Punta Gorda to sell its water
Tuckers Grade developer makes the city a $5.6M offer it cannot refuse.
The city stands to make about $5.6 million in one-time fees if it sells city water to the Realmark Group for its proposed mixed-use development of 2,000 residential and commercial units in Tuckers Grade. The area is located south of the city between U.S. 41 and Interstate 75.
"It makes an offer we can't refuse," Mayor Larry Friedman said Tuesday.
The proposal goes before the city council today.
In the past, the city has refused to sell water to any development outside its utility service area, which extends beyond the city's official official boundaries into adjacent portions of unincorporated south Charlotte County.
City officials have been reluctant to go beyond those lines because its first priority has been to ensure it can meet the needs of its existing customers.
But Realmark has offered to pay for a water study and then cover the brunt of the costs to expand capacity.
Realmark wants the city to eventually provide 100,000 gallons per day initially and progressively increase to 500,000 gallons when Realmark Tuckers Grade is finished in about 10 years.
Charlotte County proposes to extend its water lines to the Tuckers Grade area by 2015 but could not promise any water for at least 10 years and even then gave no guarantee.
Instead, Realmark offered to help Punta Gorda acquire a permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District for the additional 500,000 gallons Realmark would need.
The company also offered to cover the costs to extend the city's transmission lines to the project and pay retail rates rather than bulk rates.
In addition, the developer proposes to build an on-site groundwater storage tank and pump system to reduce the effect on the city's system.
The request would mean a major change in city policy, one of the first since the November election, when voters elected two council members considered to be friendly to development.
At the end of October, city staff had recommended against selling water to Realmark. The city manager was reluctant because Punta Gorda has no guarantee the county would have lines in place in time.
Howard Kunik also was concerned whether the city could expand to a new area while serving its customer base and providing water already contracted to the Peace River Regional Water Authority.
But Friedman and others said the city should handle each request on its own merits.
"There are so many pluses to us selling them water, verses any negatives, that it appears to be a good deal for us," Councilwoman Marilyn Smith-Mooney said.
Councilman Charles Wallace said he wants to make sure the time frames work. "The numbers look very interesting," he said. "We just have to make sure we have the capacity."
Water plant up for debate
Company wants to pump from Wakulla County
Wakulla Springs Bottled Water Inc. again is seeking approval from Wakulla County for a water-bottling plant.
The company's previous proposal to build 1.7 miles from Wakulla Springs in 2005 was rejected by the Wakulla County Commission amid opposition. On Tuesday, the company filed a new application for approval on 17 acres at Spring Creek Highway at Wakulla-Arran Road.
The company has a state permit to pump 70,900 gallons a day - which is less than in 2005 when the company was denied. Some environmentalists say allowing the pumping would encourage other bottling companies to come to Wakulla County.
Paul Johnson, a consultant to Wakulla Springs Bottled Water, says the proposal is entirely new because it would use less water and would restrict future development on the plant site and adjoining property.
"We listened very carefully to the concerns Wakulla County residents had and addressed the proposals around those concerns," Johnson said.
But Debbie Atkins, a Wakulla County resident who attended the company's workshops last fall, said the proposal should be rejected again to protect the county's groundwater.
"(Company officials) are thirsty for the money and not for the water," Atkins said.
The Northwest Florida Water Management District says groundwater in the Wakulla Springs area is plentiful.
The agency previously issued a permit to Wakulla Springs Bottled Water for up to 1.4 million gallons per day. The company, which includes Ruth and D. P. "Dan" High and partner Sidney Gray, requested and received a permit for less water in 2006.
The application, filed by Gray, says the water-bottling plant would provide clean industry for the county. The plant would employ 52 people with average annual salaries of more than $30,000, according to the application.
The company also has agreed to enter into a revenue-sharing deal with Wakulla County, according to the application. But Johnson said he doesn't expect the company to offer a deal until later, when it seeks site-plan approval.
"It will depend on the commission and the other owners of the bottling plant," Johnson said.
Wakulla County Commissioner Ed Brimner, who voted with the 3-2 majority to reject the proposal in 2005, said he doesn't know how he will vote this time. He said he wants a revenue-sharing deal and he wants the county to have authority to shut down the plant if there isn't enough water.
"Certainly we would want the state to do it," Brimner said. "But if they didn't, we would want the authority to."
Johnson said the Northwest Florida Water Management District has authority in the state permit to shut down pumping. The company says in its application that it would reduce or end pumping if a water shortage is declared.
Commissioner Howard Kessler questioned whether there would be as many jobs as the company says. But he also added that the jobs are not the main issue.
"The big issue is - does our county and our citizens want this kind of industry in Wakulla County?" Kessler said
Polar Bears' Significance To Florida
Tampa Tribune Editorial Published: Jan 3, 2007
The plight of the polar bear should concern all Floridians, whether you love wildlife or not. The U.S. Department of the Interior wants to list the bears as endangered species because their numbers are plummeting.
Higher temperatures are melting the arctic ice and the bear's hunting grounds are dwindling.
The melting ice could, over time, increase sea levels enough to be disastrous for low-lying Florida. Scientists predict our beaches would be wiped away if sea levels rise 15 inches in the next century - the mid-range of scientific estimates given, should global warming continue. The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council estimates that more than 200 square miles of local land probably would need protection from inundation or erosion. The price tag would be staggering.
So Floridians share more kinship with the arctic predator than they realize.
Some scientists dispute the reality of global warming, particularly the significance of greenhouse gases. But they are in the minority. And new evidence appears to shore up the global-warming case. A recent report by the National Academies of Science found that Earth's temperatures have risen about 1 degree over the past century, which researchers called an "unprecedented" development. Two other recent studies linked global warming to stronger hurricanes. And researchers at the National Research Council concluded that the past few decades of the 20th century were the warmest in 400 years - "potentially" in several thousand years.
All this does not mean the nation should throw economic concerns to the wind in a panicky effort to eliminate greenhouse emissions. But it does suggest that ignoring the threat, as this nation has largely done, is irresponsible. The nation needs to get serious about developing clean energy sources and increasing conservation.
If we save the polar bear's habitat, we may also save Florida.
Levy wants to be ready should a tsunami hit BRONSON — Among the disaster scenarios that Mark Johnson and his staff have been considering is how Levy County would respond to a tsunami. This year Johnson, the county's emergency operations director, is drafting a plan for the what-if scenario of a tsunami landing at Cedar Key, Yankeetown or the entire Levy coastline.Johnson's efforts are being encouraged by federal officials, even though they say the odds of it ever happening are miniscule.
"The thing about a tsunami is that it is a low probability, high impact event and that is why we are even talking about it," said Dan Noah, the National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist for the Guf Coast between Levy County and Fort Myers. "The chances are that we will not have one in our lifetimes, but that there will be a tsunami in the Gulf during someone's lifetime and it is up to emergency managers to prepare for all hazards."
Most tsunamis are formed by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption. The movement on the floor of an ocean raises up a tall, fast-moving wave like the one that formed in the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26, 2004, and killed 230,000 people.
"We used to think that earthquakes were uncommon in the Gulf but maybe they are more common than we thought since we had those two last year," Noah said.
A February earthquake with a 5.2 magnitude was recorded close to Louisiana. A September quake with a 5.9 magnitude was recorded 250 miles west of Tampa and due south of Alabama. It was the strongest quake recorded in the Gulf in 33 years.
To alert Cedar Key residents about a tsunami — or anything else Mother Nature may throw at the island city — City Commissioner Pat O'Neal said huge sirens provided by Progress Energy are being installed this year. O'Neal said they sound like air-raid sirens.
"Now we are in the process of educating people about what to do when they hear the siren," O'Neal said. "It's pretty simple — if you hear one of those sirens, you know it's time to leave no matter what the emergency is."
Noah said a tsunami wave extends from the surface of an ocean to the floor. They have been known to move up to 500 mph in deep water but slow considerably — to 22 mph in 33 feet of water.
"A lot of that energy is cut off when you cut it off from beneath as is moves into shallower water," Noah said. "There is a shallow continental shelf in the Gulf, so we wouldn't see those huge waves like we would from the Atlantic."
"On the East Coast, we say people should get 10 feet up from the Atlantic (ocean) or move 300 feet inland," Noah said. "On the Gulf Coast, we want you to get out of the water. People can barely stand up in a 6 mile per hour current, so if a tsunami is traveling at 20 miles per hour and you stay in the water, you will be dragged along the shoreline and slammed into boats or whatever else is there."
To be declared tsunami ready, a community must meet several federally established standards, which are nearly identical to federal standards for community to be storm ready, such as having evacuation plans and and multiple warning systems in place.
At the end of December, federal officials had declared 37 municipalities as tsunami ready, but only one was in Florida, the Atlantic Coast community of Indian Harbour Beach.
"And we're working to have Levy County become the first on the Gulf Coast to be tsunami ready," Johnson said.
Karen Voyles can be reached at 486-5058 or voylesk@gvillesun.com
Weeki Wachee Springs algae removal stalled
By MORGAN C. MOELLERmmoeller@hernandotoday.com
WEEKI WACHEE — The toxic algae choking native vegetation at Weeki Wachee Springs is here to stay — at least for another year.
The Southwest Florida Water Management District (Swiftmud) had plans to combat the nuisance vegetation that carpets the spring through a one-two punch of redirecting and treating stormwater runoff and removing the algae.
After the algae is removed, Swiftmud planned to replant the spring with native vegetation. Essentially, Weeki Wachee would undergo a complete restoration.
The project was scheduled to begin about now so it would be completed before March, the beginning of the attraction’s peak season. But when Swiftmud put the project out to bid, there was only one proposal submitted. It was about $275,000 more than the projected cost of $300,929.
Swiftmud plans to get approval for more funding and put the project up for grabs again, according to Rebecca Courier, Swiftmud’s communication coordinator.
But because the district wants to have as little impact as possible on the attraction’s business, officials will wait until next winter to move ahead with the restoration. It won’t be until spring or summer 2008 that the algae itself is removed and the spring is replanted, Courier said.
Meanwhile, thick, hair-like algae called lyngbya cling to limestone submerged in the spring. Gone is much of the grassy vegetation that grew from the spring’s bottom in years past. The silky algae hinder light from getting to other aquatic plant life and often spreads to create dense mats at the floor of the water body it inhabits.
When it breaks loose and floats downstream it hangs up on other vegetation down river. As it begins to die at the water’s surface it creates a nasty odor.
“It’s a problem because when it grows it will grow everywhere, and what it will do is it will dominate and out-compete any desirable vegetation that should be there,” said Veronica Craw, environmental manager at the Southwest Florida Water Management District (Swiftmud). “...There are some areas (in Weeki Wachee Spring) where this stuff is super-thick, and it has basically taken over the system.”
In other water bodies infested with lyngbya, the algae are associated with the deaths of fish or skin problems in humans. The district has not seen any “fish kills,” Craw said.
Al Gray, Hernando County environmental health director, said over the last year he’s received a few reports of skin conditions that may have been associated with lyngbya. One girl who swam in the Weekiwachee River on a regular basis was diagnosed with dermatitis. But none of the cases were confirmed, he said.
It’s estimated that there’s about a 1,000 cubic yards of lyngbya in the head spring and another 5,000 cubic yards of sediment and other “organics” that have settled at the top of the river near the Buccaneer Bay, according to Swiftmud spokesman Michael Molligan.
It’s unclear when the nuisance algae began choking out native vegetation or how it ended up in the spring, Craw said. In some areas where lyngbya thrives, experts believe it’s because of slow-moving water. In other areas it may be attributed to recreational impacts or disturbance, she said. Still, some people think it’s because of increased nutrients in the water due to things like fertilizer in water runoff.
Whether it’s native or non-native is also debatable, she said.
What is perfectly clear is the negative impact the algae’s had on the spring. In addition to choking other plant life, lyngbya is known to indirectly impact fish as well.
“Aquatic vegetation is very big fish habitat, especially during ... breeding,” Craw said. “It’s a necessary habitat for juvenile fish for refuge for them from predators. So any sort of impact on native grass would be a definite impact on native fisheries.”
The first phase of Swiftmud’s project will address storm water runoff. At this point, water that runs off the parking lot at the Weeki Wachee Springs attraction goes into the spring untreated. Nutrients in the water enhance algae growth and sediments in it impact water quality.
Swiftmud will build two retention ponds near the parking lot, one at the western corner of the lot and another southeast of the lot along U.S. 19. Drop inlets will divert runoff from the parking lot to the ponds, where the water will essentially self-treat, said Scott Letasi, a staff engineer for Swiftmud.
While the water is in the retention area, sediment that would have traveled directly into the spring will settle. In the event of a major storm, the system will allow excess water to be diverted into the river downstream rather than at the head spring.
That’s phase one — diverting not-so-good stuff from getting into the spring. Once that’s under control, they can start on actually removing the algae from areas surrounding the head spring. Though plans aren’t final, Craw said removal will most likely involve some type of dredging. After they rip out the algae, they’ll replant native species.
Some lyngbya-laden areas have used herbicides to successfully oust the algae, but that’s not the best option for Weeki Wachee, Craw said. The spring is designated an “outstanding Florida water body,” or a water body worthy of special protection because of its natural attributes. The designation is intended to protect existing good water quality, Craw said. In addition, the river moves so quickly herbicides would not be effective, officials say.
For now, the district will try mechanical removal. Because research is still being conducted to gain better understanding of nuisance vegetation, no one knows how long the fix will last, Craw said.
Consumer education will play a large role, Molligan said. Area residents are responsible to some extent for the thriving lyngbya algae. Excess nutrients in fertilizer ultimately seep into the ground and wind up in the spring. Those nutrients fuel growth of nuisance vegetation.
Through the Florida Yards and Neighbors program, Swiftmud officials hope to educate consumers on responsible use of fertilizer. The department will also launch a media campaign to promote Florida-friendly landscaping, which ultimately preserves water and improves water quality.
“Improve water quality and reduce the things that help cause bad water quality, and that will reduce the likelihood that they’ll come back,” Molligan said.
Reporter Morgan Moeller can be contacted at 352-544-5229.
May Slow Rush to Develop |
Last week I reviewed some of the environmental highlights of 2006.
Today I want to look ahead at 2007.
One major change that has implications for wildlife conservation and
development policy is the move to increase protection for gopher
tortoises.
State wildlife officials have agreed to reclassify the gopher tortoise
from a species of special concern to a threatened species. What that means
will depend on what's contained in a management plan. That plan, which is
due sometime this year, will supply the details on how this increased
protection will be carried out.
The hope is that the reclassification will slow the routine permission to
kill hundreds of these reptiles a year in exchange for
"mitigation," which under the current state formula uses
below-market land values in the calculation, resulting in anything but a
fair trade.
The details of the management plan will be important, given the history of
this species' treatment, even after it achieved "protected"
status.
Although state wildlife officials classified the gopher tortoise as a
species of special concern in 1979, it wasn't until 1988 that it actually
became illegal to hunt them for food or the pet trade.
In 1989, state officials went further and banned gopher tortoise races.
I'm not making this up.
The decision to reclassify gopher tortoises was based on continued
population declines - more than 50 percent in the past century - and
expected increased decline in the future without additional protection.
Gopher tortoises were hunted for decades for food and in recent years have
faced additional threats because the high and dry land they favor is in
the path of development.
Protection of gopher tortoises would also protect a variety of other
species that use the tortoises' burrows, making them an important part of
upland ecosystems.
Now, let's turn our attention to growth management in general.
Coming soon is a test to see whether the people who are grumbling about
the county's growth decisions are willing to try to do something about it
or whether they will leave the decision to the same folks who have been
calling the shots for the past 35 years.
The test will be whether they participate in the public meetings on the
revision of the county's growth plan. The meetings will occur this month.
By the way, if you live in a city, the cities are supposed to be going
through the same process. If you live in a city whose growth rules don't
make sense to you, consider getting involved.
If you get involved in countywide growth management changes, what are some
of the issues that have been ignored in the past and could use some
attention?
Here's my short list; feel free to bring your own.
Water conservation: The current rules pay lip service to this
issue. Attempts to get serious have been blocked by a combination of
opposition from the development industry and apathy on the part of elected
officials. We can do better.
Tree protection: It is unavoidable that when land is cleared for
development that the landscape will suffer. However, the current county
regulations don't make much of an attempt to introduce any standards that
could get people thinking about where trees fit in a developed landscape.
That should change.
Urban growth boundaries: There should be a public discussion about
where urban-type development should occur in Polk County and where it
should not. That discussion should be accompanied by a discussion about
how to fairly and legally implement that vision. Transfer of development
rights from rural areas and an agreement to tolerate denser development in
urban areas will be part of that discussion.
School concurrency: Yes, state law requires it and county and
school staffers are working to devise a way to make sure new development
doesn't continue to overwhelm the school system. Nevertheless, the real
discussion will occur when it comes time to define precisely what
standards should be used to achieve this goal. Pay attention to this one.
What happens statewide could affect local decisions, too.
This month the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida will issue its
first set of recommendations.
This is the committee appointed in 2005 to take a long-range look at
Florida's future. If you go to www.centurycommission.org/home.asp
you can see what they're up to and comment.
2006 was a good year for preservation of wildlife habitat and working to
expand the park system.
This property provides some great public recreation, but what's lacking is
any overall summary of what's available.
That's especially true of the trail system.
A good project for 2007 would be the development of a countywide trail map
that would be available to residents and tourists.
That could bring pressure to link as many of the trails as possible to
create some kind of countywide trail network.
Although the discussion has primarily involved trails for hiking,
bicycling and horseback riding, perhaps it's time to think more broadly.
We need to figure out a way to develop a "blueway" network as
well to take advantage of the recreational potential of our scenic rivers
and creeks.
This will take more work because very little support infrastructure is
available.
Maybe everything won't be completed this year, but this year would
certainly be a good time to start.
Happy New Year.
Tom Palmer can be reached at tom.palmer@theledger.com
or 863-802-7535
19 States Issue Alert On Mortgages
Published: Jan 3, 2007
WASHINGTON - Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have moved quickly to warn state-regulated lenders about the hazards to consumers from nontraditional mortgages.
Tens of thousands of state-licensed lenders and mortgage brokers are affected by the advisories, also known as a "guidance." Such loans include interest-only mortgages and other arrangements in which the borrower cuts monthly costs by paying back less than full interest and principal.
The states are following closely behind federal banking regulators, who issued a sternly worded advisory in late September to the lenders they supervise, telling them they should not make these loans to borrowers who may be unable to repay them. Within 24 hours after the federal guidance was released, six states had issued similar warnings to their own lenders, a notable flurry of activity in a field known for its slow-moving bureaucracies.
"They were ready for this; they wanted it," said Mike Stevens, senior vice president for regulatory affairs at the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, who said it was the fastest state-by-state regulatory rollout he had ever seen. "We had a national need to do this."
Nontraditional loans, also known as "exotic" mortgages, once marketed to the wealthy as a cash-management tool, have expanded to the mass market because they allow borrowers to pay only the interest on a loan, or a partial monthly payment, without paying down the principal.
In 2003, 10.6 percent of new loans tracked by First American LoanPerformance, a San Francisco-based real estate information service, were nontraditional mortgages. During the first nine months of 2006, about 34.1 percent of all borrowers used these loans to buy or refinance homes. In the Washington area, where housing prices have skyrocketed in the past five years, about 47.7 percent of loans originated in 2006 were nontraditional, versus 10.7 percent in 2003.
These loans became popular because they let borrowers stretch to afford homes. The concern is that some borrowers may not fully understand they face payment "resets," or upward adjustments after a set period, often three to five years.
Regulators have noted that many consumers are unaware their payments could double or triple when they reset. At a recent Consumer Bankers Association conference, some lenders marketing fixed-rate loans to borrowers with nontraditional mortgages said that 30 percent to 50 percent of the borrowers seemed unaware of the resets looming.
Many economists now say the surge in these loans contributed to the real estate boom of the past few years. Regions that had the highest rates of nontraditional lending were also areas where housing prices rose most quickly.
Regulators and consumer activists also say these loans increase the risk of foreclosure, particularly if monthly payments jump at a time when home prices are stagnant, making it more difficult to sell homes or refinance into other loans.
The Conference of State Bank Supervisors put out a model set of guidelines based on the federal guidance. It spells out that lenders must take into account whether borrowers will be able to afford to pay when the loans reset and must explain the loans more explicitly.
The warnings vary by state, as does the universe of mortgage lenders covered by each state. Some state regulators have proposed the guidance but are awaiting final approval.
The federal guidance covers institutions that have federal deposit insurance. These state warnings will encompass lenders who do not also accept deposits.
In Kentucky, the guidance covers about 525 enterprises, including mortgage brokers and lenders; in Indiana, it covers 350 licensed second-mortgage brokers; in Connecticut, it covers more than 3,800 licensed mortgage companies; in Iowa it covers 342 state-chartered banks, 110 loan companies and 737 mortgage brokers or lenders.
Many federally supervised lenders opposed the federal government's decision to issue a guidance on nontraditional lending, saying they think it was overly prescriptive and that restrictions might block consumers from receiving loans. They also expressed concerns that they would be subject to federal restrictions while state-regulated lenders would be unaffected.
"The idea is to get as much consistency as possible out there for all the players," said Mark Tarpey, division supervisor for the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions.
City Commissioners Reject Rezoning PlanThe rezoning would have allowed planning director Bob Wiegers and his wife, Lisa, to build eight homes on the site at South Kissengen Avenue and Mann Road.
Current zoning allows for only six houses.
Wiegers didn't particpate in the city review of the rezoning application or the presentation to commissioners Tuesday.
Commissioners voted 3-2 to deny the request.
Late last year, the city's planning and zoning commission voted 3-2 to recommend the request be denied.
New high-end project in works
CHUIN-WEI YAPPublished January 3, 2007
SPRING HILL - Land O'Lakes developer John Dalfino made headlines in 2000 when he announced plans to turn an illegal rock 'n' roll campsite east of Ehren Cutoff - a favored haunt for members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang - into a 97-acre upscale subdivision.
He even called the 37-home development Outlaw Ridge, preserving a bit of local history in the monolith of suburbia.
Now Dalfino wants to bring the same touch to a 100-acre pasture in the northern reaches of central Pasco that used to belong to Hernando County developer Ralph Glover.
The property is zoned for more than 600 mobile homes.
But under Dalfino's plan, it's poised to become a ring of million-dollar homes around a 50-acre lake, to be called Lago Verde.
The lake will be the artificial leftover of a sand mine that Dalfino wants to dig before he creates the subdivision. Little wonder, with the cost of dirt having tripled since 2003 to $30.56 a cubic yard.
But if Outlaw Ridge is to be a model, Lago Verde may take years to get going, and only after the sand pit has been mined out.
To date, just a handful of homes are starting to get built in Outlaw Ridge, though a stately subdivision sign and a boat trailer park have gone up.
The Lago Verde proposal goes before the Planning Commission on Feb. 7 and is scheduled to be heard at the County Commission on Feb. 20 at the West Pasco Government Center in New Port Richey.
Dalfino, whose company is called Outlaw Ridge Inc., is behind other Pasco projects, including the 212-acre Asbel Creek at U.S. 41 and Asbel Road, Hidden River in Zephyrhills, and developments in Dade City. He is also working in Hillsborough County.
At Lago Verde, at the southwestern corner of U.S. 41 and Somerset Acres Lane, Dalfino wants to raise only 19 homes.
But these will be 19 pricey homes.
"They'll be high-end homes," he said. "Outlaw Ridge has $1.5-million homes in there. The design for Lago Verde is basically identical to the Outlaw Ridge subdivision."
County records show that the pasture is home to only a dairy feed warehouse, built in 1930.
As with Outlaw Ridge, part of the Lago Verde deal includes digging a huge sand mine that would later be a lake for the development.
Dirt from the 50-acre, 27-foot-deep pit will be sold or used for fill in the development, Dalfino said.
When all is said and done, the pit will be turned into a waterski lake, he said.
County records show that Dalfino bought the property from Glover in September 2005 for $3.2-million.
Chuin-Wei Yap covers growth and development. He can be reached at (813) 909-4613 or cyap@sptimes.com.
Toll road will only escalate growth
St. Pete Times Letters to the Editor Published January 3, 2007
To the county commissioners: You must have seen the article in the business section of the Dec. 8 St. Petersburg Times concerning the urbanization of Central Florida.
If you read it, you will be concerned about how Citrus County will look in a few years, and you might have come to some of the following conclusions:
- Citrus County is losing the battle with growth that will lead us to become another Pasco or Pinellas county. Notice I did not say "lost."
- We have battles to fight every day just to keep our wetlands from becoming developments. Several well-reported instances are the Halls River issue and the RV park on State Road 44 east of Inverness.
- Our growth will continue no matter what anyone does. However, we have an extremely important issue staring us in the face today, and that is the extension of the toll road through Citrus County. You have used the toll road in Hernando County to go to Hillsborough County at least once in the last two years. You can see that this road has made development much easier and quicker than it would have been had the road not been built. It opens land for development at little cost to developers.
- On Dec. 5, the state Department of Transportation made a courtesy presentation to the County Commission concerning the five-year plan for Citrus County. During this presentation, the comment was made that plans for the toll road would be presented to the commissioners soon for their acceptance or rejection. This comment gave some of us hope that you have the authority to make the final decision on whether the toll road will be built, where it would be built and many important decisions regarding the road.
- Please keep in mind as you contemplate our future that the toll road will escalate our mindless growth. We will become a Pasco or Pinellas county quickly.
- If the DOT is truly proposing this toll road to facilitate through traffic, then there is no need for interchanges within Citrus County. If you put it to the DOT to build with no interchanges, we will find out quickly just what the real reason for the toll road is, and I don't believe for a minute that it is for through traffic. The DOT would never agree to no interchanges; the money interests would never allow it. The through traffic tactic doesn't have any factual support. Anyone who has driven north out of Citrus County on U.S. 19 knows this as sure as the sun will shine.
Commissioners in the last year have demonstrated that they do have the fortitude to make decisions that money interests do not particularly like. A case in point is the last round of impact fees. The commissioners deserve a pat on the back and several gold stars for standing up for the people and the county.
I implore you to do the same with the toll road.
Frank Heath, Floral City
Fallschase developer wants moreFirm asks county for added retail space, parking
The Fallschase developer is asking Leon County for about 8,000 more square feet of retail space for a shopping center and 60 additional parking spaces.
Some community activists aren't happy about the request because it would mean an additional 56,000 square feet of impervious surface at the shopping center, located on Fallschase Boulevard south of Buck Lake Road. They say that could mean more flooding and pollution.
Impervious surfaces are rooftops, sidewalks or parking lots covered by materials that prevent water from moving into the soil.
"Fallschase itself is a throwback to development standards of the 1980s," said Pamela Hall, who has been keeping up with the project. "And I had hoped this community had grown into the 21st century."
Fallschase, however, also is asking for an additional stormwater pond. Rick Bateman, an attorney for developer AIG Baker, said the Fallschase stormwater plan will ensure runoff is properly treated before heading downstream.
John Dew, president of the Buck Lake Alliance, said he's optimistic about plans for a new stormwater pond. But he doesn't want to see more parking spaces.
"We thought there was too much parking as it is," he said.
Representatives for the developer will meet with county growth-management staff today to discuss the change to its previously-approved site plan. The meeting is advisory only. Eventually, the request will go before the county's Development Review Committee for a decision.
Bateman said the changes came as a result of moving the location of a Costco store, one of three big-box retailers to be located in the center. The other big-box store is a Wal-Mart.
"It's just the normal process of development," Bateman said. "Frankly, it's well within what we had originally been approved for."
The retail space for the shopping center would go from 522,520 square feet to 530,733 square feet.
In late 2005, the County Commission gave AIG Baker permission to build 750,000 square feet of commercial space, 35,000 square feet of office space and more than 1,500 homes and apartments.
County staff is strongly encouraging AIG Baker to reduce the amount of parking and plant more trees. County staff also is encouraging the developer to build parking garages. Staff also wants safe pedestrian links to a bus shelter.
Lennar Corp. Predicts Loss As Inventory Is Reviewed
The Associated PressPublished: Jan 3, 2007
MIAMI - Lennar Corp., one of the nation's largest home builders, said Tuesday it expected a fourth-quarter loss as the company evaluates how much its inventory is worth amid a slowing industry.
The Miami-based company expects a loss within a range of 88 cents per share to $1.28 for its quarter ended Nov. 30 after a pretax charge of up to $500 million for the inventory evaluation. Official earnings for the quarter will be released before the market opens Jan. 17.
Before the valuation adjustments and write-offs, the company expects its fourth-quarter earnings to be within a range of 70 cents to 75 cents a share.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had expected an average of $1.07 per share. The company predicted a range of $1 to $1.30 a share when it announced third-quarter results Sept. 26.
"Market conditions continued to weaken throughout the fourth quarter and we have not yet seen tangible evidence of a market recovery," Lennar President and Chief Executive Officer Stuart Miller said in a statement. "Given the steep decline in many of our markets, we are completing our asset-by-asset review and will adjust asset balances to reflect fair value in the current market environment."
New home orders for the quarter were down 6 percent from the same period last year.
Lennar also announced Tuesday it would sell a 62 percent stake in its partnership with LNR Property Corp. in their LandSource Communities Development LLC venture. Lennar and LNR will receive about $660 million each in the sale.
MW Housing Partners will purchase the 62 percent stake but will have just 50 percent voting control of the venture, according to Lennar. Under the deal, Lennar and LNR will retain rights of first offer to purchase property owned by LandSource.
LandSource's primary investment was with The Newhall Land and Farming Co., which owns 15,000 acres in a rapidly growing region about 30 miles north of Los Angeles, prime development territory as urban sprawl pushes outward from downtown.
Barclay Wal-Mart target of meeting
By MICHAEL D. BATESmbates@hernandotoday.com
SPRING HILL — Hundreds of homeowners are expected to attend a Pristine Place Homeowners Association town hall meeting Thursday night to air concerns about a Wal-Mart Supercenter proposed for Barclay Avenue, almost directly across the street from this 675-home subdivision.
“This meeting is to hear what’s going on and it’s to get our residents’ feedback on how they want to handle it,” said Gayle Davis, president of the Pristine Place Homeowners Association. “Do they want to fight this or be a good neighbor and work with Wal-Mart?”
Because of the magnitude of the issue, Davis said the association decided to devote its entire town hall meeting to Wal-Mart. She expects a full house. Only Pristine Place residents will be admitted.
Davis said she has received support from communities throughout the county who are opposed to yet another Wal-Mart.
“Pristine Place is the community that is going to be the most affected because we’re right across the street,” she said. “But all the communities are in agreement that we have enough Wal-Marts in the area.”
The supercenter off State Road 50, for example, is only 4.8 miles from the Pristine Place gate, she said.
One of the biggest objections from homeowners is the proximity Wal-Mart would have to Powell Middle School.
“We’re horrendously concerned about our kids,” she said. “All the ones that go to Powell walk there and have to cross the street.”
Even though Barclay Avenue is slated to be widened in the future, it won’t cut down on congestion, she said.
The Pristine Place Homeowners Association called the 7 p.m. meeting after learning that Wal-Mart is seeking a master plan revision to the property. The Pristine Place group has invited county officials to get their input.
Wal-Mart is proposing building its newest supercenter on the east side of Barclay Avenue, between the Suncoast Villa Apartments and the Publix-anchored Barclay Square.
The property, part of the large Holland Springs development, has the necessary zoning for a Wal-Mart, but it requires a master plan revision.
County Commissioner David Russell, Planning Director Ron Pianta, Assistant County Attorney Kent Weissinger and County Engineer Charles Mixson are scheduled to attend Thursday’s meeting.
Nobody from Wal-Mart has been invited.
Commissioner Russell said he is against a retail store at that spot, not just because it is Wal-Mart, but because of the anticipated congestion.
“I do not believe it’s a good fit,” Russell said.
The roads cannot support the traffic from such a store, he said. He is also concerned about the effect on nearby Powell Middle School.
“In Wal-Mart, you have an infrastructure capacity beast that could prove detrimental to the surrounding community,” he said.
Russell said he has received dozens of negative e-mails and phone calls from residents opposed to Wal-Mart’s planned store.
“(Wal-Mart) may find there is a tremendous amount of opposition to their project,” Russell said. noting that he will listen to Pristine Place residents and take their concerns back to the board for discussion.
Planning Director Ron Pianta said he will be available Thursday night to answer zoning questions. He and his staff will ultimately draft a recommendation for planning and zoning commissioners who will use that to guide their decision on whether to approve the retailer’s master plan revision.
“We have not completed our review of the application,” Pianta said. “Planners are still working on it.”
Representatives of Pristine Place, Silverthorn, The Oaks and Plantation Estates homeowners associations recently collaborated on a letter sent to Pianta expressing their concerns about road congestion, environmental harm and other infrastructure problems a Wal-Mart Supercenter would create on Barclay Avenue.
If the store is approved, it would be contrary to the county’s code of ordinances, they said.
Also opposing the store are members of the United Communities of Hernando County, an umbrella organization representing several county homeowners and property associations.
Another public meeting is likely.
Kristin Tolbert, a law clerk with Bricklemyer, Smolker & Bolves, representing the property owner, said her firm is working with the retailer to schedule a public hearing for all the affected communities in the county. The time, date and place are yet to be announced.
“We’re still going to conduct our (meeting) and that will concern all the surrounding neighbors and communities,” Tolbert said.
Reporter Michael D. Bates can be contacted at 352-544-5290.
Minneola to revisit request to annex
If the city brings in the 153-acre site, it could then welcome land for a new high school.
Robert SargentSentinel Staff Writer
January 3, 2007
MINNEOLA -- A new residential neighborhood could clear the way for a controversial school site on Sullivan Road.
City Council members next week may consider annexing 153 acres where developer Dale Ladd has proposed up to 457 new homes just south of Sullivan near Grassy Lake Road. Minneola originally looked at the project last year although officials pushed back any decision until this month to allow possible development changes.
Ladd's proposal could be scrutinized heavily because of the extra homes and vehicles it would bring to the rural area. But if it is annexed, Minneola then could bring in another property north of there where Lake County schools officials have struggled unsuccessfully to get rezoning from the county to build a new high school.
Mayor David Yeager said Ladd's project would coordinate with other development planned in the area including the 963-home Founders Ridge along North Grassy Lake Road.
"I want developments that work with each other -- not just those that are out there and they don't connect," Yeager said.
Council member Ed Earl disagrees, arguing that Ladd's proposal would be too many homes that would add more vehicles to roads such as Sullivan: "I don't want to put more traffic on that road if we don't have to."
Earl said the proposal for a new school also would add more traffic. More traffic in the area could encourage roadway widening that could take property away from nearby homeowners, he said.
Yeager said he would support school plans if the School Board requested annexation into Minneola.
"I know how desperate they are for [school] locations," he said.
The school district paid $3.4 million to acquire the 115-acre parcel from trustee John Lowndes. The site is large enough to accommodate a middle school and a high school.
District officials still have plans for a high school if they can get the property rezoned. They have moved ahead with construction of a middle school south of there -- on a different property near East Ridge High School in Clermont.
County commissioners voted against rezoning the Lowndes site to allow schools. The School Board later lost a court appeal of the county decision.
That leaves school officials to either go back to the county again or to seek annexation into Minneola if the city brings in the Ladd development.
"I think the board needs to look at all options," School Board Chairman Larry Metz said.
Minneola is tentatively scheduled to consider the Ladd proposal at 7 p.m. on Jan. 10.
Robert Sargent can be reached at rsargent@orlandosentinel.com or 352-742-5909.
It Costs Big Bucks To Make A Grand Entrance
Published: Jan 2, 2007
LAND - O' LAKES - Even with wall-to-wall advertising and incentives for potential buyers, developers say much of their success hangs on the first impression visitors get upon visiting a neighborhood.
With that in mind, some Pasco developers have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars - and in some cases a million or more - on the entrances to their communities.
"Every time they drive in there, I want to create a good impression on them," builder Tom Liebrecht, vice president for land development at Southern Crafted Homes, said of residents of Stonegate in Land O' Lakes.
The subject of how much builders invest in their communities' front gates came up when Pulte Home Corp. fought a county request to put a State Road 56 frontage road outside the company's seniors-only Del Webb community.
Pulte attorney Joel Tew protested that the company planned to spend more than $1 million on its Del Webb entrance and the design would be ruined by the frontage road. The county eventually gave in.
Del Webb's million-dollar entrance is waiting for the overall Wiregrass Ranch development to clear county review.
During the summer, builders erected an entrance at Stonegate with stone pillars, three large trellises and a clock tower.
The look is reminiscent of 1920s-era Arts and Crafts architecture found in neighborhoods in South Tampa and elsewhere.
The design of the front entrance is also reflected in the community's clubhouse, now under construction.
Some Stonegate residents are neutral at best on the subject of their community's front entrance. Ken Smaga, newly arrived from Cleveland, isn't one of them, however.
"It makes the whole community look nice," Smaga said.
Tying the entrance to the rest of the community is an important measure to make the entrance feel like something more than a façade, said Stew Gibbons, president of Terrabrook, the company developing Connerton in central Pasco.
"It's sort of like the front door to a house," Gibbons said.
"You can do a lot of things inside the house, but the front door sets the tone for the house."
Connerton's entrance, set back from U.S. 41, includes landscaping, a low brick planter and a tall brick tower topped with stained glass-looking icons found elsewhere in the community. The tower contains a large bowl-shaped fountain.
A Jacksonville architectural firm created the $1 million entrance after studying historical buildings in Dade City and west Pasco, Gibbons said.
"It took months to come up with that," Gibbons said.
The entrance is designed to create a sense of place for Connerton and also to grab the attention of drivers zipping by on U.S. 41, Gibbons said.
Developers say they also want their entrances to define the line where their communities start and the outside world ends.
"Once you pass through there, you're off State Road 54 and you're in a new place," Liebrecht said.
Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201 or kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com.
Environmental writer says unspoiled wilderness can be found
RICHARD PRIOR
richard.prior@staugustinerecord.com
Publication Date: 12/30/06
Bill Belleville's message is simple.
The "real" Florida is still out there, on the far side of the malls, parking lots and condo complexes.
And it's worth keeping.
Granted, the "real" Florida is getting harder to find. You just have to know where to look.
"There's a spot I could take you to that's just 15 minutes outside of town," said Belleville, an environmental writer and documentary filmmaker.
Relaxing on the porch in his Sanford home, Belleville said, "There are places around the Wakiva River that look like Florida would have 500 years ago.
"You can walk down the edge of high bluffs, down to the edge of the swamp, surrounded by cypress and swamp tupelo and sweet gum."
Visitors, he said, will find thin springs trickling out of the limestone bluffs along the Wakiva. Vines and moss are woven into a wilderness pattern, "just outside this chaos of growth," said Belleville, savoring the sight he visits often. "Florida has lots of them, these time-stuck places."
The search for unspoiled Florida has gotten more difficult because so much development has sprung up to accommodate the incoming tide of visitors and new residents.
But, he insisted, the drive to satisfy every resident's whimsy doesn't mean so much land has to be plowed up and paved over. There have always been ways to protect what made Florida attractive in the first place.
"We're one of only 14 states that have a Growth Management Plan," said Belleville. "The ideals in that law are supposed to be adopted by each city and county when they do their own comprehensive management plan.
"They're supposed to follow that plan as a strategy for developing growth. If the cities and counties did that, growth should be reasonably sustainable."
Growth control is spotty
Those well-intention plans, however, are next to useless because of all the exemptions that are granted almost automatically.
"The (state) Department of Community Affairs is supposed to challenge these exemptions and make sure there is a good reason for them to exempt the plan," said Belleville. "They don't. They're like a lapdog.
"Going back five, six years ago, there were 100,000 exemptions requested by various city and county governments. The DCA only challenged four."
Development in certain areas of the state is nothing new, he said.
"Of course, you have Disney in the 1970s," he said. "But in the 1890s, you see a lot of literature about 'Come To Florida' -- this salubrious environment that'll cure all ills.
"There was a lot of over-the-top literature in those days: 'Come here, get rich, lay in the sun.'"
Limit growth areas
If modern growth were largely confined to existing Urban Service Boundaries, Belleville said, nature would have a chance to flourish in the rest of the state.
"Just because a developer buys cheap land out in the country," he said, "you can't go ahead and put 20,000 people there and expect the public to subsidize roads and all the other infrastructure."
Taxpayers would also get a break if "meaningful impact fees" were assessed, he said.
"We, all the taxpayers, end up subsidizing development, Belleville said."Even the most conservative studies show that, for every dollar in ad valorem revenue brought in through new growth, $1.30 goes out.
"And that's conservative. I've heard two and three times that much.
"Thirty cents doesn't sound like much but put it in the millions of dollars each year. It's something we have to pay for."
Unspoiled land may still be preserved by putting ranch land and pastures into conservation easements, he said.
"Ranchers who want to keep on ranching may want to do it," said Belleville. "I admire those guys. They're hard workers, and they have a real attachment to the land.
"Conservation easements give them enormous tax breaks."
Buying land outright, such as through the Florida Forever program, is another way to control development, he said. However, he added, the investment needs to be more substantial.
"The revenue Florida Forever gets is not keeping up with land values," said Belleville. "It's in the range of $300 million a year. Statewide, that's hardly anything anymore."
The Seven-County Regional Commission is made up of representatives from Seminole, Orange, Osceola, Brevard, Volusia, Polk and Lake.
A study completed last year by the commissioners determined that their region alone needs $1 billion a year to buy land to keep up with the rate at which it is being lost, Belleville said.
'My Cracker Landscape'
A native of Maryland's Eastern Shore, Belleville came to Florida to become a writer after graduating from the University of Maryland.
He first worked for a weekly in Kissimmee, then for different newspapers for seven years.
The environmental writer and filmmaker's books include "River of Lakes, A Journey on Florida's St. Johns River."
His most recent book is "Losing It All To Sprawl: How Progress Ate My Cracker Landscape."
Belleville has completed projects for the Discovery Channel and PBS. He is now working on a film, "In Marjorie's Wake," about Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
"When I came here after graduation, I had to learn what Florida was all about," said Belleville. "You have to work at it because Florida's so different.
"They say a thousand people a day are coming to Florida. Some of them want to learn, too. Others come just because the economy seems good, and they can play outdoors.
"So the question is, how will the people who want to appreciate Florida grow in ratio to people who don't care one way or another, people who just want to live someplace where it doesn't snow?"
Bill Belleville's Favorite Old Florida Places and naturally intact landscapes:
1. Welaka
On the eastern high bank of the St. Johns River across from the mouth of the Ocklawaha.
Welaka has a few fish camps, marinas and Mom and Pop style cottages. Once prosperous because of the river (via shad fishing, steamboat landing, etc.) it is now smaller in population than it was when it was in its heyday. The main street has a single light and if you keep going west on it, it turns into a boat ramp.
2. Everglades City
At the northwest edge of the Everglades National Park.
Jumping off point for those who want to paddle the Wilderness Waterway, which covers about 100 miles of wild backcountry of tidal rivers, creeks and bays, ending in Flamingo on the Florida Cape inside the park. Once on the fast track to prosperity during the Florida boom, Everglades City and nearby Chokloskee took a nose dive. Grandiose plans created wide boulevard-like streets, etc, but instead of drawing rich tourists it only drew commercial fishermen -- who were the only ones that could stand the salt marsh mosquitoes.
3. White Springs on the upper Suwannee River.
Another little steamboat landing built around a spring. The restored spring house is still there, and the spring still flows out of it. When the steamboats stopped running, the "restorative" and "salubrious" powers of the spring resort were forgotten, like the rest of White Springs itself.
4. Intact natural landscape
Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge on the St. Johns River just below Lake George. Several lakes and linking creeks surrounded by dense hardwood swamp. Overwintering corridor for many migratory birds, including many that live here during the winter months.
Lake Dexter in the refuge was believed to be the "Battle Lagoon" where William Bartram writes in "Travels" (1791) of fighting aggressive alligators while camping here on the shores.
5. Wekiva River system
Northwest of Orlando, this is an intact natural landscape and a major tributary of the St. Johns. The best protected river system in all of Florida thanks to state and local laws, and the acquisition of land for public protection. Nearly 110 square miles is protected around the Wekiva and some of its tributaries, like the Blackwater Creek. The only river protected wholly (for its entire length) as a federal Wild and Scenic River in Florida. Ground zero for the Florida Black Bear since there is such a biological diversity of habitats here. Public land is composed of state parks, preserves, reserves and a state forest.
6. Cedar Key and its Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge.
Located on the Gulf of Mexico, Cedar Key is actually a series of keys linked by bridges and causeways. Once famous for its cedar harvesting for the pencil industry (no kidding), Cedar Key later became a Mecca for commercial fishermen, and then for artists.
A net ban a few years ago changed the face of the fishery, and former fishermen now tend offshore beds of clams which they "plant" there as seed stock.
Hundreds of offshore islands, including the original "Cedar Key" - Atsena Otie - and Seahorse Key can be reached by boat or kayak. Many seabirds and wading birds are protected here.
7. North Key Largo
Almost half of massive Key Largo key is owned by the state. An ambitious and illegally planned development there would have opened the doors for wholesale destruction of the dense mangrove forests which still occupies the northern half of this key. Protected here are the rare Florida Keys Tree Snail (which vary in coloration by the hammock in which they live.) A nature trail that follows a road build by the failed Port Bougainvillea Resort allows visitors to see the Antillean forest of mahogany and gumbo limbo that once covered most of the keys. Carl Hiaasen's fictional "Skink" camps out here.
8. Avon Park and its Jacaranda Hotel
Just off of US 27, which was the major road to open the interior of Florida.
Many Old Florida towns with boom-era hotels are located here. The Jacaranda, named for the large flowering tropical tree that grows outside in the median strip, has been restored and is run by a local college for their hospitality department.
Junk shops that have not yet turned into antique stores line the street. Evening entertainment is renting a suite and sitting out on the second floor balcony while the street-sweeping machine drives up and down the deserted street.
9. Mosquito Lagoon
This is an intact natural place. It is inside government land protected to the east by the Canaveral National Seashore and to the west by the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge.
The healthiest component of the long Indian River Lagoon system since it is almost entirely surrounded by intact wetlands made mostly of black mangroves. Four to five miles wide and studded by many old "spoil islands" created when the Intracoastal channel was dredged for its length.
Dolphins and manatee sightings are common, along with migratory birds and roseate spoonbills. A nationally featured hot spot for redfish and sea trout and sport fishing guides make lots of money bringing clients here.
Poll: Americans see gloom, doom in 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Another terrorist attack, a warmer planet, death and destruction from a natural disaster. These are among Americans' grim predictions for the United States in 2007.
But on a brighter note, only a minority of people think the U.S. will go to war with Iran or North Korea over the countries' nuclear ambitions. An overwhelming majority thinks Congress will raise the federal minimum wage. A third sees hope for a cure to cancer.
These are among the findings of an Associated Press-AOL News poll that asked Americans to gaze into their crystal balls and contemplate what 2007 holds for the country.
Six in 10 people think the U.S. will be the victim of another terrorist attack next year, more than five years after the Sept. 11 assault on New York and Washington. An identical percentage think it is likely that bad guys will unleash a biological or nuclear weapon elsewhere in the world.
There is plenty of gloom to accompany all of that doom.
Seventy percent of Americans predict another major natural disaster within the United States and an equal percentage expect worsening global warming. Fewer than one-third of people, or 29 percent, think it is likely that the U.S. will withdraw its troops from Iraq.
Among other predictions for the U.S. in 2007:
-Slightly more than one-third, or 35 percent, of Americans predict the military draft will be reinstated.
-One in four, 25 percent, anticipates the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The telephone poll of 1,000 adults was conducted Dec. 12-14 by Ipsos, an international polling firm. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus three percentage points.---
AP Manager of News Surveys Trevor Tompson, AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius and AP writer Kasie Hunt contributed to this story.
Burden Of Growth Shifting To Developers
Published: Dec 31, 2006
TAMPA - Developers over the past two years have funded nearly $1 billion in new or improved county roads, bridges, lights, drainage systems and sidewalks in Hillsborough, according to a new county study.
The expenditures mark a fundamental shift in who carries the burden of paying for new development.
For decades, most of those costs fell to the county. That burden shifted to the developers two years ago.
The results are dramatic.
In 2004, the study says, county developers spent $8 million on road improvements. In 2005, they spent $368 million. This year, the figure jumped to $554 million.
"It is a significant amount of money in infrastructure," said Bob Campbell, director of transportation for the county's Planning and Growth Management Department.
A state law passed in the 1980s, dubbed concurrency, forces developers to improve county roads near their projects if the developments will generate more traffic than the roads were meant to handle.
The fees relieve local governments from saddling taxpayers with the cost of private development.
But for almost 10 years, Hillsborough taxpayers have shouldered much of that burden because some roads were exempted from the act.
Then, in 2005, the burden shifted back to developers after the exemptions expired.
The money developers pay comes on top of the impact fees they incur for new schools and the cost of building roads, sidewalks and drainage systems inside their subdivisions.
County officials say the report shows they are succeeding in holding developers accountable for growth.
"Doesn't it make sense that the ones who are benefiting from the road improvements are the ones who should pay for it?" Deputy County Administrator Wally Hill said.
Delayed Responsibility
Builders are paying so much because of a law passed in 1985 to control growth and force counties to develop long-range growth management plans.
The idea behind the law was simple: Builders who want to build subdivisions and shopping centers must pay for the effects their projects will have on nearby roads.
The rule of thumb was that developers must consider traffic impacts within five miles of their projects.
In the 1990s, though, Hillsborough sought exemptions from the Legislature to encourage private development and stimulate the slow economy.
Two years ago, the exemptions expired, shifting responsibility for funding much of the growth back to developers.
In addition to being a funding source to help Hillsborough County tackle increasing traffic, concurrency helps accelerate improvements to roads that need work now or soon.
"These could be projects the county might have gotten to eventually," Hill said.
That's a huge bonus for an area struggling to accommodate the tide of new residents. About 60,000 people moved to the Tampa Bay area this past year.
Developers say they understand why the burden has shifted, but they warn of hidden dangers, in particular higher costs for new houses, which can produce a ripple effect on surrounding property values and scare off first-time or low-income buyers.
Concurrency also can contribute to urban sprawl, said Doug Buck, director of governmental affairs for the Florida Home Builders Association.
If a builder cannot afford to improve a highway or intersection, "then where do you think he's going to go? To some place where he won't have to incur those costs," Buck said.
In that case, he said, builders will probably move farther from the urban core, where development's effect on traffic won't be as dramatic.
In addition, the improvements to local roads do nothing to help the congestion on major arteries nearby, such as the interstates.
"It works well when times are good, but it's not a good long-term funding source for roads," said Don Whyte, regional president for Newland Communities in Tampa.
Newland is poised to break ground next year on a 5,000-home community in south Hillsborough called Waterset. Because of concurrency, Newland's 2006 road improvement bill for Waterset (not including roads inside the community) will amount to about $98.5 million.
Another project called Lake Hutto is poised to cost builder Pulte Homes almost $100 million in road improvements.
Balancing Act
Hill concedes concurrency has its limits, but without it, he says, taxpayers could be paying huge sums for growth, and that could fuel a surge in property taxes at a time taxpayers say they are paying too much.
The idea, he said, is to strike a balance between developers' needs and those of the public. That doesn't mean heaping excessive burdens on developers, but it also does not mean letting them off the hook for projects that create a wide-ranging effect on traffic.
"I don't buy the theory that if people are paying more for houses, that that is not fair," Hill said. "If we didn't have that funding from developers ... we certainly would have to use local taxes from everyone. Is that fair?"
Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com.