A New Record for Year's End

County commissioners were evidently anticipating their Christmas vacation on Dec. 22.

Within the space of one hour and 49 minutes, the board held a workshop, took a break, held a legislative public hearing, and, according to commission chair Billy Traylor, took a stab at beating his previous record for the shortest meeting he had chaired on record.

They succeeded.

At 4:30 p.m. ET Dec. 22, commissioners held a workshop to discuss election precincts, the Tourist Development Council (TDC) stand on the beach restoration bond, and animal control.

All three topics had been discussed in recent commission meetings.

Commissioners continued to debate whether to move a current full-time employee into the new animal control officer position or outsource the job.

The county currently has only one animal control officer to cover the entire county.

Denise Manuel, Human Resources and Risk Management Director, was instructed to contact the county's union representatives and discuss options for the new position.

As for the restoration bonds, Commissioner Bill Williams reiterated earlier explanations that the TDC was anticipating further drops in county property values which would affect the bond the county is currently paying.

The bond covers the beach re-nourishment project just being completed on the Gulf side of St. Joseph Peninsula and Cape San Blas.

Gulf-front and Gulf-interior property owners on the Cape and peninsula are paying the bond through an MSTU (Municipal Service Taxing Unit) that the property owners voted on in 2007.

According to Paula Pickett, TDC director, the TDC is covering its bases and planning contingencies in the event that declining property values create a shortfall in tax revenues earmarked for the bond repayment.

Only tax dollars from the specific Cape and peninsula property owners are used to repay the bond.

As to voting precincts, commissioners agreed that the Nov. 4 election showed that the Overstreet voting precinct should be re-opened.

ix county precincts were closed earlier in the year because of budget cuts.

The board's consensus was that the Overstreet precinct was the only one that needed to be reopened for future elections because early voting had become "very popular" in the county and would be the trend of the future.

According to commissioners, early voting significantly reduced actual voter numbers at county precincts on Election Day.

Only Overstreet voters were forced to drive a significant distance (30-plus miles round-trip) to vote.

After the 30 minute workshop, commissioners took a break and re-assembled at 5:30 p.m. ET to conduct a legislative public hearing concerning Gulf County and the state's coastal construction control line (CCCL).

State Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-Panama City Beach) and state Sen. Al Lawson (D-Tallahassee) read a local bill they plan to introduce into the state legislature for Gulf County.

The as-yet-untitled bill authorizes the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to allow construction of single-family dwellings on parcels affected by the new CCCL after Jan. 1, 2009, under certain conditions.

There were no public comments from the very sparsely attended public hearing, which had been advertised in the local newspaper as required by law.

Neither Patronis nor Lawson were available for comment after the public hearing.

The regular county commission meeting began at 6 p.m. ET, immediately after the public hearing.

Commissioners asked Manuel to continue working on a deal with Coastal Fitness, a local fitness facility, to allow county employees access to the facilities in order to help bring down county health insurance costs.

Those costs have been escalating between 15 and 25 percent per year in the last several years, according to Commissioner Bill Williams.

The board is trying to push prevention of illness through fitness in an effort to lower the rising cost of employee health care premiums.

County administrator Don Butler announced that reconstruction of the Stump Hole would begin immediately after Jan. 1.

The Stump Hole, on the Gulf side of C.R.30-E as it curves from Cape San Blas onto St. Joseph Peninsula, is scheduled to be reinforced with huge granite boulders in an attempt to stabilize the area.

The beach re-nourishment project has also added extensive beach to the eroded area between the road and the Gulf.

Williams asked Traylor to send a letter to the city of Port St. Joe, inviting the city to use the county commission meeting room for city meetings, on non-conflicting dates.

Williams said the county seal on the wall behind the podium could be turned over during city meetings, and the use of the county facility could be a "symbolic [olive] leaf" to the city in the effort to smooth over traditional in-fighting between the county and city.

Traylor agreed to write the letter and, after one question from the public, declared the meeting adjourned at 19 minutes, noting it bested his previous record for the shortest meeting he had chaired by three minutes.

SIDEBAR

The proposed local bill, as yet untitled, as presented Dec. 22 by Representative Jimmy Patronis (R) and Sen. Al Lawson (D) in a public hearing in the Gulf County Commission chambers:

"Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

Section 1. Notwithstanding section 161.053, Florida Statutes, if pursuant to section 161.053 (2), Florida Statutes, the Department of Environmental Protection reestablishes a Coastal Construction Control Line after January 1, 2009, and where the application of section 161.053 (6) (b), Florida Statutes, would preclude the construction of a structure on property, the majority of which was previously not subject to the jurisdiction of the Coastal Construction Control Line program, the Department of Environmental Protection shall issue a permit for a single-family dwelling on the parcel if the parcel is located in Gulf County and the applicant successfully demonstrates:

(1) The owner of the parcel for which the single-family dwelling is proposed does not own another parcel immediately adjacent to and landward of the parcel for which the dwelling is proposed;

(2) The proposed single-family dwelling is located landward of the frontal dune structure; and

(3) The proposed single-family dwelling will be as far landward on its parcel as is practicable without being located seaward of or on the frontal dune.

Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.