depressed Roads and Draining Canals," focuses on
how developer General Development Corp. saddled the community with inadequate
roads and drainage.
Miller's project describes North Port as place where "past mistakes that
looked like solutions at the time ... now require increasingly expensive
solutions."
Miller says most of the blame falls with the Mackle brothers, General
Development Corp.'s owners, not today's city officials.
Steve Crowell, North Port's city manager, said the city "still has impacts
from GDC, good and bad."
Miller's project suggests the GDC legacy is mostly bad.
The developer paid $2.5 million in 1954 for 80,000 acres that became North Port
and Port Charlotte. North Port became a separate city in 1959.
Miller traces North Port's development back to the Mackle brothers' sale.
His study faults GDC for planning North Port without a town center or downtown.
And while GDC platted hundreds of building lots, the developer did not leave
enough room to adequately widen roads.
Today, services such as garbage collection lag behind, but residents and
officials routinely oppose "catch-up fees," Miller said.
Miller said GDC's lack of planning is one of the reasons North Port's economy
has been almost entirely dependent on single-family home construction. The cool
housing market has hit the city hard. North Port issued building permits for 12
new homes in August, the lowest monthly total in five years.
"Most North Port residents weren't alive when the core decisions that
affect their quality of life were made," Miller's study states. "It
is a vast social experiment with citizens as the subjects."
Miller, 55, has worked at New College for more than 25 years. He is working
toward a master's degree in Florida studies at the University of South Florida.
Miller said he became fascinated with the way cities grow during his childhood
in 1950s New Jersey, a place where what he calls "post-war suburban 'Leave
it to Beaver' sprawl" was all the rage.
Miller said he decided to study North Port's growth because of his belief
"that communities have personalities and the personalities may stem from
the people people that live there. But they may equally stem from how they are
laid out, the environment, the planning."
He added: "Darwin had the Galapagos. North Port seemed like the perfect place
to test that premise."
No new landfill in the works
By Jeff Burlew
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Leon County's landfill for construction
and demolition debris on Apalachee Parkway is slowly but surely filling up, and
commissioners will eventually have to decide what to do with it.
Opening a new landfill for the trash is
out of the question, partly because of strong neighborhood opposition that
would undoubtedly come with trying to site it, said Norm Thomas, the county's
director of solid waste. Also, the county, which has had to cut its budget
because of property-tax legislation, doesn't have the money to build one.
Last week, commissioners approved a
request for information from businesses that might be interested in helping to
recycle, ship or otherwise get rid of the Class III waste, which includes
lumber, old furniture and packaging materials.
"It's sort of a blanket request for
as much information as we can get," Thomas said.
Options include building a processing and
recycling facility or a transfer station, where it would be prepped for
shipment elsewhere. The cost could be several million dollars, Thomas said. If
either of the facilities were built, it would likely be located on the landfill
property. Another option is simply shipping it to a nearby landfill.
Jason Mayhann, whose house is in the Lake
Heritage neighborhood across the street from the landfill, wants to see the
solid-waste operation shuttered.
"It would definitely help the
property values to move it all out," said Mayhann, a business owner whose
house is on the picturesque lake.
Jesse Adkins, who also lives in the
neighborhood, said the air quality has improved greatly since the landfill
began burning off smelly gases. But he still wants to see the facility closed
and replaced with a park.
"It would improve not just this
neighborhood but the whole area," he said during a recent jog.
The county has built two ball fields on
the landfill property, but plans for a full-blown park have been shelved for
now because of budget constraints.
The landfill will run out of space for the
trash by 2015. The amount of Class III trash at the landfill has dropped from
83,436 tons in 2005 to an estimated 77,321 tons in 2008. The cost to drop it
off increased Oct. 1 from $34 a ton to $36.
Household garbage is no longer buried at
the landfill - it goes to the transfer station on Gum Road, where it is loaded
onto trucks and shipped to a regional Waste Management landfill in Jackson
County.
Closing the landfill anytime soon isn't in
the cards, unless commissioners decide to do so, Thomas said. Processing Class
III waste will have to happen somewhere.
"Why create a similar situation
somewhere else?" he asked. "It just makes sense to keep doing it
here."
Contact reporter Jeff Burlew at (850)
599-2180 or jburlew@tallahassee.com.
See Tallahassee.com for photo gallery
Class III trash
2005: 83,436 tons
2008 estimate: 77,321 tons
Yard trash
2005: 9,575 tons
2008 estimate: 9,239 tons
Tires
2005: 348 tons
2008 estimate: 471 tons
Appliances
2005: 1,562 tons
2008 estimate: 1,830
Electronic waste
2005: 340 tons
2008 estimate: 504 tons
Pasco
Rejects Ruling To Rethink Coyote Crossing Limits
By JULIA FERRANTE The Tampa Tribune
Published: Oct 14, 2007
HUDSON - In a 3-2 vote last week, Pasco
County commissioners rejected a special magistrate's ruling that they should
reconsider strict building limits at the Coyote Crossing development in west
Pasco.
On the recommendation of Chief Assistant
County Attorney Barbara Wilhite, the board took no action, leaving the
developer to take the case to court or live with a five-house cap on the
18.81-acre property.
"We've reviewed it from a legal
perspective," Wilhite said. "While the magistrate finds the
[commission decision] unreasonable, the circuit court will look at whether
there was substantial competent evidence or due process."
Magistrate Richard E. Davis issued an
order in September, at the request of Coyote Crossing LLC, that petitioned the
county commission to increase a cap on the property from five to 14 houses. A
previous owner had agreed to the five-house limit in 2005.
Davis said in his ruling the board's
refusal to increase the cap was based on previous conditions at Coyote Road and
Kitten Trail and that "a fundamental premise" of the 2005 decision
imposing the five-house cap has changed. When the cap was approved, Davis said,
a developer would have been able to build access roads from each house. That is
no longer allowed under Pasco's comprehensive growth plan.
Alex Mourtakos, one of the partners in
Coyote Crossing, said after the meeting he will ask the circuit court to review
the commission's decision.
"Absolutely, emphatically, I think
this is a large case about property rights," he said. "This five-unit
cap was placed, and then the rules changed."
County Commissioner Jack Mariano, who
represents Hudson, has argued the proposal is incompatible with the
neighborhood. The developer and others dispute that, saying the property is
designated for as many as 54 houses but was limited by the 2005 cap.
Pasco planning staff initially recommended
against lifting the cap. The planning commission suggested a 10-unit cap. The
county commission voted 3-2 to keep the limit of five.
Commissioner Pat Mulieri, who was among
those opposed to increasing the cap, has argued that the developers should have
known there were limits on the property.
"A business person was aware it was
on there. It was clear as can be," she said at a meeting at the historic
Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City.
Mourtakos said outside the meeting that
although he was provided paperwork about development rights on the land, he did
not read it carefully and missed the information about the five-unit cap.
"We didn't know about it, and if you
want to take every Bible in this courthouse, I'll put my hand on it," he
said. "There is an insinuation we had discussions about it."
Shelly May Johnson, an attorney for Coyote
Crossing, said the oversight was an honest mistake.
"Commissioner Mariano asked for documents
to be pulled that show the owner should have known," she said.
"Nobody ever said the documents were not sent. &hellip They didn't
read the stuff. They missed it, and they're human."
Commissioner Michael Cox and Commission
Chairwoman Ann Hildebrand questioned why the board would not reconsider
evidence based on the magistrate's recommendation. They were in the minority of
commissioners, however.
"I think if the property owner takes
this case to court, we're going to be ordered to rehear the case," he
said.
Hildebrand said if the case goes to court
it could have repercussions for adjacent neighbors.
Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at
(813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.
Parrish power
plant's use of oil irks activists
BY CHRISTOPHER O'DONNELL
PARRISH -- Built in the mid-1970s, the two
tall, red-and-white striped chimneys at Florida Power & Light's Manatee
plant are a landmark in Parrish.
It is a picture that is usually accompanied by thick plumes of smoke.
FPL has 18 power stations dotted around the state, but almost one-third of the
oil FPL uses to produce power is burned at the Manatee County facility.
Even though FPL has significantly lowered pollution levels, the plant on State
Road 62 was still the dirtiest in the company's empire last year, pumping tons
of greenhouse gases into the skies of Manatee County and neighboring areas.
That has made the plant a target for local environmentalists who want FPL to
install clean-air technology and to burn more natural gas, a cleaner-burning
fuel.
If not, FPL should shut down the aging power plant, they say.
The Manatee plant's two original units were designed to burn oil.
Several years ago, FPL retrofitted the twin units so they can also burn natural
gas, leading environmentalists to hope that natural gas would become the
favored fuel there.
So far this year, however, the plant has burned twice as much oil as natural
gas.
"These two units were built in the 1970s," said Clarence Troxell, a
former executive for a New Jersey utility and member of the Manatee Clean Air
Coalition. "They're 30 years old and they should be retired."
FPL is limited in its choice of fuel, as it is legally required to favor the
fuel that will give the public the lowest utility bills, said spokesman Mel
Klein.
The company says it has spent heavily to significantly reduce pollution levels,
which are well within legal limits. Retrofitting an older plant with new
clean-air technology is often not economically viable, officials say.
"It's very easy to say, 'Are you putting dollars over health?'" Klein
said. "We are trying to make the best choices for our customers."
The chief pollutants from burning oil are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide,
both of which can contribute to respiratory illnesses, according to the
Environmental Protection Agency.
Nitrogen oxide also contributes to acid rain and is carried long distances by
winds.
Both contaminants are greenhouse gases, which some scientists believe contribute
to global warming.
The oil FPL burned at the Manatee facility in 2006 produced almost 13,000 tons
of sulfur dioxide and almost 6,000 tons of nitrogen oxide, according to Florida
Department of Environmental Protection figures.
But FPL has been successful in reducing pollution levels. It added a third unit
that burns only natural gas. The company also recently spent $30 million
installing "reburn" technology in the original two units to reduce
nitrogen oxide emissions.
Statewide, FPL is also making plans to produce more power from other sources.
The company is developing a natural gas plant in Palm Beach County and adding a
new nuclear power unit at its Turkey Point plant south of Miami.
Yet the reductions in pollution levels have failed to satisfy
environmentalists, including Troxell, who lives in Parrish.
Among other measures, Troxell would like to see FPL install scrubbers, a system
that injects a slurry to scrub out sulphur dioxide.
The process, typically used at coal plants, reduces emissions of sulphur
dioxide by between 70 and 90 percent, said Dave Zell, an engineering specialist
with the DEP's air division.
But retrofitting an older plant for scrubbers is always more expensive than
including them in a new plant, Zell said.
FPL's ballpark estimate for installing scrubbers at Manatee is $300 million per
unit, Klein said.
"Somebody has to make a balanced decision on cost and question whether
$300 million is really a sensible economic decision on behalf of
customers," Klein said.
Troxell's response is that FPL plans to spend $4 billion on other capital
projects in the next five years.
"The reason they don't want to do it is that scrubbers don't earn
money," Troxell said.
Agency maps area's future
Transportation retreat set for today
By Julian Pecquet
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITERAs the Big Bend region continues to attract new residents,
what should be done to get that growing population from Point A to Point B?
More roads? More extensive bus service?
Maybe a light-rail system?
Those are the questions the area's
transportation planners will be asking themselves today during their annual
retreat.
"Growth is becoming a big issue, and
the implications of this for transportation are tremendous," said Harry
Reed, the Capital Region Transportation Planning Agency's executive director.
"What we hope to do is set a direction for the future."
The agency covers Leon and parts of
Gadsden and Wakulla counties. Its annual retreat is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m. at the Wakulla Springs Lodge.
The meeting is open to everyone, but
commissioners won't be taking input from the public.
It comes at a time when road planners have
increasingly been talking about regional approaches to dealing with traffic.
"Transportation knows no
boundaries," Reed said. "We're all inter-related."
To underscore that approach, the agency
has been considering inviting Jefferson County to become a member. County
Coordinator Roy Schleicher said Jefferson County wants to be a part of the
regional discussion as more people move to the area.
"We need to be getting ready for
it," Schleicher said, "or we'll be sorry."
Contact reporter Julian Pecquet at (850) 599-2307 or jjpecquet@tallahassee.com
'Everglades Still
Losing' Water Battle, Author Says
By Tom Palmer
The Ledger
Environment Reporter
Dept.: Metro Desk
(863) 802-7535
tom.palmer@theledger.com
LAKELAND | Development is the greatest danger
to the restoration of what's left of the Everglades, author and journalist
Michael Grunwald told a crowd during a lecture at Florida Southern College on
Thursday evening.
"If you pave it over, it will be hard to fix," said Grunwald, author
of the 2006 award-winning book "The Swamp: The Everglades,
Grunwald, a senior correspondent for Time magazine, summarized the evolution of
attitudes toward the Everglades, a natural system that once stretched from
For most of Florida's history, the Everglades was regarded as either a place to
avoid or a place in need of "improvement," which leaders in earlier
generations predicted would involve nothing more than a simple drainage project
that could make the land productive.
That view was modified over time but survived, resulting in contradictory
actions regarding the
Grunwald explained how former U.S. Sen. Spessard Holland from Bartow was
responsible for both the establishment of Everglades National Park and for the
establishment of the Central and Southern Flood Control District (the
predecessor of the South Florida Water Management District), which drained much
of South Florida through a 2,000-mile network of canals and deprived the park
of some of the water it needed.
"In the battle over water, the
"When you're wrong, you're wrong," he said repeatedly as he cataloged
the misperceptions about the
Despite earlier beliefs that it was a worthless, swampy wasteland, the
Everglades was in fact a rich, productive natural area important to the
region's water supplies and an entire range of wildlife, from elegant wading
birds to the elusive Florida panther.
"If we lose the Everglades, we could lose
Grunwald said the situation would have been worse had it not been for an
environmental awakening in the 1960s that transformed the political discussion
and led political leaders like Gov. Claude Kirk and President Richard Nixon,
neither of whom was known for strong environmental feelings, to kill plans for
a massive jetport in the heart of the Everglades, to protect places like
Biscayne Bay and to insist on better pollution-control regulations.
Grunwald said the politics, after some backsliding, is changing again and he
said he's optimistic that
He said a major problem has been the politics of the decision-making.
Grunwald singled out former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, who began pushing for
Everglades restoration in the 1980s when he was
"Bob Graham believed you had to have complete consensus," he said,
but explained that shifted the focus from what's good for the
Grunwald agrees with environmentalists that the
"It's a test of our willingness to restrain ourselves and to share the
resources with other creatures," he said. "If we pass the test, we
may get to keep the planet."
[ Tom Palmer can be reached at 863-802-7535 or tom.palmer@theledger.com. Read
more views on the environment at http://environment.theledger.com. ]
Residents, state clash
over changes to C.R. 46A
Wrong decision 'would be
tragic'
Jay Hamburg
Sentinel Staff Writer
October 12, 2007
The stakes are high in the war over where
to put a one-mile stretch of county road in east
The reconfigured path of
Each side of the debate knows that in fast-growing
And with Florida beginning to turn to private investor groups to build new
roads and tunnels, projects such as C.R. 46A could jump to the head of the
line. Right now, the road isn't scheduled to get state funding for 10 to 15
years.
Either way, residents know a big decision looms this month.
"You can't live here without dealing with it," said Pam Jennelle,
executive director of the East Lake County Chamber of Commerce. "There's
definitely a debate between the desire to see this community grow and the
desire to preserve what makes this area special. If the wrong decision is made,
it would be tragic."
The issue gets further magnified because C.R. 46A will act as a feeder route
for the
"It's not just our lifestyle that we want to protect," said Bill
Smalley, who lives in Heathrow Country Estates. "It's the whole area that
we're looking to preserve."
Smalley, who is helping to lead a group of worried residents in the upscale
gated community, said the state's preferred route for C.R. 46A will bring
noise, exhaust fumes and rampant development near the homes they bought to
escape such problems.
Smalley said the road should be pushed farther east -- closer to the edge of
the
But if the new road is built along the western edge of the forest, Smalley said
the state could find environmentally responsible ways to build it. Putting the
road on the edge of protected land, he maintains, would ensure against further
development.
What makes this fight more unusual is that the land beside Heathrow Country
Estates -- where the state would like to put the new C.R. 46A -- belongs to a
landowner noted for his pro-environmental stands to protect the area and its
wildlife, including black bears.
Scott Taylor said he offered to sell a strip of his land to the state so the
road wouldn't have to go through the state forest. "Our great fear was
that the other [alternatives] would be a killing field for bears," he
said.
During the past seven years,
But he failed to block development of his closest neighbor -- Heathrow Country Estates.
He argued that Red Tail Golf Course and the approximately 320 homes violated
state guidelines for maintaining the rural lifestyle in the Wekiva area.
That's the same argument Heathrow Country Estates homeowners are using to try
to push the road farther from them.
Taylor, a former corporate banker from
There is no estimate yet on the cost of buying right of way from
But Smalley said that even if
Charles Lee, advocacy director for Audubon of Florida, supports the alignment
that would put the road on the dividing line between Taylor and Heathrow.
That's also the state's preferred route, in part because it would take traffic
off the current C.R. 46A configuration that runs along the northern edge of the
forest. That part of the road will close when the new spur is built.
The East Lake Chamber of Commerce plans to sponsor an open discussion about the
issue Oct. 22. That meeting becomes especially important because the Lake
County Commission has decided to revisit the issue of where to put the highway
Oct. 23.
In August, the commission voted 4-1 to support the alternative that would place
the road on the Heathrow-Taylor line. But Smalley complained that the other
Heathrow Country Estates homeowners were not properly notified of the meeting.
The commission found it had not sent e-mails to all those leading the
homeowners' fight, said Jim Stivender Jr., public-works director for
Although the Lake County Commission does not have the final say on where the
road goes, the state wants to have the support of local governments before
embarking on the project.
There will be state-sponsored public hearings on the entire
One thing is for sure, said state Rep. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, who favors the
beltway but hasn't taken a position on where to put C.R. 46A: "It's highly
unlikely that everybody will be happy."
Jay Hamburg can be reached at jhamburg@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5673.
BY CHRISTOPHER CURRY
STAR-BANNER
During a marathon land-use change meeting that stretched on for more than 10
hours, commissioners approved 12 of the 13 applications for residential
development that came before them, although few passed in unanimous votes.
Combined, the approvals could mean about 2,500 residences. The lone application
voted down would have allowed 125 homes southeast of Belleview, close to the
intersection of
The major approvals included a project Heath Brook developers Richard and Scott
Siemens have planned southwest of Belleview, along CR 484 and one the Castro family
has planned next to the family's Golden Hills Turf and Country Club. Each met
with plenty of opposition from neighboring residents, although no one living in
Golden Hills objected to the Castros plans.
On the north side of CR 484, about a half-mile east of County Road 475, the
Siemens got approval for 523 homes on 359 acres of farm land.
During negotiations with the county, they agreed to trade development rights on
472 vested lots in the Ocala Ranchettes subdivision near the rural northeast
area of Orange Springs. Commissioner Andy Kesselring said the trade would
benefit the county's effort to stop development on tens of thousands of vested
lots in secluded areas with poor infrastructure.
That didn't appease some of the folks who worked or lived in the large farms
near the property.
"They wouldn't be giving you these lots if they were worth anything to
them," said Rosie Moreno-Jones, who leases a nearby farm.
There was also concern about potential environmental harm and groundwater
pollution because sinkholes and two caves are on the property.
The Siemens' land-use attorney, David MacKay, said the area around the caves
would be protected.
The application, for a subdivision called Golden Oaks, passed 4-1, with
Commissioner Jim Payton voting no. Payton said that, with thousands of vested
lots already in the nearby Belleview Heights Estates, "good public policy
tells me we need some lots out there about as bad as we need a toothache."
The Castro family received land-use change approval for 790 homes on 396 acres
along
The Castros also plan to trade development rights from other properties to
cover a portion of the project. Their land-use attorney Steve Gray said almost
120 acres of the property would be kept undeveloped for conservation and a
nearby 78-acre piece along U.S. 27 would have one home for every 10 acres to
preserve green space.
As the meeting went on, several members of the public who spoke grew frustrated
with the number of applications being approved. One issue loomed over
everything - future water supplies.
Norma Perdue, of Dunnellon, said that, on one hand, county commissioners argued
the other areas of Central Florida eyeing the
Christopher Curry may be reached at chris.curry@starbanner.com or 352-867-4115.
By
Ronald Dupont Jr.
Herald
Editor
Building
many homes on agricultural land just got tougher, concrete batch plants have
been banned and protecting sinkholes and the aquifer has become a priority.
Those
are some of the changes the Fort White Town Council made to its Comprehensive
Plan, commonly referred to as the Comp Plan.
“If
developers had come our way, we were not prepared to deal with it,” said Bill
Eldridge, chairman of the town's Planning and Zoning Board. “But we're now
ready. We're now ready to deal with the future.”
The
modernization of the city's Comp Plan was led by Town Planner Laura Dedenbach.
“We've
had quite a lot of development interest in
One
of the most significant changes to the Comp Plan was in changing the number of
homes allowed on agricultural land. Under the old plan, a “density” of one home
per acre was allowed. Under the new plan, the density is lessened to one home
per 2.5 acres.
The
exception to the rule, however, is in “cluster subdivisions,” where a developer
can build at a higher density but must leave most of the land as open space,
putting the homes into smaller lots and leaving much of the land open.
In
a trend emerging in small cities,
The
city also moved forward with prohibiting “heavy industrial uses, such as
concrete batch plants, asphalt batch plants, mining activities and the
processing of raw materials.”
A
Downtown District
The
Comp Plan also establishes a “downtown district,” which includes the three
blocks north and south of U.S. 27 and the two blocks east and west of State
Road 47.
Similar
to districts set aside in High Springs, Newberry and Alachua, the district
provides an area of focus for the town to give special attention.
Such
downtown districts also become eligible for various grants that enable people
to improve their homes or businesses and grants that can be used for
infrastructure improvement.
Dedenbach
said that anyone living in the district or owning a business there shouldn't be
alarmed by the new zoning designation.
“It
doesn't mean that they can't continue to live in their house or operate their
business,” she said.
Fate
of two proposed water bottling plants in jeopardy
By
Rachael Anne Ryals
Herald
Staff Writer
Recent
events may stop two proposed water bottling plants from being built on the
A
water use permit that would have paved the way for a bottled water plant has
been denied by a water district governing board, and a special exemption to
build a water bottling plant in
Water
Permit Denied
The
water use permit was denied due to incomplete information, an official with the
district said.
Jon
Dinges, department director for the Water Resources Department at the Suwannee
River Water Management District, said that the denial of a permit due to
incomplete information is fairly uncommon.
But
the denial comes with a provision that allows the applicant to reapply at any
time without prejudice, Dinges said.
Mark
Wray, of the July Springs Water Company, missed the deadline to provide
information to the district concerning land ownership rights.
The
water use permit that Wray was seeking was for July Springs, a spring located
near Ginnie Springs. Wray was requesting to withdraw up to 600,000 gallons of
water a day.
The
original application filed with the waster district said the water would be
used for a 7-day-a-week, year-round water bottling facility.
Water
Bottling Plant Application Withdrawn
Another
potential water bottling facility also has been postponed.
A
water use permit modified in 2005 allows Cheeseman to withdraw up to 150,000
gallons of water a day but required that a water bottling facility be built
within two years.
However,
a letter of intent to build a facility was received by the district last month,
giving Cheeseman another two years to build that facility before his water use
permit could become void, Dinges said.
While
the water district issues water use permits, the right to actually build water
bottling facilities are subject to approval by the county commissions.
Cheeseman
has postponed his application to the county once before, said Columbia County
Planner Brian Kepner.
Group
Believes Efforts Worked
A
local group opposed to water bottling plants, Our Santa Fe River, has spoken
out at city, county and water district meetings in opposition to the plants
that they say cause pollution and noise and harm the health of the river.
The
group believes that pressure from local citizens who told officials they did
not want water bottling facilities in the area is responsible for Cheeseman's
delay.
Commissioner
seeks desalination plant
|
|
|
By Terry Witt
Lyash probably won?t respond until after
Tuesday of next week when the company settles into a more normal routine
following the unexpected death of Progress Energy Chief Executive Officer
Robert McGehee Sunday while on company business in London. McGehee, 64, died of
a stroke.
Company spokesman Buddy Eller said
Progress Energy has an interest in water issues.
"Obviously water is very important to
the company, especially since we?re planning two nuclear power plants in
The letter comes at a time when the
Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority, of which Bartell and
Commissioners Dennis Damato and Joyce Valentino are board members, is
developing a regional water supply plan.
Bartell mentioned in his letter that one
of the alternative water supply sources on the authority's preliminary list is
a seawater desalination plant co-located on Progress Energy property north of
"We would very much appreciate a
meeting to discuss your company?s interest in such a venture," Bartell
wrote. "Since our regional water supply plan is well into its development
and slated for adoption sometime this coming year by the Southwest Florida
Water Management District, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss these
topics with the appropriate representatives of your company in the near
future."
This is not the first time Bartell has
approached the company about the idea of building a desalination plant north of
He said he later talked to former Progress
Energy
Bartell said he wants to avoid a water
crisis by discussing alternative water supplies well before the problem
develops. He said desalination is one of many alternatives for lessening
withdrawals from the aquifer. Two other possibilities, he said, are to impose
conservation rates to encourage lower water use by consumers and build sewer
treatment plant reuse facilities for irrigation purposes.
He said Dave Moore, executive director of
the water district, is scheduled to address the county commission in two weeks
about the need for better enforcement of watering restrictions, the use of
conservation rates, consumptive use permits and other water related issues.
Bartell said he will advocate getting tougher on enforcement of water use
violations. The county currently has no formal enforcement program.
A decision on what size desalination plant
would be constructed probably won't be discussed until after the Southwest
Florida Water Management District completes its minimum flows and levels study
of local water bodies. Only then will the regional water supply authority know
how much water will be needed in the future, Bartell said.
THE BIG SLOWDOWN
Orlando-area home resales hit lowest level
since 1999
Jerry W. Jackson
Sentinel Staff Writer
October 12, 2007
Resales of homes and condos in the
It was the worst year-over-year percentage
plunge in sales so far in 2007, and the worst on record going back at least a
dozen years. And it occurred despite falling prices and concerted efforts by
local Realtors to move buyers and sellers to the closing table.
Orlando Regional Realtor Association
members said the 6 percent dip in the median sales price last month -- compared
with a year ago -- is bad news for sellers. But it's helpful for buyers, they
said, making homes more affordable and offering at least some hope for a
revival of existing-home sales.
Only 924 homes were sold in September by
Orlando Realtors in their core market, the fewest resales since January 1999.
By comparison, sales in September 2005 -- near the market's record-setting peak
-- totaled 2,964. A year ago, 2,054 homes changed hands in the core market,
which consists mainly of
Realtors are feeling the pressure to
scrape by on "crumbs" until the market picks up again, said David
DeLoach, broker-owner of DeLoach Real Estate in
"I've still got my lights on -- I
just paid the light bill," DeLoach said Thursday. "We're just trying
to make it through this. We're not expecting it to last, because there is
pent-up demand from buyers. I know that."
Many buyers, he said, tell him and other
Realtors that they don't want to buy a home too soon and "miss out"
should prices continue to decline.
"But it's like the stock
market," DeLoach said. "You don't know if you are buying at the
bottom. If you need to buy [a home], stop trying to time the market. That's
what I tell people."
Some industry specialists say the
industry's dark days are a long way from over. The slowdown in home sales --
both resales and new homes -- could take another year or more to play itself
out.
"
Cochrane said supply and demand are still
too far apart -- too much supply chasing too little demand from population
growth, investor interest and other factors. Cochrane said this week during an
September's median home-sales price of
$235,000, forced down by anemic demand, is the lowest for
The number of homes listed for sale in the
core market was also stable in September, another positive sign. There were
actually three fewer properties in September's listing -- 26,310 -- than there
had been in August's record-high inventory.
Still, the sharp drop in sales meant the
area was left with an eye-popping, 28.47-month supply of available homes,
meaning it would take more than two years to sell all the single-family
dwellings and condominiums in the Realtors' listing at September's tepid pace.
By contrast, at the height of the local
market a little more than two years ago, the Realtors' listing amounted to less
than a two-month supply of homes.
John Fridlington, executive vice president
of the Florida Association of Realtors, said the housing slump presents an
unusual set of circumstances that is testing the industry's staying power --
particularly among new agencies and sales people who have never experienced a
down cycle.
"It just takes time," Fridlington
said. The Orlando-based trade association, with more than 100,000 members
statewide, does not have the power to turn the market around.
"No one does," he said.
Fridlington said the industry's pain has
been deep and, for many, career-ending. But for the survivors, new challenges
will eventually arise to erase memories of this falloff from historic highs.
"We could have 18 percent interest
rates," he said, referring to the record-setting mortgage rates seen in
the early 1980s. "We survived that before. We can survive. We just don't
always know exactly how."
Jerry W. Jackson can be reached at
jwjackson@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5721.
Magistrate to hear developer's request
BY REBECCA ADAMUS
VIERA – A hearing will take place at 10
a.m. Wednesday in Building C of the county government center where a special
magistrate will hear property owner Alan Zajdel’s request for an amendment to
the comprehensive plan.
In
Zajdel owns 13 acres just east of the Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary. The amendment
would have changed the land use to allow one home per acre. Most of the land is
designated for private conservation, allowing one home per 10 acres.
More than 15 neighborhood residents and environmentalists spoke at the July
meeting against the amendment, arguing the conservation land should be kept
that way to preserve wildlife habitat, water quality and flood management.
Study says impact fee
increases not needed
New report contradicts
school growth figures
Brad Buck
Staff Writer
LEESBURG - Growth in
The study was done by Fishkind and
Associates Inc. for Citizens for Better Government LLC.
This latest study tries to rebut a report
by Redmond, Wash.-based Henderson Young and Co., impact fee consultants for the
Lake County School Board. That report recommends increasing school impact fees
by more than 100 percent on homes.
School board members and district staff
contend they need higher impact fees because they have no other revenue sources
to pay for the many school
But the Fishkind analysis asserts that
over the next 20 years, beginning in 2008, new growth will bring in $444
million more than the cost to
Citizens for Better Government thinks new
growth after 2008 - together with prior growth - will contribute more than $500
million in surplus revenue in
"Growth is the catalyst for revenues
that are paying for roads, schools, libraries, cultural amenities and parks in
During the last four months, several Lake
County politicians have said that study after study indicate growth does not
pay for itself, a news release Thursday said. They include Lake County
Commissioner Linda Stewart and school board members Jimmy Conner and Cindy
Barrow.
"The rhetoric each of these
politicians spewed had no material backup to support it," the news release
said.
So, Citizens for Better Government
commissioned the study to see if growth pays for itself.
Henry Fishkind, leader of Fishkind and
Associates, was once an economics professor at the
Based on the Fishkind study, Citizens for
Better Government thinks that better financial controls by the county - along
with surplus tax revenues from growth - are grounds for further lowering
property taxes as well as not increasing impact fees.
In addition, the group thinks all new
school construction should be put to referendum.
Henderson Young and Co. have proposed
raising school impact fees by the following amounts:
n $14,646, for single-family homes, up
from $7,055, a figure approved in 2004.
n $8,843 for multi-family homes, up from
$4,260 in 2004.
n $5,183 for mobile homes, up from $2,497
in 2004.
When schools opened in August, several
were already are bursting at the seams. Just under 40,000 students are enrolled
in the county's schools a number that is projected to reach 46,000 by 2010.
Board members say these figures buttress
their argument for higher impact fees.
The county commission will decide whether
to raise school impact fees and, if so, by how much. Before the proposed school
impact fee increase goes to the county commission, the county's Impact Fee
Review Committee will consider the higher fees Oct. 18.
Condo builder wins land
rift
An arbitrator rules that
Opus South is the owner of property the city said it owned.
By MIKE DONILA and WILL VAN SANT, Times
Staff Writers
Published October 12, 2007
An arbitrator Thursday decided a 25-story
waterfront tower was built on land owned by a
But Opus South, the developer of the
153-unit Water's Edge condo and retail project, still must pay the city $450,000
not to appeal the decision.
"I think we are all winners because
we want to see the project move forward," Mayor Frank Hibbard said.
"Nobody benefits from seeing that project entangled."
At issue was a small piece of property
with some potentially huge consequences.
This spring, Water's Edge officials
discovered that part of their $100-million project overlooking the harbor may
have been built on a strip of publicly-owned land about 20 feet wide.
If this happened elsewhere in the city,
then
But this was waterfront property, where
voters have the last say. The City Charter requires a referendum on any sale of
city-owned property west of
If the arbitrator, retired Pinellas-Pasco
Circuit Judge James Case, had ruled the city owned the land,
But a majority of voters would have to
sign off on the sale. If they didn't, Water's Edge would have been faced with
the prospect of tearing down the nearly complete high-rise.
City leaders didn't want that. They've
long championed the project, saying it will lure new residents downtown and
revitalize the area.
Ed Armstrong, a
"We're pleased," Armstrong said.
"I think it's going to help a lot. It's a great thing."
The issue arose last spring when the
Pinellas County Property Appraiser's Office told Water's Edge the western edge
of the tower may have been built on a strip owned by the city.
To settle the matter quickly, Water's Edge
in July sued the city in Pinellas-Pasco circuit court. In the suit, the developer
asked a judge to affirm that it owns the disputed strip.
The builder and the city also agreed that
if Opus won the ruling, it would pay the city $450,000 in exchange for a
promise not to appeal the decision.
In fall 2005, Water's Edge paid $15-million
to
The issue of ownership was confusing
because various deeds and city resolutions approved in the mid and late 1950s
contradict each other.
In the early 1960s,
Assistant city attorney Richard Hull, who
handled the case, said it was the kind of strange and complex scenario put
before first-year law students to dissect.
In his decision, Case noted that
The decision bothered civic activist Anne
Garris, who said nothing should have happened to the strip of land without a
voter referendum.
"The people of
Hibbard, however, said city officials were
prepared to comply, no matter which way the judge ruled.
"If the judge had felt that we still
owned the land," Hibbard said, "we would have moved forward with a
referendum."
Mike Donila can be
reached at mdonila@sptimes.com or 445-4160.
Commissioner Wants More
Answers in CSX Proposal
By Diane Lacey Allen
The Ledger
Dept.: Metro Desk
(863) 802-7514
diane.allen@theledger.com
BARTOW | Lakeland City Commissioner Gow
Fields came to Thursday's meeting of the Polk Transportation Planning
Organization to get answers about the state's plan for future freight and
commuter rail.
He didn't get them.
Instead, he heard more about the proposed CSX shift in freight lines and the
background to go with the $491 million sale of 61 miles of track to the Florida
Department of Transportation for a commuter line that will benefit the
"It was a regurgitation of the breakdown of the deal and the chronology of
it and a recap of the
The agenda for Thursday's meeting said the FDOT would talk about the freight
line shift, which will put more traffic through downtown
"How are we going to move these people around and how are we going to move
freight around ... ?" Fields said after the meeting. "There is no
long-term plan. That's what they're telling us today. And that begs the question
of how do you spend a half-billion dollars ... It's like putting in the footers
of a house when you're not sure where the garage goes or the living room
because there is no plan."
For months now, local politicians like Fields have been concerned about the
impact of CSX's plan for a massive rail hub in
But Thursday's meeting did not center on
The proposed hub was addressed largely through references to the upcoming
developmental review process, which is designed to deal with the facility's
regional impacts.
Reading from a report that recommended an environmental impact study, though,
Fields asked whether federal funds were being used for the state's deal with
CSX - a scenario that would prompt such a study. Fred Wise, state rail manager
for
Fields reminded Wise that taxpayer money was being used.
He said local government couldn't afford to be so cavalier with funds.
"We'd be nailed to the cross, tarred and feathered and run out of
town," Fields said.
Fields said government needs to be open and responsible. He said the state's
negotiations with CSX did not involve local governments.
He touched on a recent meeting in
"A lot of people didn't know what was going on," Fields said.
"There's a lot of unanswered questions."
"Eventually, this is all going to grow larger and larger," Reed said.
Fields continued to ask how the state was going to tackle the movement of
people and freight in the future.
Stanley Cann, secretary for FDOT's District One, said the state did have a
"vision."
But he did not elaborate.
Fields was particularly interested in the state's intentions because he said it
announced plans for commuter rail in Central Florida during a meeting with
officials from counties such as Polk, Hillsborough, Pinellas and
"This deal was going to bring it (commuter rail) to the doorstep of
"Today was for us to hear about what the state's long-range plan is for
movement of freight and people. That's what we asked for. That's what today was
supposed to be.
"Clearly they said to us, 'We have a vision,'" Fields said. "But
they didn't go a step farther."
[ Diane Lacey Allen can be reached at diane.allen@theledger.com or
863-802-7514. ]
Major Improvements In
Plans For Highways
By KEVIN WIATROWSKI The
Published: Oct 12, 2007
WESLEY CHAPEL - The Florida Department of
Transportation plans to begin major renovations to Interstate 75 through
The renovations will widen the interstate
to six lanes from
The upcoming projects will happen at the
County Road 54 (
The C.R. 54 project will replace aging
bridges that carry the interstate over Wesley Chapel's primary bottleneck. DOT
planners expect to be largely finished with designs for the new bridges next
month.
The $43.1 million project could go to bid
late next year with construction starting in early 2009, DOT officials said.
County commissioners have committed $5 million in Penny for
The two-year project will be coordinated
with the county's plans to widen the roadway under I-75 to six lanes, DOT
officials said. County crews are widening C.R. 54 just west of the interstate
and plan to start widening State Road 54 east of
While work is ongoing at C.R. 54 and I-75,
DOT will begin rebuilding the I-275 junction a few miles to the south.
That work, slated to start in 2010, aims
to reduce the amount of hasty lane changing drivers must do between the
junction and State Road 56.
As part of that $48 million renovation, both
highways will get a single-lane exit ramp to shunt traffic directly to S.R. 56.
I-75 drivers aiming for S.R. 56 now must cross several lanes of I-275 quickly
to reach the exit ramp.
Drivers who get on the new ramps won't be
able to change their minds and jump back onto the main highway, DOT interstate
program manager Adam Perez said.
The ramp project had been planned as part
of a larger widening between S.R. 56 and Bruce B. Downs in