Kelly proposes local water boards to protect water supply, environment

Published 9-18-2007

By Pat Hatfield
BEACON STAFF WRITER

Water has been a pivotal issue in Volusia County politics for years. How to supply — and share — drinking water for a growing population has long been a question.

Also, the hurricanes of 2004 dramatically illustrated the need for stormwater controls, as neighborhoods across West Volusia flooded.

The public agrees there is a need to regulate and protect the water supply, but the question of exactly how to do that remains.

The ill-fated Water Authority of Volusia (WAV) was one such attempt to provide countywide regulation, and to prepare for a future that is almost certain to include finding and funding ways to get drinking water from the St. Johns River or the Atlantic Ocean.

Designed to unify county water-providers while protecting the environment, the WAV bogged down over costs and control and is now virtually defunct, just XX years after its creation.

Volusia County Council Member Andy Kelly has been looking for ways to protect resources and the environment while providing water. His research led him to the Southwest Florida Water Management District, where he thinks he may have found an answer: basin boards.

Thinking watersheds and water basins.

A watershed is the specific land area that drains into a river system or other body of water, such as the St. J

ohns River in West Volusia, and the Halifax River in East Volusia.

"When water hits a watershed, it has to go somewhere," Kelly said.

It naturally flows into basins: lower-lying collection points for water. If enough water collects, you have a river or a lake.

Construction of roads, housing and other types of development can divert the flow of water from its natural path, causing flooding in areas that didn't flood before, and preventing water from collecting as nature intended.

Also, pollution from fertilizers, automobiles and other human activity is carried into water basins.

Protecting the quality of water in these basins, such as that at Blue Spring, in the St. Johns River, is paramount.

Volusia County is in the St. Johns River Water Management District. While none of the communities within the St. Johns River Water Management District have basin boards, the Southwest Florida Water Management District — which stretches from Polk County down through Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties — has eight such boards. 

Created by Legislature 

Basin boards must be created by the Florida Legislature, and the specific legislation spells out the boards' power and authority.

Generally, basin boards bring local oversight to water-management projects. They administer programs and budgets to address local concerns.

Basin boards' budgets are supplied by ad valorem (property) taxes, and the money stays local, where it is often used to match other government funds to pay for improvements that protect the water supply.

For example, the Manasota Basin Board is providing funds to widen the channel and stabilize the banks of the Wares Creek watershed in Manatee County, where homes have been flooded.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing $55.2 million and the basin board is matching the county's contribution of $14.3 million to complete the project.

Kelly briefly mentioned basin boards at a County Council meeting a few months ago. He incorporated the subject into his talk at a goal-setting presentation Sept. 11.

Kelly sees a Volusia County basin board as a local focus group. "Sort of a mini-water-district board," he said.

"Now, the St. Johns River Water Management District tells us what's important for us. It tells us what our water issues are, but if we had a local basin board, we could make our own decisions," he said.

The local board's four key areas of concern would be water quality, supply, flood and stormwater issues, and preserving and protecting springs and other bodies of water.

The board would oversee the plants proposed to draw drinking water from the St. Johns River. Education — teaching residents how to conserve and protect water resources — would be another key duty of the basin board. 

Who would serve on the board? 

In Southwest Florida, basin board members are unpaid citizen volunteers appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. They serve three-year terms. Each of the basin boards includes one person from each county within the basin, if more than one county is involved, and there must be at least three members on each board. Each basin board has at least one member from the local Water Management District, who serves as the board's ex-officio chair. 

How much would it cost? 

The millage rate for the Manasota Water Management District in fiscal year 2008 is 0.1484 mill. For the owner of a $200,000 home with a standard homestead exemption, this works out to $25.97 a year added to the property-tax bill. 

What does the Water Management District think of basin boards? 

Robyn Hanke, spokesperson for the the Southwest Florida Water Management District at its Brooksville headquarters, said basin boards are an asset.

"The most important thing about the basin boards is they offer a local perspective. They're a local arm of the Water Management District," she said. "They look at the specific watershed they are protecting, and come up with priorities and projects."

The member of the Water Management District governing board who sits on the basin board makes sure the two groups communicate.

Basin boards aren't new. Hanke said the Southwest Florida Water Management District was set up in 1961, mostly as a flood-control agency, and most of its basin boards were set up in 1962.

Ed Garland, spokesman for the St. Johns River Water Management District, said the district is neutral on the topic of basin boards. 

Potential obstacles 

DeLand Director of Community Development Dale Arrington said she would need to learn much more about basin boards before she could considering supporting an effort to establish one.

She pointed out the Water Management District already sets limits on water pulled out of the aquifer by cities and other big users through consumptive-use permitting, and the county itself regulates stormwater management and works with other jurisdictions toward meeting potable-water needs.

"You would want to make sure it serves a true function," Arrington said.

She's one who is haunted by the specter of WAV.

"We participated heavily in that. Our city manger and engineer worked diligently on this issue," Arrington said.

Arrington said Keith Riger, chief engineer for the City of DeLand, would be more knowledgeable about basin boards.

The engineer said the St. Johns River Water Management District has not been favorably disposed to basin boards in the past, but Riger thinks a board focused on the needs of Volusia County may be a good thing.

"It's a more progressive thing than putting it all on the backs of the municipalities," he said.

Riger sees advantages in that "everyone pays within the basin," for big-ticket items such as a surface-water plant, which could reduce the demand for water pumped from the aquifer. That could improve the flow of Blue Spring, for example.

Riger sees treatment plants for use of river water as a positive thing, "as long as we don't pump too much out of the river."

"Everyone wants to do the right things for the environment, but on the other hand, keep the rates low enough not to burden our users," he said. 

Where do we go from here? 

Council Member Kelly is enthused his basin-board proposal made it through goal-setting steps at the workshop, and county staff was directed to explore the subject.

Abercrombies' Development Fight Back in Court

By Tom Palmer
The Ledger

Environment Reporter
Dept.: Metro Desk
(863) 802-7535
tom.palmer@theledger.com

Bottom of Form 1

BARTOW | James and Erin Abercrombie's fight against development next door to their suburban Lakeland home is back in court.

The Abercrombies are asking the court to invalidate the Polk County Commission's July approval of the subdivision on Gib-Galloway Road and they contend commissioners violated the county's development code in a 2006 case in which the commission voted in the Abercrombies' favor.

The Abercrombies' argument involves a requirement in the county's development code that puts a deadline on approving a final order following a zoning vote.

Although commissioners approved an order in the 2007 case by the deadline, they never approved an order in the 2006 case, the Abercrombies said in a court action filed Aug. 28.

The Abercrombies, who are representing themselves, argue in their court petition that the commission's failure to act in 2006 means the earlier case remains unfinished, which invalidates the resubmission of a request for development approval.

Assistant County Attorney Anne Gibson said the county is waiting to hear from the court, explaining the next step will be an order to show cause, which will be the county's opportunity to argue against granting the Abercrombie's request.

The Abercrombies' claim about the commission's failure to follow its development code is the same one they used in a 2002 lawsuit in their efforts to overturn an earlier commission vote that approved another subdivision on the property next door.

In 2004, Senior Judge Randloph Bentley, who has since died, overturned the commission's vote, finding that the proposed development was not consistent with the county's growth plan.

In the latest case, county planners had recommended allowing about half as many units as the 27 units developer Sam Fasson and Donnie Tyler proposed in an attempt to comply with Bentley's ruling.

Commissioners disagreed 3-2, the majority arguing that the proposed project's density was little different from other subdivisions in the area.

[ Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com or 863-802-7535. His blog on county government is at county.theledger.com. ]

Agency votes to cut toll road
By Bruce Ritchie
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

A regional transportation agency voted Monday to kill a proposed toll-road through eastern Leon and Wakulla counties.

The Red Hills-Coastal Parkway faced opposition from state and federal environmental agencies that said the project wasn't needed and would harm wildlife habitat and waterways in the region.

The Capital Region Transportation Planning Agency, which proposed the project in 2005 as part of a 25-year projects list, unanimously voted to remove it from the plan Monday.

"To invest in a project that would encourage more sprawl and increase energy use seems to fly in the face of the reality that we have in this country," Commissioner Bob Rackleff said.

The agency, which includes elected officials from Gadsden, Leon and Wakulla counties, voted in June to kill the toll-road project, but a public hearing was required first, said Harry Reed, the agency's executive director.

No one spoke at the hearing when it was held in August. The project was placed on the list with little public discussion in 2005. The road would have extended from Thomasville Road near Bradfordville around the east of Tallahassee to U.S. Highway 98 near Newport.

Agency officials said in a memo that killing the project would increase traffic congestion on surrounding roads including Capital Circle, Woodville Highway and Thomasville Road.

Also Monday, the agency agreed to move a portion of Woodville Highway down on a priority list of road-widening projects in the area and move up a portion of Pensacola Street. The proposal was approved 41-40 in a weighted vote that favored Tallahassee city commissioners who opposed the Woodville Highway widening.

City Commissioner Mark Mustian said the highway widening would encourage urban sprawl in Woodville and Wakulla County. But Wakulla County Commissioner Ed Brimner said it would reduce congestion and improve the quality of life for residents in Leon and Wakulla counties.

Sep 18, 2007

Rivers to quench a thirsty south?

By NATHAN CRABBE
Sun staff writer

Florida water managers are considering tapping rivers and lakes to quench the thirst of a growing populace.

A plan to pipe water from the Ocklawaha and St. Johns rivers and other water bodies to Central Florida communities is moving forward. The project could cost as much as $1.2 billion and pipe up to 262 million gallons a day to three dozen utilities including those serving Leesburg, Orlando and The Villages.

Most U.S. communities divert water bodies to provide water for drinking, irrigating crops and supplying businesses. But the plan represents a significant shift for Florida, which has until now relied mainly on groundwater to supply the public.

Conservation advocates say the plan defies the spirit of a state law requiring communities to use local water sources before turning elsewhere. They fear the plan is a prelude to water being pumped from the Santa Fe and Suwannee rivers to satisfy the explosive growth of southern Florida cities.

"Thanks to the unsustainable growth down there, they're looking to the north to solve their problems," said Annette Long, president of Save Our Suwannee.

St. Johns River Water Management District officials say growth is projected to outpace available groundwater as soon as 2013 in some communities. They say the "local sources first" law doesn't prevent ground or surface water from being pumped across political boundaries.

"It means you use the local source first and that's exactly what's happened," said Jim Gross, a senior project manager for St. Johns. "It's essentially gone."

For years, Central and South Florida have proposed turning to the less populated north to meet their water needs. Former state Sen. Nancy Argenziano, R-Crystal River, successfully pushed for the local-sources law to prevent water transfers.

Argenziano, now a member of the state's Public Service Commission, said the water district is failing to follow the law if it proceeds with the pipeline before pursuing alternatives.

She said desalination plants and aggressive conservation measures must first be considered. Those alternatives could cost less and create less environmental damage than the pipeline plan, she said.

"It might shoot their whole plan to kingdom come," she said. "It's not a done deal by any means."

Barbara Vergara, St. Johns' director of water supply management, said desalination is a risky option and the district has employed conservation measures such as restricting lawn watering. She said said nothing in Florida law limits communities to using only resources within their political boundaries.

"That's probably never happened - not in many, many years in Florida," she said.

St. Johns has joined with the South and Southwest Florida water management districts to create the Central Florida Coordination Area. The area allows utilities in southern Lake County and all of Orange, Osceola, Polk and Seminole counties to seek water outside their districts.

Three dozen utilities are being invited to submit plans on how much water they want, when they want it and how they want it delivered. On Oct. 15, the district will present those utilities with possible plans for pipelines and facilities.

By next year, planning could begin with an eye toward having facilities built by 2013.

The time line has created a sense of urgency from environmental advocates. Karen Ahlers, president of the Putnam County Environmental Council, said the project threatens efforts to restore the Ocklawaha River.

"If this alternative supply thing goes through, we've lost the Ocklawaha River," she said.

The river was the focus of one of the state's premier environmental battles, the fight to stop construction of a barge canal across the state. Rodman Dam was built on the Ocklawaha before the project was killed and the structure remains a thorn in the side of environmental advocates.

Ahlers' group has pushed for the dam's removal and Ocklawaha's restoration. She questions how the district could tap the river before establishing minimum levels designed to prevent water withdrawals from causing significant environmental harm.

"I just don't trust science that's dictated by demand," she said.

St. Johns water managers say they already have a good idea about available water in the river before harm would occur. They say minimum flows will be set before water is withdrawn and will eventually mean other sources must be considered.

They say desalination will be needed after 2030 to meet the region's water needs. But they say the technology is too risky and expensive to pursue now on a wider scale.

Argenziano rejects the argument. She said the city of Dunedin, which has a reverse osmosis plant that uses brackish water from deep below the surface, shows that even a small community has the means to employ new technology.

She questioned the wisdom of piping water outside watersheds. Doing so means losing the benefits on recharging the aquifer, she said, draining the future water supply in those communities.

Gross said the St. Johns district could eventually get water sent back from other districts. The plan helps communities that are in many cases just across district borders, he said.

"Our mission under Florida law is not to vigorously defend our boundaries as if they were little kingdoms or fiefdoms," he said.

Nathan Crabbe can be reached at 352-338-3176 or crabben@gville sun.com.

Orange, I-Drive developer call truce

Universal City Property Management will pay back taxes but keep a lucrative break.

Jason Garcia

Sentinel Staff Writer

September 18, 2007

A controversial International Drive-area developer and the Orange County Property Appraiser's Office said Monday they have settled a long-running legal fight with a deal that will force the builder to pay more than $2 million in back taxes but also allow it to maintain a lucrative tax break on its land.

Universal City Property Management, the development group led by former Universal Orlando executive Marc Watson and Atlanta developer Stan Thomas, will pay an extra $2.2 million in property taxes for the 2004, 2005 and 2006 tax years under terms of the settlement. The company also agreed to drop a pair of lawsuits it had filed challenging the assessed value of its land for tax purposes.

At the same time, Property Appraiser Bill Donegan will drop lawsuits he had filed contesting the company's right to claim an agricultural property-tax exemption on a portion of its land, which is near the Orange County Convention Center. The tax break, originally designed by the state to help farmers resist selling their land to developers, will save Watson and Thomas almost $800,000 this year alone.

Donegan said the five-year legal dispute had gone on long enough.

"Once you're to this point in time, where it's been going on awhile, you say, 'How much is this costing taxpayers?' " Donegan said in reference to the court fight. "This is the best way to end it, and it still picks up that extra $2.2 million."

Watson, engulfed in turmoil for months as he led an unsuccessful push to build a new Orlando Magic arena on I-Drive rather than in downtown Orlando, said he wanted to put the tax fight behind him.

"We were getting tired of the controversy. It's exhausting to the organization," he said.

Donegan also said Monday that his office has settled a similar tax dispute with Hilton Hotels Corp. that will result in the hotel chain paying an extra $1.5 million in taxes from the past five years on land it owns near the convention center.

But the deal with Watson and Thomas was especially notable.

Watson was an incendiary figure in local politics even before the arena campaign, which culminated in July when Orange County commissioners voted to spend $1.1 billion building the arena and a new performing-arts center, and renovating the Citrus Bowl downtown.

Three years ago, he and Thomas sparked a bruising political battle between Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer when the landowners flirted with annexing their roughly 1,600-acre property into the city. County leaders contended such a move would drain millions from their police and fire budgets.

Among the reasons the developers said they considered joining the city: county officials had objected to their plans to keep horse and cattle on their property, which they needed to claim the agricultural tax exemption on their land.

Crotty's staff ultimately relented and allowed the livestock, and Watson and Thomas ended their annexation talks with the city. Although Crotty and Watson have long insisted the two issues were unrelated, Donegan said the county staff's decision made it more difficult for his office to fight the developer's farming tax break.

Watson reiterated Monday that parts of his property are devoted to genuine cattle ranching and horse farming, even as his business moves forward with plans to develop hotel rooms, condos, commercial space and more elsewhere on the land.

"We plant grasses and [cattle] graze on ranges in the back of our properties that aren't at the point where we're ready to do anything with them," Watson said.

But Watson and Thomas agreed to accept Donegan's decision on the overall value of their land, which the Property Appraiser's Office this year set at about $182 million.

Watson and Thomas had protested the assessment in 2004 and 2005, arguing that their property could be worth no more than $93 million because, among other factors, of the scope of contamination left in the ground from when the property was owned by Lockheed Martin.

Donegan's office did agree to shave about $577,000 from Watson and Thomas' combined 2004 and 2005 tax bills as part of the settlement announced Monday. But the developers otherwise accepted the higher assessments, forcing them to pay about $2.2 million in back taxes, Donegan said, and a full tax bill of nearly $2.3 million this year.

Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414.

Changes in Florida Keys coral reefs studied in undersea lab

By ADRIAN SAINZ
Associated Press Writer

KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) -- A nine-day mission that began Monday in the world's only permanent working undersea laboratory is like living in a fishbowl in more ways than one: Anyone with an Internet connection can watch the researchers work and hang out 60 feet below the surface.

Six "aquanauts" studying changes along a coral reef will work, sleep and eat at Aquarius Reef Base, on the Atlantic Ocean floor about nine miles southeast of Key Largo in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It's the first time students and others will get such an extensive real-time view of the underwater life surrounding the 21-year-old lab.

The team, hoping to raise interest in science and the oceans, is bringing its research to students with undersea classroom sessions and to the public through live Internet video. Feeds are coming from inside and outside Aquarius, and from divers wearing helmets mounted with cameras and audio equipment.

"It would be ideal if all the students we are going to reach on this mission could actually be here, but the truth is most of them will never get that opportunity," said Ellen Prager, chief scientist for Aquarius. "So the best we can do is have them connect and be virtually there."

Researchers will study sponge biology and coral reefs - fertile marine habitats that are threatened around the world by disease, rising ocean temperatures and human factors such as pollution and overfishing.

Aquarius is a yellow, 43-foot-long, 9-foot-diameter tube, roughly the size of a school bus. It lets researchers dive for nine hours a day and return to the habitat without standard scuba diving requirements of surfacing and decompressing.

This is the first time that live classes will be conducted from Aquarius Reef Base. A school in Florida and another in Michigan are getting direct interactive feeds, as are the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and UNC's Institute of Marine Science in Morehead City.

Other classes can follow the team online at Oceanslive.org, which has round-the-clock live video of the mission.

Using a system of cables that stretch out from Aquarius, divers will visit sites they have studied in the past to determine if any long-term change has taken place.

On most reefs around the world, the abundance of hard coral has declined, and the cover of soft algae has increased, said Steve Gittings, science coordinator with NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program. Algae is a natural part of the ocean ecosystem, but it can respond to human influences such as pollution to create large or unnatural concentrations that can displace corals.

Researchers also want to learn more about two other reef dwellers, sponges and soft corals, because it's not clear whether their abundance has significantly changed, Gittings said. Also of interest are the suspected causes of change in reef ecosystems, which may include a mass die-off of a long-spined sea urchin that ate algae, Gittings said.

"We're seeing dramatic changes literally on reefs around the world with regard to the relationship between all those different components that live on the bottom," Gittings said.

One of those components is sponges, which pump water through their bodies to filter food particles and produce dissolved nitrogen, a fertilizer.

The Aquarius team will investigate any links between changes of reef compositions and organic matter processed by sponges, seeking to discover whether sponges are fertilizing grasses that compete with corals, said researcher Chris Martens of UNC-Chapel Hill.

"Corals have gone through huge changes in terms of being totally dominant in oceans to being lesser," said Martens. "We're asking the question, `Do sponges help or hurt in that process?'"

Aquarius, owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, operated by the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and used by the Navy and NASA, was built in 1986. It began operating in the U.S. Virgin Islands before being redeployed off Key Largo in 1993.

The facility has bunk beds and showers; a microwave, refrigerator and sink; and the computer and diving equipment needed to research reefs and collect, assemble and relay data.

"It's not claustrophobic, really," said Prager, the chief scientist.

Food, computers and other equipment are sent down using pots that can handle 2 1/2 times normal atmospheric pressure below the ocean's surface.

After the expedition, the aquanauts must decompress for 17 hours or they will get the crippling "bends."

"We don't want to fizz," Martens said.

A surface buoy provides air, power and communications to Aquarius through hoses, cords and cables. On land, a crew monitors the living conditions in the facility.

The aquanauts eat microwaved or reconstituted meals. Food must be sent down via the special pots or it will not stand the pressure.

"A Pringles can can turn into a pretzel," Martens said.

Eating is one of the things about living underwater that takes some adjustment, Prager said.

"Things tend to taste very bland," she said. "There's a lot of hot sauces down there."

---

On the Net:

OceansLive: http://www.oceanslive.org

Aquarius: http://www.uncw.edu/nurc/aquarius

Virtual Dive to Aquarius: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/diving/aquarius/aquarius.html

NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov

Docks tie up development on St. Johns River

By BOB KOSLOW
Staff Writer

DEBARY -- Up to 60 proposed docks along the St. Johns River separate the state and city from settling a land use dispute and avoiding a hearing next week.

Developer Joe Krzys, in a settlement letter to the state last week, withdrew a controversial 50-slip wet marina and 200-boat dry-storage facility from the plans for the 250-home Country Estates at River Bend project.

The state's counteroffer called for Krzys to also give up a proposed 6-acre commercial site and the right of future homeowners along the river to build individual docks along a mile stretch of water. However, a boat ramp with two boat launch/recovery docks might be allowed for subdivision homeowners.

"That really created some heartburn during a late Friday conference call among the parties," City Manager Maryann Courson said Monday.

The city in April changed the land use on about 35 percent of a 330-acre tract to allow a subdivision/marina project between the river and Fort Florida Road. State planners at the Department of Community Affairs, which have the final authority over large land use changes, contend the change fails to adequately protect the waterway and wildlife.

An administrative hearing to resolve the dispute is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Sept. 25 in DeBary.

A city counteroffer, blessed by Kryzs and filed with the state on Monday, agrees to the state demands, but not the surrender of riverside, or riparian, rights. Instead, the city and developer would limit the number of individual docks to 60 for guarantees the boat ramp would be permitted.

The state's request is "extremely troubling given the state of Florida's policies of encouraging recreational access to Florida navigable waters and Florida's strong protection of riparian rights even in the Wekiva River Aquatic Preserve," Courson wrote in her proposal.

The state offer minimizes the adverse impact to the waterway and wildlife over previous plans, said Mike McDaniel, chief of the office of comprehensive planning at the Department of Community Affairs.

"The addition of a boat ramp will allow access to the river for all residents of the proposed development," McDaniel wrote. "Therefore, direct access by individual property owners along the river would be unnecessary."

Plan to Dredge Lake Hancock Is Moving Forward

By Tom Palmer
Environment Reporter
Dept.: Metro Desk
(863) 802-7535
tom.palmer@theledger.com

LAKELAND | A plan to improve water quality in Lake Hancock by removing the dark, organic muck that lies on the lake's bottom and turning it into lawn fertilizer is moving forward, Lakeland engineer Bob Hayes said Monday.

Hayes proposes to remove five million tons of muck and hopes to have the project under way by February.

The project will involve two dredges working the lake, pumping muck to a plant that is proposed to be on a 10-acre site near the lake's northeast corner.

Hayes said a recently completed consultant study appears to open the way to get a state waiver from $12.5 million in fees the state would charge for dredging the lake bottom, which is state property.

"This opens the door to make it financially feasible," Hayes said.

Hayes announced preliminary details for his project in May 2006. At the time he expected to break ground by this summer, but the project has been on hold pending completion of the study by Post Buckley Schuh and Jernigan that documents environmental benefit. That benefit is key to the waiver, he said.

Hayes will also need a zoning permit from the Polk County Planning Commission and various environmental permits from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

One of the key issues is the quality of the water that will be returned to the lake after the muck is separated from the water.

The 4,519-acre lake at the headwaters of the Peace River is one of the most polluted lakes in Florida as a result of decades of domestic and industrial sewer discharges, urban storm water runoff and naturally occurring phosphate deposits.

Efforts by various government agencies to dredge the muck, the source of most of the lake's pollution, have been discussed on and off for years, but the project was never pursued because of the cost.

Hayes said he is lining up private investors to finance the $160 million plant, which he said will generate $225 million in gross revenue during its eight to 10 years of operation.

[ Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com or 863-802-7535. His blog on the environment is at environment.theledger.com. ]

Hope floats on Shingle Creek

Purchases of 4 parcels renew ecotourism dreams.

Kumari Kelly

Sentinel Staff Writer

September 18, 2007

KISSIMMEE -Osceola County teacher Karen Brown pushed her yellow kayak through a thicket in the middle of Shingle Creek, less than a mile from busy U.S. Highway 192.

"This doesn't look anything like it did the last time I was here," she said of the high water. "The water really came up."

Brown fought her way to a small clearing before realizing there was more of the same ahead. The act seemed out of place so close to the shops and traffic of the tourist corridor.

The St. Cloud woman had ambled upon one of the county's most prized new possessions: the nearly $4 million, 160-acre "Babb property," a key piece of real estate in a 20-year quest to conserve Shingle Creek and its surrounding watershed.

Turning the creek into an ecotourism attraction is an ambitious project involving two counties, state and regional agencies, and private entities. The task still is probably at least a decade or more from completion, hindered by budget cuts and difficulties buying the remaining land.

But the most recent purchases in Osceola -- four properties along the creek costing nearly $10 million in local, state and private money -- have jump-started the project and recharged optimism about its future.

A consultant's report detailing a master plan for the "Shingle Creek Recreation Preserve" is due out in the next couple of weeks.

"The momentum [to save the area] has really picked up," said Bob Mindick of the Osceola County Parks and Recreation Department. "We have seen this tremendous interest in seeing this vision happen."

Important 'green ribbon'

About all the U.S. 192 tourist strip has in common with the little creek it crosses near Disney are the alligator-foot souvenir key chains sold in its T-shirt shops.

Shingle Creek, which starts in canals in the Pine Hills area of Orange County before feeding into Osceola's Lake Tohopekaliga, has its share of alligator feet, for sure.

River otters, deer, bobcats and dozens of species of native plants -- and nuisance exotics -- make their home along the little-known urban watershed.

They are part of what could become one of Central Florida's most abundant ecotourism opportunities in the next decade, say proponents such as Mindick and Dale Allen of the Trust for Public Land, which has assisted in buying some sites along the corridor.

"Here's this green ribbon that goes through our city and suburban areas, and it's just as important as Central Park is to New York City," Mindick said.

The creek is touted as the headwaters of the Everglades and is the centerpiece of the planned preserve, which would be the southernmost stop on a Seminole County-to-Kissimmee corridor featuring biking and hiking trails, canoeing, primitive camping, educational centers and information kiosks, if the plan comes to fruition.

"We've got to do this now," Allen said.

Preserving the land takes priority, but next is making the area accessible to nature lovers and casual picnickers.

Osceola already has grant money to restore the Babb property into a working citrus farm with nature trails and an educational center, and for developing a roadside park, playground and parking lot along the tourist strip at Yates Road, but much more would be needed for the vast network of hiking and biking trails and educational centers.

A trailhead at Hunter's Creek Middle School already has opened, part of the planned network.

Each educational center would have its own story, including the revamped Babb citrus grove, a riverboat captain's historic homestead, and an area dedicated to a Seminole chief and the tribe's local history.

Money the big hurdle

The cost won't be known until the consultant's report is available, but millions already have been invested in land alone.

"Funding is a real challenge, especially for facilities, because we are competing with everyone else in the state," said Randy Mathews, environmental-lands coordinator for Osceola.

Buying the land also can prove difficult. Some of the few sites that remain have houses or other buildings on them, and most environmental money is earmarked for undeveloped lands.

"That's slowed us down because we have to find partners who are willing to spend money on structures," Mathews said.

While they look for funding sources, the preserve planners must get the public and county commissioners on board with the consultant's proposal.

But they know that when people discover Shingle Creek for themselves, the sales job is done.

"It's a true testament to nature's forgiveness," Allen said about the wildlife that flourishes so close to an urban area. "I didn't think there was enough left of Central Florida to experience this."

The view from Osceola County teacher Karen Brown's canoe seems worlds away from nearby U.S. Highway 192. Making Shingle Creek an ecotourism attraction is expected to take at least a decade, with a master plan due soon.

Kumari Kelly can be reached at kkelly@orlandosentinel.com or 407-931-5933.
For complete map see printed copy.

Barrels conserve water and money

By PATRINA A. BOSTIC

patrina.bostic@heraldtribune.com

EAST MANATEE -- It is the oldest water collection system ever devised by mankind.

Put something outside to collect rainfall -- a wide cupped leaf, a clay pot or a bucket -- and use the water later for everyday chores.

That method, with some modern upgrades, is being pushed by environmental officials across Florida as a way to preserve water during the state's extended drought.

Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties are all encouraging the use of 55-gallon barrels to capture rainfall from gutters to be used for lawn and garden irrigation.

In addition to preserving drinking water, the barrels are touted as a way for residents to save money by using less drinking water.

"The barrels fill up very quickly even in short rainfall," said Kurt Rowe, Manatee County program coordinator for the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods program.

Rowe, who has four painted barrels at his home, gives monthly workshops on how to paint, assemble and connect the barrels to house gutters. The barrels, which cost $30 to $40 each, can be fitted with a hose to disperse the collected water.

Using rain barrels reduces storm-water runoff that can carry pollutants, pesticides and fertilizers into rivers, lakes, ground water and eventually drinking water supplies.

"Any water that we can save when it does rain makes a big difference," said Patricia Porchey, urban horticulturist for the Sarasota County Extension Service.

A 55-gallon barrel will fill up during a 1-inch rain off a 1,000-square-foot roof. That amount of drinking water in Sarasota County would cost about 16 cents.

Robyn Hanke, spokeswoman for the Southwest Florida Water Management District, said Swiftmud is considering stricter water-use measures as the drought goes on, Hanke said.

For example, residents now have 60 days to water new sod, but that could be reduced to 30 days, Hanke said.

"Water conservation is really the cheapest and one of the most effective ways that we can conserve our water resources," Hanke said.

Dan Carey, a Port Charlotte veterinarian, said he and his wife, Debby, have been using several 55-gallon barrels since April.

Carey said in the past six months they collected about 1,500 gallons of water, which they use for watering plants and flowers.

"Given the reason that most of us came down here (to Florida), it behooves us to have as little impact on the environment as possible so that what we came to enjoy doesn't disappear," said Carey, who relocated from Ohio in 2006.

To make the barrels less obtrusive, many users turn the plain white rain barrels into works of art.

The Careys have seven barrels at their home on which their grandsons Tyler, 7, and Brenden, 6, helped paint horses and sunsets.

Anna Maria Elementary School students paint rain barrels as part of school projects (their work can be found at www.watersavesus.com.) The school also sells painted barrels to raise money for charity, and the school has several barrels to water its gardens.

Anna Maria Island resident Christine Callahan said she and her husband, Jim, have four barrels that they painted to look like part of their garden.

"Oh, they work," Christine Callahan said. "I don't use any of the water I receive from the city."

Callahan's barrel has a hose at the bottom that allows her to water her plants. The Callahans even catch water from their air conditioner and direct it into the rain barrels.

Anne Fischer, a Lakewood Ranch community supervisor, said she would like to see the deed-restricted community also use the barrels and paint them in a tasteful way.

"Anything that preserves our water is a good idea," she said. "How wonderful it would be if we could incorporate the beauty and the conservation," she said. "I would love to see us promote something like that. Look at what it would save us in water expenses."
Collina, residents settle dispute
Huge shopping center eyes OK to move ahead
David Donald
Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 18, 2007

TAVARES - Six residents dropped their appeal against the Plaza Collina development after reaching a settlement with the developer.

The Lake County Board of Adjustment meets Tuesday to consider approving the settlement, allowing the developer to resume work on the 142-acre Plaza Collina project.

Plaza Collina developer, the Goodman Company, worked with residents to save more trees and create a buffer between the South Lake Trail and the Green Mountain Scenic Byway.

"We have come to what I think is a very good settlement," said Richard Dunkel, one of nine residents who filed the appeal. "It sets standards for any future development on the South Lake Trail and the Green Mountain Scenic Byway."

Dunkel said he was "very pleased" with the Goodman Company's cooperation, which was unaware of previous issues relating to the project when they took over of the development. They've worked really hard to come to an agreement, he said.

"This has been a healthy process," said John Dowd, Goodman's senior vice president of development. "The appellants had legitimate concerns, and we worked together hand-in-hand to address those concerns to the benefit of all parties."

Nine residents originally filed an appeal with the board arguing that plans for the 1.2 million square-foot mixed-used development anchored mostly by upscale stores, offices, and residential units on State Road 50 changed considerably from the original plans approved more than a year ago by Lake County commissioners.

But after coming to an agreement with residents, the developers still face a Department of Community Affairs (DCA) decision.

When it was revealed that the anchor would be a 207,000 square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter, residents complained to Lake County commissioners, who threatened to withdraw approval for the center. Plaza Collina officials vowed to sue if they were thwarted from continuing the development.

With Wal-Mart as the first tenant slated for the first phase of construction, residents feared an increase in traffic and a glut of low-end stores to follow. Plans for a 16-screen movie theater, a 12,000 square-foot ABC Fine Wine and Spirits and a 37,000 square-foot Rooms to Go were considered, but later withdrew. The development could include as many as 17 outparcels along S.R. 50 near the Orange County line.

County commissioners sent the development's plans to DCA in July to be reviewed to decide whether the project differs from what was approved last year.

The fate of the development has also been tied to S.R. 50 improvements.

The county is depending on the development to help fund S.R. 50 construction.

Developers agreed to widen the road from Lake Boulevard to Tiny Morris at a cost of $8.5 million. The Florida Department of Transportation is matching the funds to widen the rest of the road all the way to U.S. Highway 27.

Greg O'Brien, spokesman for the developer, said they've been focused on the appeal for the last few weeks and will continue discussions with residents about proposed tenants in the development.

"We're planning to move forward with the public information meetings," he said.

Scholarships for agriculture students will be even meatier

Scholarships will cover tuition, books

BY HARRIET DANIELS
STAR-BANNER

OCALA - When the Marion County Farm Bureau convenes tonight for the group's annual dinner, a highlight will be the presentation of $130,000 to support endowed scholarships for area students.

Central Florida Community College will receive $30,000 of the funds with the remaining $100,000 going to the University of Florida to help local students who are earning degrees in agriculture-related fields.

According to Todd Dailey, scholarship chairman for the local farm bureau, the group initially set aside$50,000 in 1986 to begin the endowed scholarship process. Over the years, the group has awarded more than $70,000 in scholarships, with an average of $5,000 each year.

Dailey said the funds to CFCC and UF will ensure local students, many of them from area farms, will help support agriculture programs at both schools. To his knowledge, Charlie Hofer, president of the Marion County Farm Bureau, said the award to UF is the largest endowed scholarship provided by a county farm bureau in Florida.

Josh McCoy, UF director of development for the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, could not be reached for comment.

"We hope when the kids graduate from those programs they come back to Marion County and help promote agriculture," Dailey said.

Cash Pealer, CFCC Foundation president, said the foundation will apply for a 100 percent state match that would raise the scholarship to $60,000. He said the scholarship is a great partnership between the college and the farm bureau.

"With an endowed scholarship, it will be the interest on the principal that would be available each year to students," Pealer said.

The college recently added a two-year agribusiness program along with existing programs for equine and horticulture. Pealer said the scholarship will cover the basics like tuition, fees, books "and whatever else the donor designates."

The UF endowed scholarship will be eligible for a 50 percent match bringing the total to $150,000.

Hofer said the minimum funding eligible for a state matching grant at UF is $100,000.

"So we tried to maximize our funding dollars to help more students," he said. "With both endowments, we felt it was the best way to leave a lasting legacy for the kids from Marion County into eternity."

Harriet Daniels may be reached at 352-867-4125 or harriet.daniels@starbanner.com.

Area farmers try new crop - goats

By DEIRDRE CONNER,
The Times-Union

Northeast Florida farmers are tapping into a new cash crop: goats.
They aren't talking cheese, milk or pets.

Call it the other red meat, because there's a growing demand for goats raised for slaughter, attributed to growing ethnic populations in the U.S. and the potential for goat to go gourmet.

The state launched itself into the top 10 meat goat producers in the nation in 2006, with its stock growing 80 percent in four years, according to an analysis by Tuskegee University in Alabama of USDA figures published last month. Despite a nationwide 24 percent increase in production, though, the vast majority of goat meat consumed in the United States is imported, mostly from Australia and New Zealand.

Frank Thompson, a longtime meat goat raiser in Clay County, got the idea while working for the World Bank in the Caribbean. Just last week, he sold off his herd, the physical demands of the work growing too strenuous. But he wished he didn't have to, because so many people are looking to get into goat.

"I wish I was 50 again," Thompson said.

Steve Gaul, Nassau County's extension agent with the University of Florida, said he recently offered a workshop to respond to increasing inquiries from residents interested in raising goats.

Still, making a sole living by raising meat goats is rare in the state, said Helen Hill, president of the Florida Meat Goat Association and an Alachua County resident.

"I think there's a real potential for making an extra income," she said.

For most, it's a backyard enterprise, appealing to those who don't have the time or acreage to devote to larger livestock.

Randolph Padgett, a Clay County man who keeps goats, is one of them.

"It's more of a hobby than a business," he said.

This is what most say.

Then, they'll ruefully explain that it all started with just a few goats, strictly for landscaping purposes, you understand. When the grass got too high, neighbors told them, get a couple of goats and then you won't have to mow.

Mostly, though, they aren't pets, and certainly not the tiny household cuddlers known as pygmy or dwarf goats.

They don't taste like chicken.

And they aren't as easy to care for as they look. Florida's humid climate means regular monitoring for parasites and heatstroke.

Goat meat has the consistency of beef and a flavor few are able to describe.

Although it's not widely consumed in the United States, goats are often the meat of choice globally.

Nicki Moore gets customers who hail from Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and the Caribbean, each seeking a different type of goat (age, size, sex) for occasions that range from birthday parties to sacred religious holidays. It's a cultural education, Moore said.

"We have met some of our best friends outside of church [doing this]," she said.

Most of the half-dozen or so customers a week drive all the way from Jacksonville to her family's 10-acre Bostwick farm to pick out a goat, finding it only through word of mouth or the Moore's only advertising, a simple hand-painted sign out front.

For $75, they leave with a goat of their choosing - as long as it's old enough and doesn't have a name.

Moore sends them to a custom slaughter shop nearby. That's because the infrastructure for goat processing is still weak - and because most who buy her goats want to do the slaughter themselves.

The Moores sell rabbits, quail, chickens and guinea fowl, too. But mostly, the half-dozen customers who stop by every week are in search of cabro, chevon, capretto - or another of the varied names under consideration by those who think Americans of European descent would try goat under another name.

Goat meat is lower in calories and fat than chicken or beef, according to nutritional information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That's because the fat doesn't marble within the meat the way it does with cattle.

Moore, who admits she eats rabbit and bee pollen, hasn't yet been able to taste goat.

"A lot of people find they can raise them for meat but just can't eat their own," Hill said.

She's not one of them.

"I like it," she said. "I have some in my freezer right now."

deirdre.conner@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4504

Nationally, more farmers are raising goats for meat.

-- There was a 24 percent increase in the number of meat goats in the United States between 2002 and 2006.

-- Florida had the second-biggest jump during that time, up 80 percent and now among the top 10 producers of meat goats.

-- Texas raises 45 percent of meat goats, more than any other state.

Source: USDA and Tuskegee University

Developers' lies taint battle over petition

By A TIMES EDITORIAL
Published September 18, 2007

If lawmakers think they can combat misleading petition gatherers by letting people revoke their signatures, they ought to read the first counterassault in the war against Hometown Democracy. This letter is intended to scare recipients with its lies and distortions, and the lobbyist and former legislator who signed it should be ashamed of himself.

"The special interests are hoping they can sneak their constitutional amendment past Florida's voters and into Florida's Constitution before you fully understand what's in it," writes John Thrasher, who no less than three times identifies himself as a former House speaker. "Unless you want higher property taxes, higher utility bills and Florida's scenic beauty destroyed by Big Developers, you will certainly want to revoke your signature from their petition."

The Hometown Democracy petition initiative, which would require voters to approve new revisions to local growth plans, may or may not be a good idea. But it is most certainly not a tool of "Big Developers." Just the opposite. It is intended to slow down and even stop development growth, not enable more of it. And the notion that it could spur higher property taxes and soaring utility bills and destroy "scenic beauty" is pure distortion. Thrasher might as well claim the amendment will also produce deadlier hurricanes.

Thrasher is a former speaker who left his most relevant credential off this letter. He is now a well-paid lobbyist who represents some of the biggest development companies in Florida, and they want to stamp out Hometown Democracy.

Thrasher offers no apologies, saying he is fighting against "mercenaries" who are being paid to gather petitions. Records do indicate that more and more of the Hometown Democracy petitions, now numbering roughly 330,000, are being gathered by companies paid per signature. But that is not an uncommon practice, and the mailing of these "Petition Revocation Forms" is hardly free. These mailings aren't offering clarity; they are confusing and scaring voters.

The Thrasher letter goes on to warn recipients that the Hometown amendment "turns all power over use of Florida's lands to certain 'electors.' Guess who the 'electors' will be. The 'special interests' and their slick lawyers will rig the system to put our future in the hands of their cronies." Those "certain electors," as Thrasher puts it, are actually Florida voters.

This battle over development promises to be an epic one, with some consultants predicting that development interests could spend as much as $65-million if Hometown Democracy reaches the ballot. By comparison, asking voters to revoke their signatures on petitions must seem like a bargain.

For all the problems inherent in Florida's sordid petition industry, the Legislature appears only to have created a business counterpart. This one meets up with voters not at the local mall but in their mailbox. If Thrasher's letter is any guide, voters should keep the trash can handy.

  Martin County growth plan foes marshal forces

By JASON SCHULTZ

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Monday, September 17, 2007

STUART — The point may be moot, but that won't stop slow-growth advocates who plan to turn out in large numbers Tuesday to oppose a hotly contested change in Martin County 's growth plan.

The subject of debate is so contentious that it has two names, depending on which side is describing it.

For opponents, it's called the Valliere amendment, named for County Commissioner Susan Valliere, who proposed the idea of allowing clustered development in rural areas where it is not allowed now.

Supporters call it the Land Protection Incentives Amendment, which is its official name, and they emphasize the part of the plan intended to preserve land in exchange for permitting greater density in a portion of the proposed development.

The commission vote Tuesday is merely a formality after commissioners voted 3-2 Aug. 21 to approve the amendment to the county's blueprint for growth. But opponents want one more chance to weigh in, one way or the other.

"We're hoping they don't just rubber-stamp it," said Donna Melzer, chairwoman of the Martin County Conservation Alliance. "We'll have lots of people there."

Slow-growth groups are circulating mail and e-mails urging residents to show up and speak against the amendment, but they may find it a short fight.

When commissioners tentatively approved it three weeks ago, commissioners postponed the "official" vote until Tuesday because of state rules stating that all comprehensive plan amendments must be adopted officially on the same day. Tuesday is that day.

Because commissioners have voted, they can choose not to have a public hearing or they can debate it again before making the earlier vote official, said County Planner Clyde Dulin.

Thursday night, commissioners decided not to have another public hearing.

"This is getting ridiculous," Commission Chairman Michael DiTerlizzi said that night. "I am not opening a public hearing."

DiTerlizzi said the public would be allowed to speak on any topic during general public comment sessions at 9 a.m. and 5:05 p.m.

County rules limit development in rural lands to one unit per 20 acres. The amendment would allow developers to build denser clusters of homes on 2-acre lots in exchange for donating at least half their land to a government agency or land trust as open space for conservation.

DiTerlizzi, who voted for the proposal in August, said there was no precedent for having a second hearing.

"We've never reopened one after we've voted on it before, so I don't know why we need to start now," he said. "I don't know why we would reopen it to let some 60-70 people say the same thing they've already said."

Valliere agreed with DiTerlizzi that the public has had a chance to comment on her proposal and the commission has made its decision.

"It was my understanding that, when we heard this on the 21st (of August), that was when we heard it. Otherwise, we should have just heard it on the 18th" of September, Valliere said. "At some point, you have to make a decision and move on."

Commissioner Sarah Heard, who voted against the proposal, said changes have been made to the amendment since the Aug. 21 vote and the county has been flooded with public comments, so a new hearing is needed. She accused DiTerlizzi of trying to "sweep it under the rug."

"If we don't hold a public hearing again, it will be a travesty," Heard said. "This is cutting out the residents."

All public comments the county has received will be included when the amendment is sent to the state Department of Community Affairs, where it also needs approval.

Melzer and other opponents say the wording of Valliere's amendment is vague and has been changed so many times that it deserves a new hearing. The amendment would allow developers to cover the county in urban sprawl, she said. While half the land could have a clustered pocket of homes, the other half that supposedly would be "preserved" could still have one home per every 20 acres, Melzer argued.

Dulin disputes that. He said developments using the new rule would not be allowed to build more homes in the clusters than are allowed over the entire property. If a developer built a cluster with the maximum number of homes allowed, Dulin said, they would not be allowed to build one per 20 acres on the rest of the land.

Supporters have said that the change is needed because government agencies cannot afford to buy all the environmentally sensitive land needed for water quality restoration.

Stronger, faster hurricanes -- an ominous sign

Mike Thomas

COMMENTARY

September 16, 2007

We're halfway through hurricane season with nary a puff of wind here.

But unsettling things are happening out in the Caribbean .

Storms are getting more powerful, faster than ever before recorded.

Humberto baffled the experts by going from a middlin' tropical depression to full-blown hurricane in about 16 hours. It was like watching Popeye gulp a can of spinach.

"Everyone is scratching their heads and thinking, 'Wow, that's weird,' ''says Jeff Masters, a hurricane expert with the Weather Underground Web site.

And then there was Hurricane Felix, which set a record for growing into a Category 5 howler, making the leap in about 54 hours.

It seems the storms are revving up faster and getting bigger every year.

"It's fair to say we've seen more than our fair share [of this]," says James Franklin with the National Hurricane Service. "In 2004, Charley rapidly strengthened. In 2005, we had quite a few rapid intensifications."

So what's going on?

"The bottom line is we don't know why they strengthen that rapidly," Franklin says. "We don't know the trigger."

While hurricane forecasters have gotten very good at predicting the paths of hurricanes, they haven't made much progress in predicting their strength.

Being an Al Gore kind of guy, I naturally assume the mystery trigger is global warming. Yes, local conditions such as wind shear and steering currents affect hurricanes. But underneath all that is a vat of warm ocean water ready to feed the beast whenever it does rise.

"There have been 27 Category 5 hurricanes since 1944, with eight of those coming in the last five years," says Masters. "That's a lot of Cat 5's in a short time."

The previous record for Category 5 hurricanes in a decade was six in the1960s.

This year we had two of them back-to-back -- Dean and Felix. It was the first time in recorded history that two storms of that size hit land.

In 2005, Hurricane Dennis set a record for the most powerful storm to form before August. Then Hurricane Emily came a week later, spun up to Category 5and beat it.

The old-guard hurricane experts say we are in a natural, active hurricane period that will last for a couple decades. And then things will calm down, and we'll be able to afford property insurance again.

They say we can't claim to have entered some freakish, man-induced growth spurt in hurricane intensity unless there is a historical record to prove it.

And there is no such record because we weren't around to measure the storms of decades past with the modern instruments we have today.

As an example, Masters says the limited data available indicate Hurricane Ethel in 1960 sped up from tropical depression to hurricane faster than Humberto. But nobody got a definitive reading on it.

The beauty in all this for the global warming naysayers is that they can never lose their argument, at least not anytime soon.

"It's an interesting debate but one that is unanswerable," says Franklin .

But wait 20 years or so and we may figure it out, he adds.

Of course, by then, if global warming is to blame, Miami Beach will be rubble and property insurance here will cost $113,000 a year.

For that reason, Masters says, we should err on the side of global warming.

"We need to take action despite not having enough information to draw a conclusion," he says.

Mike Thomas can be reached at 407-420-5525 or mthomas@orlandosentinel.com. His blog is OrlandoSentinel.com/mikethomas.

County considers being water savvy

Commissioners look at rules to conserve resource

BY FRED HIERS
STAR-BANNER

OCALA - Flora Lavoie admits she takes her share of water to keep her lawn lush and green.

She typically waters twice each week and more if she thinks she needs to at her home in northeast Marion County .

But she also sees the need to conserve water. Because of that, she said she would support the County Commission 's plan during the coming weeks to impose its first real move to conserve the vital resource.

"We should do this because you have to do the right thing. We're not going to have all the water we want forever," said the 56-year-old homemaker. "There are more and more people moving to Florida . We have to conserve for the next generation."The county's recent Water Resource Assessment and Management Study confirms what Lavoie knows instinctively: as the county's population continues to grow, ever-greater strains will be put on the aquifer.

To stretch the county's water resources, commissioners will hold public hearings during the coming weeks with plans to restrict lawn watering, better protect the Floridan aquifer and slowly ween the county off septic tanks when sewer services are available.

As part of the the county's landscape ordinance, commissioners plan to limit county residents to watering lawns no more than twice per week based on homeowners' addresses.

Those people with addresses ending with odd numbers would be able to water on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Those with even-numbered address or no addresses can water on Thursdays and Sundays.

In all cases, watering would be allowed only between 12 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and 12 a.m. Homeowners would be allowed to water only during one of those two periods, not both.

EXCEPTIONS
But Commission Chairman Stan McClain said last week he would support the restrictions only if there were exceptions.

Fellow commissioners agreed and said they wanted communities to be able to get waivers if they had  a good reason.

"We're putting enough restrictions on them as it is," McClain said.

The landscape ordinance would also allow micro irrigation and using a hand-held hose for non-turf landscaping.

The ordinance also would allow new lawns to be watered any day for the first 30 days, but not between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. During the next 30 days, new lawns could be watered every other day.

The proposed ordinance would only affect people living in unincorporated Marion County .

The ordinance also would allow watering any day if it involved applying chemicals or fertilizers.

ENFORCEMENT
The county is slated to hire two additional code enforcement officers to ensure the new rules would be obeyed.

The first violation would result in a written warning, the second a $35 fine and subsequent violations could bring about fines beginning at $100 and increasing to a maximum of $500.

Commissioner Charlie Stone asked the ordinance's author, County Water Resources Manager Troy Kuphal, if individual communities could police themselves, instead of the county enforcing the ordinance.

Kuphal said he would prefer that the county not delegate its authority.

SPRINGS PROTECTION
In addition to watering restrictions, the commission also will consider its Springs Protection Zone ordinance during the coming weeks.

That ordinance would require people living in the protection zones owning septic tanks and living within 200 of available sewer lines to hook up to those sewer lines. The ordinance would require those hookups when their septic tanks failed or within six months after the properties changed hands.

People building homes in the protection zones within 400 feet of available sewer lines also would have to hook up to those services, under the proposed ordinance.

There are about 70,000 septic tanks in the county.

Although hooking up to sewer lines could be costly, Commissioner Barbara Fitos said, "We've got to start somewhere."

But Commissioner Charlie Stone said he wanted a provision in the ordinance whereby people who could get a waiver if they could show hooking up to sewer lines would be a financial hardship.

FARMER IMPACT
The Springs Protection ordinance also would impact farmers.

The ordinance would not allow new or expanded animal feedlots in the primary protection zone.

It also would ban, in both the primary and secondary protection zones, the burying of manure or stockpiling more than 2 cubic yards of manure within 200 yards of a sinkhole. It also bans the application of fertilizer or manure within 200 feet of a sinkhole.

The ordinance also would limit stockpiling of manure to a three-month supply, or to 200 cubic yards, which ever is greater. That would take effect by Dec. 31, 2008.

The ordinance also would require the farm's owner to ensure that manure hauled from their property was disposed of in compliance with local, state and federal regulations.

Farmers can request a waiver if they demonstrate that their manure would not contribute nitrates to the groundwater or if they cover the manure to prevent rainwater and stormwater from coming into contact with it or if the manure was kept in a storage facility approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

For more information about the proposed ordinances, contact Troy Kuphal's office at 352-438-2600.

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

Charlotte may help its builders

By KATE SPINNER

kate.spinner@heraldtribune.com
CHARLOTTE COUNTY -- Builders suffering from a slow economy could get a break on the fees they pay for new construction.

To boost construction, Charlotte commissioners are looking into temporarily lowering impact fees, used to offset the cost of new roads, parks and other infrastructure.

The move could save developers thousands on new homes and commercial buildings but could also cut into county revenues.

In the past year, building has slowed nearly 70 percent in Charlotte County . The decline is part of the fallout of the faltering real estate market nationwide, but it is more pronounced in this region.

"We're trying to help the economy get itself started," said Commissioner Tom Moore, who suggested the idea last week.

Moore is working with county staff to bring a proposal to the commission for a vote in early October. He said he would like to see the fees lowered to the level they were two years ago.

At that time, impact fees were about $3,000 for all new homes. Now, the fee is based on square footage, and the fee for a 2,000-square-foot home is about $8,000.

Building industry representatives have been pushing commissioners to reduce impact fees for at least two months, said Ron Hill, president of the Charlotte/Desoto Building Industry Association.

"I can't say it will put us back where it was before, but I believe it's a step in the right direction," Hill said.

He said he could not estimate how much a fee reduction might boost construction.

Moore said there is little chance that changing the fees will cost the county significantly.

"The activity is so slow now, I'm not worried about the money we would be losing if we do this," Moore said.

"It's not a big risk to the county, and it may help the building industry."

The county collects the one-time fee in an attempt to make growth pay for its impact on county infrastructure, which includes libraries, government offices and public safety buildings. Otherwise, the cost shifts to taxpayers.

Builders and developers typically pass the fees on to home buyers. The county collected about $30 million in impact fees this year.

If reducing the fees temporarily does not help revive construction, it would at least help those building affordable housing, said Mike Mansfield, executive director of Charlotte County Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat plans to build 20 houses this year. At about $4,000 a house, the impact fees add up fast.

If the fees were reduced for at least six months, the agency would probably be able to buy the materials for another house with the savings, Mansfield said.

"That's dollars that we can cut right off the cost of each house," Mansfield said.
Brevard Watchlist

Follow the paper trail as FLORIDA TODAY'S public-service team monitors public officials, digs for documents and responds to your whistle-blower tips. Comment here or e-mail tips to mreed@floridatoday.com.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Slow-growth measure sparks fight over signatures

Have you signed a petition supporting the proposed "Florida Hometown Democracy" ballot initiative? If you have, keep an eye on your mailbox for a politically charged -- and, some would say, deceptive -- mass mailing asking you to officially revoke your signature.

By way of background, the Florida Hometown Democracy initiative seeks to give residents more direct control over growth and development by requiring that any change to a city or county's comprehensive growth plan be approved by voters. In the past, those decisions have been up to locally elected commissioners who frequently change plans about what should go where to make way for condo developments, big box stores or changes to huge housing developments. Commissioners make many such decisions per year; waiting for elections would slow growth and surely block some projects that local officials favor.
http://www.floridatoday.com/blogs/brevardwatchlist/uploaded_images/Thrasher-794071.jpgWith a petition drive underway, opponents of the slow-growth measure have enlisted the help of lobbyist John Thrasher. Thrasher has mailed letters to petition signers under the letterhead "The Honorable John Thrasher, Former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives." Enclosed with the letter is a petition-revocation form, possible under a new Florida law. Thrasher's clients would be pleased if you signed and returned it (more on that in a moment).

"The usual reason given for asking your and others to sign their petition is that this proposed Amendment to Florida 's Constitution will 'help protect Florida 's scenic beauty,' " Thrashers letter said. "But nothing could be further from the truth. This proposed Constitutional Amendment is a product of special interests and would result in a huge increase in property taxes for Floridians; would allow big developers to ruin Florida 's scenic beauty; would lead to substantial further increases in your utility bills."

It's unclear how slowing growth or rejecting certain developments would further empower big developers or hike utility bills. However, with Save Our Homes tax caps in place on homesteaded property, local governments have leaned heavily on new development to generate new, higher revenue and subsidize services in old neighborhoods even as they complain that growth doesn't pay its fair share in taxes (it usually does). So, that claim by Thrasher is worth debating.

Just as important, you should understand who's paying Thrasher and who's behind the letter. Thrasher's Southern Strategy Group represents one of the state's biggest, most powerful business lobbies: Associated Industries of Florida. Associated Industries is directing the revocation drive, the St. Petersburg Times reported. Thrasher's outfit also represents the St. Joe Corp., one of the state's biggest developers.

But Brevard residents may recognize Thrasher's name from the tax-reform battle: He represents Brevard County in the capital. And the Florida Hometown Democracy initiative has been opposed by the Florida Association of Counties, Florida League of Cities and Florida School Boards Association.

If the supporters of Hometown Democracy can collect the required 611,000 signatures, the issue will most likely come up for a statewide vote in 2008.

What do you make of this issue and the politicking behind the scenes? Do you support the initiative? Or, do you trust your local elected leaders to decide wisely on growth?

posted by Brevard Watchdog at 9:50 AM 3 comments

Could someone please explain…

By Christine Stapleton - Palm Beach post | Sunday, September 16, 2007, 08:36 AM

how building a shopping center and over 4,000 homes adjacent to an agricultural perserve (which we overwhelmingly voted for in 1999) is good for the environment?

I just finished reading reporter Stacey Singer’s disturbing story on today’s front page about County Commissioner Burt Aaronson’s apparent quid-pro-quo ties to homebuilder GL Homes. The story is chock full of Holy-Cow! revelations, including this quote by Aaronson:

“It helps the environment,” Aaronson said cheerfully of the marketplace. “Because people won’t have to get in their car and drive.”

I read it again. And again. And again. Doesn’t that sound like something a Carl Hiaasen character would say? But why am I surprised? Why am I sitting in my kitchen on a gorgeous Sunday morning - fuming - when my dog is begging me to go to the park?

I mean, come on. We should expect this kind of slash-and-burn rhetoric from Aaronson. Remember, Aaronson is the commissioner behind that water-guzzling golf course that the county nearly finished building RIGHT NEXT TO THE EVERGLADES!

If you are going to do any praying on this Sunday morning, make sure you include a little blessing for 1000 Friends of Florida and others who fight this kind of nonsense.

I gotta go. My dog says we need to get outside and enjoy what remains of the greenspace in this county before some politician turns it into a golf course or shopping center

Major LP Growth Predicted By Planner

By Bill Rettew Jr. of Highlands Today

Published: September 15, 2007

LAKE PLACID — Land Planner Rhon Ernest-Jones of Coral Springs is betting on major growth for the Lake Placid area.

The civil engineer plans to construct a two-story 10,000-square-foot office building, just north of the town line on Blue Lake .

For the past two years, the land planning traffic engineer and land planner has worked a couple days per week – sometimes with other employees – at a converted home. The current building is still partially a residential property on LaGrow Road .

The Lake Placid area's population will top 130,000 residents within the next 30 years, predicted the Rhon Ernest-Jones Consulting Engineers Inc. president. He also expects to employ eight or 10 professionals locally within two to three years to handle the crush of new development.

Ernest-Jones said, after addressing the town council at Monday night's meeting, that many orange growers are "looking to the future" to protect their large land holdings for potential development.

Ernest-Jones said residential development will likely spearhead more growth, with added commercial and then possibly, "bit by bit," some industrial expansion.

"You have to plan for growth," said Ernest-Jones. "It's going to happen whether you like it or not ... I've seen it happen in Fort Lauderdale ."

The consulting engineering firm employees 50 workers, with offices in Coral Springs, Jupiter, Naples
and Lake Placid.

The land planner said the area holds great appeal for new residential home owners.

It's natural beauty, hilly topography, significantly less expensive cost for land and cheaper hurricane insurance coverage costs because of its central location are all magnets for growth.

The former Coral Springs mayor also talked about the "community feeling" and fine municipal government that might foster expansion.

"They're real quality people," said Ernest-Jones. "Considering its a relatively small town, Lake Placid is blessed with an excellent group of citizens concerned about quality. All the volunteers also make it a better place."

More jobs should also become available in the medical, hospitality and tourism fields, said Ernest-Jones.

Although his property is on the north side of the town line, the engineer was seeking the council's blessing to expand commercially at the Blue Lake site. Ernest-Jones also said he would consider annexation to become part of the town.

Council voted to offer neither a favorable nor unfavorable comment concerning the planner's plans prior to his bid for expansion through the county.

Untamed island is source of legends

BY BAIRD HELGESON

THE TAMPA TRIBUNE

COCKROACH BAY -- Lewis F. Symmes III does not consider himself a rich man, but he does have an island.

Symmes and his family have irritated government officials for three generations by refusing to sell their undeveloped island deep in the Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve in southern Hillsborough County .

There is no bridge to the tiny outpost about 100 yards from shore in the 8,583-acre preserve.

The myths surrounding the island called Big Cockroach Mound are legend in these parts. Symmes is a bit of a mystery himself. Local lore has it that Symmes is a recluse, perhaps nearing 100, who relies on friends to check on his island. A couple of anglers said they heard that a governor gave him the island as a favor.

In truth, the man locals call "Old Man Symmes" is the third generation of Symmeses to own the land. The man said to be a curmudgeonly hermit is a chatty retired quality-control engineer for TRW Inc.'s Delta and Atlas space programs.

The island was once part of a failed get-rich-quick plan concocted by Symmes' grandfather. Then there are the stories of buried pirate treasure.

In reality, Big Cockroach Mound is a 10-acre isle of seashells covered by dense, thorny brush, mangroves and gumbo limbo trees. The island is home to three American Indian burial mounds, making it the most archaeologically significant land in the preserve. Artifacts are so significant that workers with the Smithsonian Institute once traveled here to produce a map of the island and its contents.

The harsh wilderness allows Eastern indigo snakes and black-and-yellow garden spiders to thrive. The matchbook-size spiders weave glistening tapestries of webs that hang from tree limbs and sparkle in the morning sun.

In recent years, a few adventure-seeking campers, pot smokers and treasure hunters have been spotted there. The tallest seashell mound is 35 feet and is said to be one of the highest points south of Gainesville , offering a panoramic view of Cockroach Bay to the south and downtown St. Petersburg to the west.

Symmes, 76, is proud the island remains in his family's hands, and he delights in recounting the government and private offers for the property.

State and local wildlife officials have viewed the island as a final piece to complete the aquatic preserve, which was created in 1976 to protect coastal wetlands.

"It's the only thing we have left of Old Florida, and we intend to keep it," Symmes said.

And why not? There are no buildings on the land so insurance is not needed, and the assessed value of $5,625 means the annual tax bill is $114.57.

"A lot of people want that island, but I like knowing we own it," he said.

Cockroach Bay Road , which runs like a belt through wilderness area in the middle of the aquatic preserve, ends at a tiny boat ramp across the water from the island.

Most mornings, dozens of anglers drive to the boat ramp to slip their flat boats into the water before the sun breaks the horizon.

Symmes grew up in Riverview and spent much of his career on Florida 's east coast. He and his wife, Betty, retired to a small condominium in Sun City Center , a 15-minute drive to the island. He comes to the boat ramp every few weeks to check on the island, but he never identifies himself to the locals.

Symmes' grandfather bought the island in 1908 for $1,000 from the family of Fred B. Walker, who killed himself there. Walker had lived in a small home on the island for years, and reportedly his job was to maintain a shipping light on nearby Beacon Key.

Lewis Symmes Jr. and a partner, Tampa banker L.L. Buchanan, viewed the deal as an entrepreneurial venture, not a way to preserve the land. They planned to sell the mounds of seashells for material to build roads that had begun to stretch across Florida .

The elder Symmes did not anticipate two problems that would scrap his plan.

First, he and his partner never devised a good way to get shells off the island. They built a walk bridge that proved too small to remove shells in large quantities. A storm later washed away the bridge.

Second, Symmes never foresaw that asphalt would become the preferred road-building material in Florida .

The island languished, becoming a fishing retreat for the family and a landing for a passenger boat out of St. Petersburg that brought tourists to climb the mound.

Members of the Glades culture, which included several American Indian tribes, built the mounds about 2,000 years ago, mainly from discarded shells of the seafood eaten by natives, said Rodney Kite-Powell of the Tampa Bay History Center.

In the mid-1930s, Symmes recalls being a young child in his grandfather's arms when they found workers digging up the island for the Smithsonian.

"I remember seeing the Indian bones all lined up in a row," he said. "And my grandfather told them they were knowingly trespassing, and he told them to leave."

The Smithsonian documented hundreds of artifacts and the remains of 224 bodies, about half young children and infants, perhaps signs of an epidemic.

The Smithsonian never extracted all the artifacts on the island, which has attracted countless scavengers and fueled speculation about buried treasure.

Local archaeologists said a small group of treasure hunters think pirates buried their bounty on the island. Treasure hunters also think the tall mounds of seashells would have been an ideal place for pirates to hide gold and other loot.

"It's absurd," said Bill Burger, an archaeologist who has been on the island three times over the past 35 years. "But the more you denigrate the myth, the stronger it seems to become."

Preserve staff members do not want people to know they have no authority or presence on the island. They try to ward off treasure hunters and fledgling archaeologists who dig deep holes on the land and then wreck or steal the remaining artifacts.

Randy Runnels, who manages the aquatic preserve, is worried that Symmes' hands-off ownership style will lead to the loss of artifacts.

"It would be good to get it under someone's management," he said.

About the time Symmes' father inherited the island, federal and state agencies started to purchase nearby sod farms, vegetable fields and abandoned shell mines for what became the preserve.

Government officials tried to buy the island several times over the decades but generally never offered more than a few thousand dollars. In the late 1980s, as Symmes' father was dying, the state offered $89,000.

"I told them I'd take a million," Symmes said, recounting the story with a laugh. "They left me alone after that."

Like his grandfather and his father, he hopes to pass it on to his oldest son, James Lewis Symmes, who lives nearby on the Little Manatee River and works for Caterpillar, the heavy-equipment manufacturer.

"It means a lot to me to have it stay in the family," he said. "I'm not rich, but I don't need the money enough to sell it."

Symmes' son has no interest in selling the island, either.

"I am all about doing what we've done all along and just sit on it," he said. "The way it is now is the way it needs to be."

Locals do not care whether the island is in private or public hands, but they count it among the state's last wilderness areas.

Billy Wheat, who works for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, spends his workweek sitting under a large umbrella at the boat ramp at the end of Cockroach Bay Road. He and his yellow lab, Barney, wait for anglers to return so he can document their catch and track fish migratory patterns.

Wheat has been to the island a time or two over the past seven years, the thrill of the adventure outweighing the threat of a trespassing citation.

Wheat spends his slow time looking across the water wondering what natural mysteries are unfolding on the island.

"That place has its own heartbeat," he said.

Florida's birds try to wing it

As habitats shrink, some species learn to survive. Others can't, counts find.

Linda Florea

Sentinel Staff Writer

September 17, 2007

Florida's roaring development has taken a toll on some of the state's emblematic birds, reducing their populations during the past decade, according to the latest bird-count statistics.

The news isn't all bad, however. Some birds are learning to thrive in the changing landscape. But environmentalists worry that more species are headed for endangered status.

"Development removes habitat permanently," said William Pranty, who has written three books on birds and is the subregional editor for the National Audubon Society's annual bird-count reports.

"Birds, like other animals, can survive a short period of inconvenience, but long-term changes are detrimental. Wetland birds are used to cycle and fluctuation -- complete elimination of habitat is different."

Pranty, who has participated in the count for 31 years, said birds that need very specific habitats are suffering the most.

Development yields more than habitat destruction. Increasing numbers of pets are hunting birds. There are more cars to smash birds and more windows for them to fly into. Lighted communications towers disorient birds at night, and nonnative species are more frequently turned loose, which then compete for food and habitat with the unsuspecting natives.

The bird count is one tool researchers used to monitor bird populations in the state -- and across the nation. But it is an inexact exercise that relies on visual sightings by volunteers who spread out across the state. Volunteers have been counting birds for more than 100 years, and the contributions are a valuable resource, Audubon says. Information on local trends can signal environmental threats or loss of habitat.

For example, Northern bobwhites that scurry around the brush have become scarce because of habitat destruction. Bobwhites in Florida have declined 70 percent since 1980, said Tony Young, media-relations coordinator for the Division of Hunting and Game Management for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

"The habitat they prefer is not being maintained the way they need it to be," Young said. "They like forested areas, where there is a lot of space between the trees and sunlight can penetrate the forest floor and native plants are coming up."

Scrub-jay declines

The poster bird for habitat destruction is the Florida scrub-jay, with 90 percent of its oak-scrub habitat gobbled up by development. Another strike against it is that its habitat is dependent on burning and regrowth every eight to 15 years, and development has interfered with this cycle.

The bird has garnered so much attention, there is even a movement to make the gregarious scrub-jay the official state bird instead of the mockingbird. Projects such as Jay Watch through The Nature Conservancy enlist volunteer citizen-scientists to monitor the health of scrub-jay colonies.

Even more endangered is the Florida grasshopper sparrow living in the prairie regions of south-central Florida. They prefer areas that have been burned recently and will leave areas that have not burned in several years.

In the early 1900s, populations were reported to be large and widespread. Pranty estimates there are fewer than 1,000 of them now in the wild. They are concentrated at Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area, Kissimmee Prairie Preserve and Avon Park Air Force Range.

"The Florida grasshopper sparrow is probably the least-known bird in Florida," Pranty said. "They need active management or they won't be here 50 years from now."

The mottled duck, one of the few nonmigratory ducks, is found only in peninsular Florida. Its decline is largely blamed on good-intentioned people releasing pet mallard ducks into ponds, where they breed with the mottled ducks and hybridize the population.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, complete hybridization could result in the extinction of the Florida species.

To combat the problem, the release of mallards is prohibited, and permits are required to possess them.