Flagler developer makes extra effort to protect eagle pair

By DEREK L. KINNER
Staff Writer

For 30 years, two bald eagles have dazzled Flagler County residents watching their daily hunting rituals, which often brings them close to people.

The male eagle and its mate also have won the heart of Hometown Communities developer Scott Delanoy, even though he said their nest on the property that he is developing in southeast Flagler County has cost him at least 40 home sites and more than a million dollars in potential sales.

"We could have made a lot more money if there wasn't an eagle there," Delanoy said. "We took pieces of land to preserve, and we had about 40 home sites on that land."

Delanoy is developing the property, aptly named Eagle Lakes, on Old Kings Road a few miles south of State Road 100 and east of Interstate 95. He recently received final county approval to begin development after making several concessions to accommodate the eagles. Delanoy said he was aware of the eagles, which were first documented in 1976, when he purchased the property three years ago.

"We knew the eagle was a protected species and there were certain criteria to follow," he said.

Delanoy had to create a primary protection zone, which meant he couldn't build within 375 feet of the nest. That's where he lost the home sites.

But that was OK, he said, because he's grown fond of the eagles.

"It's neat to watch them," Delanoy said. "I just think they are amazing. They're so people-friendly. We've learned a lot about them over the years."

Delanoy enjoys watching the eagles so much he encourages others to do the same. He spent $100,000 to build a small park on his property so the public has a place to view the birds. The park features landscaping, aluminum benches and a paved parking lot with five lined parking spaces, including one handicap space.

"That's awesome," said Teri Marx, education coordinator for the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland.

Marx said there is an inherent conflict between bald eagles and developers because the developers inevitably stand to lose money if there is an eagle nest on their property. Stories of developers going above and beyond their legal responsibilities to accommodate the birds are few and far between, she said.

The male eagle on Delanoy's property stays in the nest year-round, and is joined by the female in time for the mating season, October to May, Delanoy said.

Eagles, which keep the same mates for life, apparently aren't a lot different from humans in some respects. The first thing the two do when the female returns is clean up the mess the male has made, Delanoy said.

"First, they rebuild the nest," Delanoy said. "They both hunt. Then, when she lays eggs, she sits on them while he hunts all day."

Delanoy said the eagles hunt in ponds, woods and people's yards. They also do a little scavenging of dead animals. He's seen the male capture squirrels, field rats, larger animals like raccoons, and "fish galore" from one of the subdivision's small lakes.

Delanoy said the birds usually produce two eaglets a year.

"You'll see them poke their heads up in the nest as they get bigger," he said. "They (the parents) start feeding them by putting food in the nest. Then they move it out on a branch so the fledglings have to come get it. It's called branching. As they get older, they move it farther away. Then they put it on a limb in another tree so they have to fly to get it."

The average life span for eagles is about 45 years, so people should have about 15 more years to watch the pair, Delanoy said.

Eagles still protected by other laws

PALM COAST -- Florida environmental officials say they've been fielding calls from people concerned about the future of the bald eagle now that the Bush administration is poised to remove the national symbol from the Endangered Species List.

But they say not to worry -- the birds still are protected by two other laws, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

"There is some debate, but some people say they (the two other laws) may even provide more protection," said Teri Marx, education coordinator for the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland.

Restrictions on developers building on property near eagles' nests already were relaxed this year. Developers now can build as close as 330 feet from a nest, closer than the previous 375. That protection should remain despite the bald eagles' removal from the endangered list, Marx said.

There also was a secondary protection zone that extended an additional 375 feet from the nest. Developers were required to monitor eagles while building in that zone to make sure they weren't disturbing them. That was eliminated this year.

Marx said there are more than 1,200 nesting pairs of eagles in Florida and Audubon monitors about a third of them.

"It's not like we're going to stop monitoring," Marx said. "Taking them off the list doesn't mean that they're being ignored."

Marshall Jones, deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said eagles still will be protected.

"We'll be clear so people won't think, 'It's open season on bald eagles.' No way," Jones said.

derek.kinner@news-jrnl.com

A passion for alpacas

By TONY MARRERO
lmarrero@hernandotoday.com


SPRING LAKE — For a few minutes on Wednesday, as it often does, Bill and Sherry Leslie’s world came together in a pasture.

Their biological daughter, Ashley, and foster son, Joe, laughed as alpacas nuzzled them and accepted their petting. Other alpacas lay prone on the green grass, basking in the sun.

One of the newest additions, a brown male named Journey, paced a fence and bleated for his mother. Joe gave his mom a hug.

The idyllic setting is the product of the Leslies’ two passions — their children and their alpacas.

“We have a happy family here,” Sherry Leslie said.

The couple bought a few alpacas in 2002 for what they figured would be an interesting way to secure a greenbelt exemption on their newly purchased, 13-acre ranch on Base-ball Pond Road.

Four years and 55 alpacas later, Griffonwood Alpacas has become a way of life that makes money, provides a therapeutic outlet for Joe, who has Down Syndrome, and brings the family together.

“We just fell in love with it more than we thought we would,” Sherry said as she stood among a pack of alpacas in one of their front pastures. “It’s better than you expect it to be.”

The Leslies moved to Hernando Beach from Ohio in 1995 after their son John died in a car accident. Bill is a former factory worker who grew up on a cattle farm in Ohio. Sherry used to run a home child care center.

They invested heavily in real estate, fixing up and then selling homes near the Gulf of Mexico.

One day they decided to sell it off for a new life on the farm. It turned out to be an ideal place to care for the special-needs foster children they care for.

“God kind of directed us,” Sherry said. “It’s a decision we have not regretted.”

They took in Joe on what they thought was an emergency basis. Now they share their large, two-story home with him and two other grown men with special needs, Brian and John. Ashley, a 19-year-old student at Pasco-Hernando Community College, also lives there, and their biological son Danny, a 34-year-old professional kick boxer, lives in a house on the property.

The couple say they could already be making a tidy profit on their alpacas, but had until recently decided to invest all of their return in more quality animals to improve the ranch’s breeding stock.

Now the Leslies, who call alpacas “a huggable financial investment,” figure that they will soon be able to live off the ranch’s profit.

A look at the numbers shows why.

A quality male can be sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. While the Leslies have yet to see a sale anywhere near that magnitude, they get closer with nearly every birth on the ranch.

Charts posted on a wall of their barn show lineages for each of the animals on the ranch. The Leslies recently paid $59,000 for a Suri alpaca named Royal King. Average stud fees run between $2,000 and $4,000 dollars, but can be much higher.

They paid $12,000 for another Suri named Peruvian Majesty. One of their customers who paid to breed an animal with Majesty sold the offspring for $18,500.

“He’s quite the man right now,” a laughing Sherry said of Majesty.

Rich history butrecent in America

Alpacas are members of the camelid family that resemble llamas, but are smaller. Cherished by the Incan culture in the Andes Mountains of South America, the animals have been domesticated for 5,000 years, mainly for the rich fiber of their coats that can be sheared without any harm to the animal and used for clothing. The fiber grows in 22 colors, including black, white and several shades of grey and brown.

There are two types of alpacas: Suris and Huacayas. The Suris are much rarer and have a coat that is even more valuable.

Alpacas have no teeth, claws or horns. The animals will occasionally kick and spit if they feel threatened, but that’s rare.

The animals were first imported to America in 1984. Still, 99 percent of the world’s alpaca population is in South America. There are an estimated 100,000 in the United States.

At the Leslie ranch, the alpacas act more like pets than livestock, showing the kind of docile curiosity, attention and even affection one might expect from a dog. Visitors are often greeted with nudges from noses and the stares from giant gumball-sized eyes.

“It’s just a joy having them,” Bill Leslie said. “They each have their own personality.”

Many owners pay the Leslies to keep their alpacas on the ranch. Besides the profit from breeding and boarding, the couple recently purchased a spinning wheel to take advantage of their animal’s fiber. They envision clothing products packaged with a photo of the animal that supplied the fiber.

The couple helped found the Florida Alpaca Breeders Association. The group plans its fourth annual alpaca show Feb. 9-10 in Jacksonville.

The Leslies travel to shows in Kentucky and the Carolinas, venues where they can show off the animals’ quality to prospective buyers and breeders. Bill Leslie is particularly excited about Journey, whose bone structure and coat sheen rival any the couple have produced so far.

“I’m taking you to nationals,” Bill said as he extended his hand toward the animal.

Joe ‘the greeter’

While ribbons and big profits can be tallied, another benefit from the farm is more intangible.

Joe isn’t able to speak much. But he smiles often and gives spontaneous, firm hugs to whoever will take one.

“One of the few words he can say is ‘alpaca,’ because he loves his animals,” Sherry said.

He also is learning some rudimentary sign language. One of his favorite signs is to hold up his hands under his face and imitate a baby alpaca emerging from the mother’s womb.

Caring for the alpacas is a way to for Joe to socialize and feel included, the Leslies said. When a baby is born, Joe will carefully wipe it clean.

One of the first things boarders or other returning visitors ask is, “Where’s Joe?”

“Everyone who comes here knows this is Joe’s life, too,” Sherry said. “He gets to meet all kinds of people and he gets love from all kinds of people.”

Reporter Tony Marrero can be contacted at 352-544-5286. 

Bronson hopes ethanol will save farms

Daphne Sashin
Sentinel Staff Writer

December 28, 2006

Early one morning this month, Florida's commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services donned a tan Stetson, hoisted himself up onto a brown-and-white horse and spent the next six hours on an old-fashioned cattle drive through the pastures of Osceola County.

It was a familiar position for Charles Bronson, a fifth-generation Floridian who grew up corralling cattle on his parents' Osceola ranch and plans to return to ranching when he retires in 2010, after nine years as agriculture commissioner.

Yet even as Bronson, 57, embraces Florida's agricultural past, he is most passionate about taking the industry to places it has never been.

On the eve of his last term in office, Bronson is staking the future of Florida's farmland on its ability to produce the makings of the gasoline substitute ethanol from such low-cost, readily available materials as tree branches, orange peels and grass.

Besides being good for the environment and reducing the state's dependence on foreign oil, so-called biofuel could generate the extra income that farm owners need to stay competitive, Bronson argues. Farmers could sell leftover or unusable crops and grow "energy crops" to sell exclusively for fuel, he said.

"We've got the best weather, the most rainfall, the most temperate climate. If we wanted to, we could look like the Amazon jungle, we could grow so much. So it's doable," he said.

As Bronson works to advance his "Farm to Fuel" initiative, he also must stay on top of the department's many other programs. Challenger Eric Copeland charged that Bronson had neglected the consumer-services side of the job -- from regulating charitable solicitations and telemarketers to monitoring the accuracy of gasoline pumps -- an accusation the incumbent is quick to dismiss.

"We don't blow a whistle and put out press releases that we're doing something all the time, but we do it. We do the job," he said. "We do solve cases. We do get restitution at the tune of over $20 million [a year] back to consumers."

On the agriculture side, Bronson's department faces a host of challenges. Florida growers must compete with countries where employers pay their workers less and have fewer environmental regulations to uphold. New pests and diseases are getting through ports and threatening to wreak havoc on fruits, vegetables and flowers, as canker did to citrus.

"Our biggest fear is that we bring in another citrus-cankerlike disease. We've already brought in greening," a disease that kills citrus trees, he said. "We're constantly bombarded with new pests and disease."

Option to selling out

As production costs increase, farmers and ranchers face more incentives to sell out. Builders bought more than 2.5 million acres of Florida farms and other rural land from 1992 to 2002, according to the American Farmland Trust and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Meanwhile, the state is spending $3 billion on land purchases and preservation through its 10-year Florida Forever program.

Biofuels, Bronson said, may offer farmers and ranchers a reason for staying in business.

"That's why we're working so hard on this alternative-fuel situation, so farmers don't have a single crop they have to rely on every year," he said. "When a developer comes and offers big money, they can say, 'Look, I'm making a real good living now, and I want to keep my land as long as I can.' "

The state's first commercial ethanol plant is scheduled to open next year in Port Sutton, near Tampa. Bronson has set the goal of having four to six plants up and running by the time he leaves the Capitol.

Industry leaders, scientists and economic-development officials support Bronson's vision, but there are a lot of unknowns. Currently, nearly all the ethanol plants in the United States use corn, as will the Port Sutton plant. Generating fuel from biomass -- plant matter made up largely of cellulose, which has a different cellular structure than corn -- requires an entirely different, and currently much more expensive, process.

"From a long-term view, Commissioner Bronson is spot on," said Bradley Krohn, president of Tampa-based United States EnviroFuels, builder of the Port Sutton plant. "The question becomes how that can become commercialized in the near term, and whether it's commercially feasible in the near term."

Krohn estimates the first biomass-to-ethanol plants won't get built for two to five years.

"The corn-to-ethanol process is conventional and well-proven in the U.S., and it carries the lowest risk as perceived by the financial community," he said.

Financial incentives

Bronson recognizes the market challenges. He hopes to counteract them with financial incentives. Earlier this year, the state agreed to give $100 million in grants over four years to develop renewable-energy technologies, including bioenergy projects. Next year, he said, he will lobby the Legislature to grant tax relief for investors willing to build the plants, as well as to farmers who grow the extra crops.

However long it takes, Bronson is "on the right path, at the right time and the right place," said John Adams, chief executive of Enterprise Florida, the state's Orlando-based economic-development agency.

"This is an investment in the future," Adams said. "The commissioner's initiative is really the definition of a win-win for the state's economy, whether it's the producers or the consumer who is concerned about the price and quality of gasoline."

Bronson held his first "Farm to Fuel" summit in August. He plans to reconvene industry leaders in the spring or summer to see what progress has been made.

"I go back and look at my grandfather, who was born in 1880. Nobody dreamed of a car, certainly did not dream of anybody being put into space. Airplanes that were going to carry people all over the country, all of that happened in his lifetime," Bronson said.

"People are saying right now: 'You're crazy. You can't do this.' Well, you can't now, but that doesn't mean we're not going to be able to do it later."

Daphne Sashin can be reached at dsashin@orlandosentinel.com or 407-931-5944.

Climate experts' forecast is music to area farmers' ears

By AMY REININK

Sun staff writer

Florida farmers may catch a little more shut-eye this winter.

If a forecast recently released by the Southeast Climate Consortium, a group of climate experts from the University of Florida and other southeastern universities, is correct, farmers and others who depend on the weather will face fewer below-freezing nights this winter, reducing the need for pre-dawn crop-protection measures.

Even so, Alachua County residents are expected to wake up to near-freezing temperatures this morning, though temperatures will reach almost 70 degrees later today.

The consortium has predicted a reduced risk of damaging freezes this winter because of El Niño, or the warming of the water in the South Pacific that has also been credited for a tame hurricane season. While average temperatures in the South are often cooler during El Niño years, Clyde Fraisse, a UF climate extension specialist, said the strong jet stream typically associated with El Niño tends to block the arctic air masses that usually cause below-freezing conditions in Florida.

Fraisse, a member of the Southeast Climate Consortium, said the consortium's climate prediction is based on 60 years of Florida weather data showing a history of fewer damaging freezes during El Niño years.

"It shows a striking difference between El Niño and La Ni–a years and neutral phases," Fraisse said. "It's three times more likely that we'll have a hard freeze during a neutral phase than during an El Niño year, and this year is an El Niño year. It's important to mention that this doesn't mean that a damaging freeze will not happen, just that conditions will certainly not be favorable for it." Recent sopping wet weather and moderate temperatures were both characteristic of an El Niño year, meteorologists said.

"El Niño typically brings wetter and milder weather," said Matt Zibura, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jacksonville. "We've been getting a good amount of rain this week, and there's another good chance of rain on Saturday."

UF's prediction was good news for Alachua County farmers. Fruits and blossoms on blueberry and strawberry plants are susceptible to damage when it's colder than 32 degrees, and most plants are susceptible to damage during hard freezes, when temperatures dip below 28 degrees for more than two hours.

Roy Brown said this winter's milder weather is apparent on his farm, which is located between Gainesville and Melrose.

"It's been so warm, I'm still picking some warm-weather crops like squash," Brown said. "Usually, that's done by the first week of December."

Brown said his thermometer has dipped to 32 degrees this year, but not below it. That means he hasn't had to take many preventive measures, such as covering his crops before a freeze warning or waking before dawn to coat plants with a protective layer of ice.

Brown said this week's chilly but above-freezing nights won't demand much extra work on his part.

He also said winters without any hard freezes aren't necessarily problem-free, as cold temperatures kill diseases and pests that would otherwise live through the winter.

Still, Brown said he'd be happy to avoid a winter full of cold early mornings if the consortium's prediction is correct. "It's a lot of sleepless nights," Brown said. "That's why I kind of enjoy the milder winters."

Alto Straughn, who farms blueberries, watermelons and beef cattle in Alachua County, said while he was happy to hear the forecast of mild weather ahead, he's sure this week's temperatures won't be the winter's coldest.

"We will see some severely cold weather before the winter's through, believe me," Straughn said. "I've been farming for a living for a long time, and I'm sure we're going to have some weather that's colder than what it's going to be like the next two nights. Once every 25 years or so, we'll get a winter where we don't have anything below 28 degrees. That has happened, but it's rare."

As far as the forecast for the rest of the week, forecaster Marie Trabert at the National Weather Service said temperatures will continue to warm up through the weekend, hitting a high of about 80 degrees. Storms are expected to move into the area late Saturday or early Sunday, and another cold front will likely bring low temperatures in the 40s by Wednesday.

Report Names Pot As State's No. 3 Cash Crop

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY The Tampa Tribune

Published: Dec 28, 2006

TAMPA - When thinking of Florida's agribusiness, oranges and strawberries probably come to mind. How about pot?

Marijuana is the state's No. 3 cash crop - behind vegetables and citrus - according to estimates released last week by a pro-legalization analyst.

While legal crops benefit from the Sunshine State's climate, marijuana cultivation in Florida thrives indoors in the temperature- controlled confines of houses with blacked-out windows, according to the report prepared by analyst Jon Gettman.

Police and federal authorities have targeted, and stumbled upon, several major grow houses in the Tampa Bay area this year, including a bust last week.

Gettman's report places Florida third in the nation for indoor marijuana growing operations, with an estimated 1.2 million plants being grown. California and Washington produce the most indoor marijuana, respectively, Gettman said.

According to his report, marijuana crops nationwide are worth nearly $36 billion annually, compared with corn's $23.3 billion, $17.6 billion for soybeans and $12.2 billion for hay.

In Florida, the report estimates indoor and outdoor pot-growing operations yield nearly $600 million a year for producers, compared with $1.2 billion and $1 billion for vegetables and citrus, respectively.

Gettman's analysis, based on U.S government statistics and estimates, concludes that marijuana is the nation's largest cash crop.

"Words fail to describe how odd it is to give this plant so much value," said Gettman, who used to lead the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Drugs Are $200 Billion Industry

To arrive at his figures, Gettman used government estimates that more than 10,000 metric tons of marijuana are grown in the nation each year, and that only about 10 percent is seized by authorities.

Tom Riley, a spokesman for the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, said he has not reviewed Gettman's report, but said marijuana clearly is a large cash crop.

It is part of the roughly $200 billion the National Drug Control office estimates U.S. residents spend on illegal drugs each year, Riley said.

But he disagreed with Gettman's assertion that marijuana should be legalized and taxed.

"There's a lot of cash to be made in extortion and murder," he said. "That doesn't mean extortion and murder are any more desirable."

Gettman said he sees legalizing the drug as a way to pay the nation's debts. The high prices people pay for the drug indicate that they would be willing to pay for marijuana that is government-regulated and taxed.

The only reason marijuana is as highly valued as it is, he said, is that it's illegal.

Florida's status as the third-ranking state for indoor cultivation in Gettman's report probably has as much to do with the state's topography as its widespread development, Gettman said.

Outdoor growing operations thrive in hilly terrain where plants can avoid detection from the air, he said. In Florida, growing pot inside carries "far less risk," he said.

Heavily patrolled waters off Florida's coasts - with Coast Guard cutters searching for everything from drug runners to Cuban migrants trying to get to the United States - are also a factor pushing production indoors, Gettman said.

Several Busts Made This Year

Gettman's report was released a day before police stumbled upon a growing operation in a south Tampa home that had 163 plants.

Federal authorities also busted an indoor marijuana growing ring this year that used 10 to 20 houses. Each house could have yielded up to $3 million if authorities hadn't intervened.

Tampa police Sgt. Ken Mormon said there are usually signs that a structure is being used as a grow house. The tenants may often come and go at all hours. Windows may be blacked-out. Loads of fertilizer being carted inside is often a dead giveaway, he said.

Neighbors often report grow houses, which is why they're frequently rental properties, Mormon said.

A lot of people opt to grow marijuana indoors because "they need to make some quick money" and it's less risky than making or distributing other drugs, Mormon said.

Mormon, who has worked narcotics cases since the early 1980s, said he has been raiding grow houses for that long.

Grow houses in Tampa, he said, "have never caught on where it's widespread."

Gettman's report, "Marijuana Production in the United States," is posted at www .drugscience.org.

Reporter Anthony McCartney can be reached at (813) 259-7616 or amccartney@tampatrib.com.

The Florida Times-Union

December 28, 2006

Company sues St. Johns over cell tower denial

By ANNE MARIE APOLLO
The Times-Union

A Ponte Vedra Beach company has filed a federal lawsuit against St. Johns County, calling a decision by commissioners to deny a cell phone tower "arbitrary and capricious."

Verticality Inc. is asking a judge to compel the county to issue a special-use permit for the structure, which the company said would improve cellular phone reception for Verizon and T-Mobile customers.

County Commission Chairman Ben Rich declined to comment on the lawsuit.

"The board members have voted on this, each one for their own individual reasons," he said. The tower is proposed for 278 Roscoe Blvd. in Ponte Vedra Beach. It would stand 150 feet tall with a 5-foot lighting rod.

Without it, both cell phone companies' service is unreliable in the area, according to the lawsuit, and 911 service also is compromised.

William Rand, Verticality's registered agent in Florida, did not return a call seeking comment. According to the company's Web site, Verticality has tower sites in seven states, including ones near Interstates 95 and 295 on Jacksonville's Northside and near Goodbys Creek.

The county voted the structure down at its Oct. 31 meeting after hearing from residents who argued the tower was unsightly.

Plans for the tower also did not meet a 250-foot setback the county required.

In its suit, which was filed last week, Verticality maintains there is no parcel of property available in the area where the tower is needed that would meet that standard, and no other tower standing Verizon or T-Mobile can use. The company accuses St. Johns of violating several federal laws, including those that say the county needs to base denial of a cell tower on "substantial evidence in a written record."

Verticality's lawyers argue the county did not meet that standard.

According to the lawsuit, Verticality presented commissioners with statements showing the tower's need, as well as opinions that it would not adversely affect property values and would have no impact on historic properties or environmental areas.

The county denied the permit saying waiving the setback would be detrimental. It said the tower was not compatible with the neighborhood and not needed to provide cell phone service to the area.

annemarie.apollo@jacksonville.com (904) 359-4470

Bartow commissioner fighting to save oaks

By Suzie Schottelkotte

The Ledger

BARTOW — With developers knocking at Bartow's door, chainsaws in hand, one city commissioner wants to save some of the towering trees that gave the city its slogan.

"We're supposed to be the 'city of oaks,' " said City Commissioner James Clements, "but we're letting all these 100-year-old oaks go. I think we need to do what we can to save them."

At a recent commission workshop, Clements proposed adopting a policy that would preserve these old trees. He said he didn't have any specifics to offer, but wanted to explore the options for such a policy.

"I'm just bringing it up and saying that we should talk about it to see if there's anything we can do," he said.

Clements said he started thinking about the tree issue when he reviewed plans for a 550-acre site for an active-adult community on U.S. 98 North.

"When Silver did their first site plan, they tried to save as many of the oaks as they could," he said. "They were going to build the houses where the orange groves and open pastures are now."

Then John and Terry Frost, who live just west of the site, filed a lawsuit against Silver challenging the development.

That led to changes in the site plan — changes Clements said may bring down many of the stately oaks on that property.

"They moved some things around, and they sold 40 acres on the north end to the School Board to build a school and put in a road," Clements said. "There are a lot of old trees up there, and I'd like to see something done to protect them. Once those trees are gone, it'll take another 100 years to get them back."

Clements also mentioned a new apartment complex under construction on East Church Street near North Second Avenue, which brought down several towering oaks.

Another cluster of large oaks came down when the new Holiday Inn was built on Broadway Avenue.

"I just think if we don't do something now, it's going to be too late," he said.

City Attorney George Dunlap III said the city's existing ordinance on trees and landscaping is pretty general when it comes to tree preservation.
"It goes into detail about landscaped buffers and the kinds of trees that should be planted," he said, "and it mentions that care should be taken to protect the existing trees, but it's very general."

Commissioners are expected to discuss the issue in greater depth next month, perhaps examining similar policies in other communities that could be applied in Bartow.

Wal-Mart foes cite grievances

By MICHAEL D. BATES
mbates@hernandotoday.com


BROOKSVILLE — Foes of the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter off Barclay Avenue said the giant retailer’s store would violate the county’s code of ordinances and have specifically cited 11 deficiencies in a letter sent to the planning department.

Planning and zoning commissioners are scheduled to discuss Wal-Mart’s master plan at their Jan. 8 meeting, despite a plea from representatives of four local homeowners’ associations to pull the item off the agenda.

That meeting is expected to draw hundreds of angry homeowners from the affected communities, including Pristine Place, Silverthorn, The Oaks and Plantation Estates.

In their Dec. 7 letter to Ron Pianta, the county’s planning director, homeowners’ representatives said the master plan Wal-Mart submitted to the county fails to include:

• Natural features, wetlands and accurate lists of wildlife and plants

• Surrounding zoning classifications

• Surrounding land uses

• Topographical information, including the land features on the property

Retailers and developers submit master plans, or “blueprints” to planners who use them as the basis for their zoning decisions because they typically include the land features, environmental concerns and future plans for the land.

The homeowners’ letter also found exception to Wal-Mart’s narrative, which developers send to “sell” the project to staffers in hopes of getting a favorable zoning decision.

According to the community letter, the retailer’s narrative failed to include:

• Proposed land uses

• The proposed intensity of the commercial uses and square footage

• The separation distances for each classified land use within the planned development project

• Proposed setbacks and minimum sizes for individual lots

• Condition of and impact on the area’s natural features

• Impact on the infrastructure in the area, which includes roads

• Proposed improvements to the infrastructure

The homeowners believe a 24-hour Wal-Mart at Barclay would increase traffic congestion, destroy the environment and increase the crime rate.

Also opposing the store are members of the United Communities of Hernando County, an umbrella organization representing of about 20 county homeowners and property associations.

Fred Maier is a representative from Pristine Place for United Communities. He said the effort to block the retailer is not about Wal-Mart. It’s all about location, on the east side of Barclay Avenue, between Suncoast Villa Apartments at the Publix-anchored Barclay Square.

“I’m not anti-Wal-Mart,” Maier said. “I shop at Wal-Mart and I am not a ‘Nimby’ (Not in my backyard). It’s just not a good fit there.”

Maier said there might be more community groups joining to oppose the Wal-Mart at Barclay.

“Look at where other Wal-Marts are — they’re all on major commercial corridors: U.S. 41, State Road 50 and U.S. 19,” he said. “They are in no conflict with residential communities. Now, they’re going to put one on Barclay Avenue with a school (Powell Middle) right up the block.

“First of all, we already have three Wal-Marts in the area and a Sam’s Club. We don’t need another one,” Maier added.

The property, part of the large Holland Springs development, has the necessary zoning for a Wal-Mart, but requires a master plan revision.

Between Pristine Place and the apartment complex, there are about 1,100 homes, far too dense for a major shopping center, he said.

Maier said he and his neighbors are upset that the county has not addressed their letter nor called a special meeting to discuss options. However, Pianta told Hernando Today last week that he was taking their concerns into consideration as he and his staff draft a staff report to present to planning and zoning commissioners Jan. 8.

They can either recommend or deny the master plan revision. The zoning for a commercial complex is already in place.

But just because Wal-Mart has the zoning does not mean that it has carte blanche to build there, Maier said

Kristen Tolbert, a representative with Bricklemyer, Smolker & Bolves, representing Wal-Mart, could not be reached Tuesday.

However, Tolbert told Hernando Today last week that she would attempt to arrange a meeting with concerned residents to discuss details of the project.

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be contacted at 352-544-5290.

Gadsden grower goes green
Man sells veggies to area restaurants
By Nikki Beare
SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT

SALEM - In 2001, three years after Wayne and Charlotte Hawthorne bought 30 acres in the Havana area, Wayne decided to build a hoop greenhouse and get into hydroponics.

A hoop greenhouse has semicircular hoops covered with two layers of heavy-duty plastic film. The air pocket between the layers helps control the temperature of the greenhouse.

And hydroponics? It provides the needed nutrients via a liquid growing system. No pesticides, no herbicides, no dirt. At his Blue Ridge Farm, Wayne grows only greens, and area restaurants are beginning to discover them.

"These are the greatest greens I have ever seen," said Brian Bermingham, chef for Andrew's 228 restaurant. "I love them. (It is) fresher than getting organic lettuce from California. ... All I have to do is call Wayne and he drives it here right away."

Wayne went with hydroponics after he had done considerable research and decided that organic methods were too difficult for the small farmer.

"Hydroponics has matured over the years," he said. "[This] is a healthy weed-free system, and the food is safe to eat raw.

"So far as we can determine, there are no other greens-growing hydroponics systems in this area."

An Air Lock system protects the plants from bugs. It's a double-door system. You enter through an outside door, and there's a work station between that door and the entrance to the actual 21-by-80-foot greenhouse. It prevents people from bringing bugs and tracking debris into the actual growing area.

The plants themselves are grown in miniature pots set in the growing liquid that moistens their roots. He grows Butter Crunch, Bibb, Red Oak, Green Oak and Lolla Rosa lettuce, to name a few. He also grows arugula, radicchio and chives.

Wayne, 59, graduated from Florida State with a bachelor's degree in social welfare and still practices hypnosis and counseling. He always wanted to grow things and never had a chance until now.

His wife, Charlotte, 48, was working at the Ocala airport when she met Wayne, who flew in there often. They love what they call the Old Florida feel of Gadsden County.

"When I built this greenhouse and started raising healthy and beautiful greens, I had a new lease on life," Wayne said.

"After growing my first batch of greens, I went into Tallahassee and started pitching the restaurants." Clients now include the Governor's Club, Cypress and Cafe Cabernet. Their greens can also be found at New Leaf Market.

Bob Prather, a neighbor, bought several bags of greens for the holiday last weekend.

"This is a much better quality of greens than the conventional ones you get at the supermarket," he said. "And it is pesticide-free."

The price is $2.50 per bunch, which fills a regular plastic grocery bag.

From Tallahassee, take U.S. Highway 27 north to Havana, go to the first traffic light, turn left and you're on State Road 12 (Havana Highway). Go about a mile. At the Salem convenience store there's a flashing red light. Turn right onto County Road 159. Take it to the Y and keep left. Stay on 159 until you come to Fred Smith Road. Turn tight and go 1.9 miles. On your right you'll see the hoop greenhouse. If you want to visit anytime other than 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, call first: (850) 875-9572 or (850) 544-0714.

Unity Best Hope For Citrus

Tampa Tribune Editorial Published: Dec 26, 2006

A fight is brewing between Florida citrus growers and the Brazilian-owned processing houses that now process half the state's juice.

For more than 50 years, Florida's fruit processors and packing houses have voluntarily collected a small per-box fee from growers to fund Florida Citrus Mutual, a growers' association that lobbies for orange interests in Washington and Tallahassee.

But three Brazilian-owned or affiliated companies doing business in Florida, still smarting from a Citrus Mutual lawsuit accusing them of unfair trade practices, say they will no longer collect the fee. The processors - including two in Polk County - may sue the Florida Department of Citrus if it enforces a new regulation requiring them to do so.

While hardly the gravest threat facing Florida's turbulent citrus industry, the rift is rattling the bedrock trade association that represents the state's 10,000-or-so citrus growers.

Given that hope has been lost for containing citrus canker, and now an even more virulent disease called "citrus greening" is devastating groves, an internal standoff is the last thing Florida's legendary industry needs.

Changed Landscape For Citrus

The citrus business is dominated by two major players: Florida and Brazil. Together they produce 90 percent of the world's orange juice.

Florida growers continue to dominate the U.S. market, thanks to a tariff on Brazilian juice imports - a unique duty that has merit.

Still, Brazil ships concentrated juice to Florida because it's needed to meet consumer demand. It has also developed a way to ship not-from-concentrate juice, a clear threat to Florida's market and the reason that competition with Brazil topped Citrus Mutual's list of issues prior to the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005.

Brazil grows its fruit for a fraction of Florida's costs. Even after paying the 29-cent tariff, the price of Brazil's frozen concentrate sells for about 35 cents less than Florida's. While this page believes in free trade, without this tariff Florida's citrus industry could not compete and Brazil would assume a monopoly that would hurt Florida's economy and consumers worldwide.

Brazil faces some of the same challenges as the citrus industry here. Groves there have canker, greening and other diseases, and the sugar industry covets its land to grow crops for ethanol producers. However, Brazil does not face the strict regulations Florida demands of the industry, or the labor costs growers and processors endure, which is why it can produce fruit for roughly half the cost.

Freezes Changed Everything

In Florida, the arrival of the Brazilians followed the devastating freezes of the 1980s. Before, large growers like Ben Hill Griffin or citrus cooperatives formed by groups of growers developed a sort of "old boy network," aligning with smaller growers to buy and process their fruit.

But the citrus business has changed. Since the freezes, the citrus industry has increasingly moved south. Thousands of acres have been planted near Lake Okeechobee. At the same time, the number of processing plants has shrunk from about 50 to 10, with Brazilian companies controlling half the processing capacity.

Consolidation has shifted the industry's business model and the pillars of its political base. Because packing houses and processors sign long-term contracts with the large and medium-sized groves, large growers can find themselves at odds with the interests of small-grove owners, who scramble every year to eke out a profit in an extremely challenging environment.

Because of the obstacles and the rising value of their land, owners of small groves can't be blamed for selling out to developers. If you drive along Interstate 4 or Highway 60 in eastern Hillsborough, the transformation is obvious. Just two weeks ago, an old grove fronting Highway 60 north of Plant City was bulldozed.

However, growers fighting to preserve their way of life rely on Citrus Mutual for advocacy and support. And that is how the seeds of today's struggle began.

Dumping Lawsuit

Three years ago Citrus Mutual sued Cutrale, Citrosuco and other Brazilian processors for illegally exporting juice at below-market costs and dumping it here at a disadvantage to Florida growers. The federal government ruled for the growers and imposed punitive tariffs on future exports from Brazil. Now the processors figure they shouldn't have to collect fees for an organization that sued them, and there's logic in their reasoning.

that the 2006 Legislature passed a trade association law - crafted to address the citrus feud - that allows the Department of Citrus to collect the per-box fee from the processors to benefit Citrus Mutual. Trying to collect the fee from individual growers would be too unwieldy - and uncertain - the reasoning goes.

Given Gov. Jeb Bush's aversion to onerous business regulations, it's surprising he signed the bill. Government has no business requiring companies to collect money for a private trade association, no matter the importance of this landmark industry. The processors would be justified in challenging the law.

Still, the Brazilian companies s benefit from Citrus Mutual's lobbying efforts and the advertising campaigns funded by Department of Citrus collections. Rather than distancing itself from the trade association, the companies should continue to collect the assessments and work from within to create changes that benefit the industry.

And it's time for Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson to step up. He should use his influence to facilitate a compromise that respects today's realities yet preserves the grower's association, an icon on Florida's political landscape.

Growers need the collective muscle of Citrus Mutual to address the roiling changes they collectively face.

With a unified front they could work toward disease eradication and grow world markets by encouraging more people to drink orange juice.

Too much is at stake for the leaders of Florida agriculture to left this rift stand.