DCA Requires Changes to City Annexation

At the start of last week's Port St. Joe city commission meeting, the commission held a public hearing on the state's decision about a recent city annexation.
The Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA) disagreed with the city and The St. Joe Company's assessment of the property that St. Joe requested be annexed into the city last year, and filed a statement of intent to find the [city's] comprehensive plan amendment annexing the property to be "not in compliance."
The 966 acres of land in question is contained in four parcels on the southeast side of town.
The land was annexed into the city at the request of The St. Joe Company in order for the company to get a density bonus for the land, in exchange for having donated approximately 100 acres of company land to the city to use for affordable housing.
According to the notice of hearing papers, DCA contended that the comprehensive plan amendment allowing the annexation was "not in compliance" for three reasons: it removed the intensity (density plus other factors) standard that applied to the site; the on-site wetlands had not been identified as high or low-quality wetlands, therefore leading the issue of conservation lands unresolved; and adequate water, sewer and roadway capacity for the annexed areas had not been shown.
The city has 60 days from the hearing date to adopt the remedial plan agreed upon in prior negotiations with DCA.
At the hearing Port St. Joe city attorney Russell Scholz said the city had settled with DCA through negotiations and must change certain portions of the future land use plan for the city.
If DCA deems the city's corrections satisfactory, DCA will then rule that the city's comprehensive plan is in compliance.
Scholz noted that, under the settlement terms, the maximum number of residential units permitted by DCA in the annexed areas was more than St. Joe had originally asked for.
A St. Joe representative said the company will stand by the smaller number of residential units it had originally requested for the areas, and was setting aside 36 acres of contiguous high-quality wetland within the 966 acres to satisfy part of the requirements of the settlement.
"St. Joe will do what is necessary to comply," he said.
DCA's GIS system indicated that the site is an area of biodiversity "hot spots," with seven or more species of particular concern.
Additionally, the site appears to contain several listed, threatened or endangered plant species.
The information provided by the city to DCA showed that approximately 407 of the 966 acres (42 percent) of the site are wetlands.
The city's comprehensive plan requires high quality wetlands to be designated as conservation areas and the amendment did not show an analysis of the wetlands or any subsequent high quality wetlands set aside for conservation.
Since the amendment did not include the defined intensity standard, DCA could not assess demand and capacity for public facilities and services.
Based on the allowable maximum number of residential units and estimated people per household, DCA contended that the city's potable water system would not have enough capability within the five year plan to service the number of people allowable.
DCA also said transportation facilities for C.R./S.R. 30 and U.S. 98 did not meet the projected five year time frame for capability.
Both roads traverse major portions of the annexed areas.
The recommended remedial action was to revise the level of service analyses and make sure the revisions are financially feasible according to DCA guidelines.
In other business conducted at the meeting:
-the city's approximately $20 million bond issue was concluded Wednesday night as city commissioners voted unanimously (4-0, with one absent) to adopt a resolution to proceed with bonding through Morgan Keegan.
Commissioner Benny Roberts asked for clarification of how the city will repay the 25-year bond. Mayor Mel Magidson replied that the money would come from the increased water and sewer rates passed by the city last year.
"The bonds would not be issued if the city could not pay them back," Magidson told Roberts.
Roberts asked if the water and sewer revenues would "totally" pay for the bonds, and Magidson replied, "That's the plan."
- Joe Rentfro, vice president of land sales and development for St. Joe, gave an update on the anticipated start of construction for Sacred Heart Hospital in Port St. Joe.
He reported that St. Joe had signed a contract with Gulf Asphalt Company (GAC) to bring in fill dirt to the hospital site and construct the pad, and that work would begin May 12.
The pad would be ready in about 45 days, Rentfro said, after which the building would begin to go vertical.
"The work begins in earnest next week," Rentfro said, referring to the May 12 date.