Bill alarms Martin officials County, Sewall’s Point oppose changes to development plan process State Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, was the only local lawmaker to oppose the legislation last year. By Isadora Rangel isadora.rangel@scripps 772-221-4186 TALLAHASSEE — A bill dubbed by some environmentalists as the worst piece of legislation proposed this session is moving along in the House of Representatives and received a favorable review from legislators Tuesday. The proposed legislation has alarmed Martin County officials and slowgrowth advocates because, among other things, it orders local governments to require a simple majority vote to make changes in their comprehensive plans — the official document adopted by local governments that dictates the physical development of a community. The bill could affect Martin County, which requires a supermajority vote on issues that would increase “negative impacts” to the St. Lucie River estuary and would “adversely affect the water supply.” The House agriculture and natural resources subcommittee gave the proposed legislation a favorable report Tuesday. Rep. Larry Lee Jr., D-Port St. Lucie, said he was contacted by many Treasure Coast constituents who oppose sections of the bill and was one of two committee members, along with Rep. Clovis Watson Jr., D-Alachua, who didn’t favor it. Rep. Cary Pigman — an Avon Park Republican whose district covers western St. Lucie County — gave his OK. Martin County and Sewall’s Point have adopted resolutions to oppose House Bill 703, which is See ALARMS, 10A Article Continued Below See ALARMS on Page A10 ALARMS from 1A sponsored by Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City. Patronis said one of the bills intentions is to avoid duplicate regulations by state and local governments. For example, the bill would prohibit local governments from requiring water control districts to meet additional regulatory requirements for certain structures if an environmental resource permit has been issued. Patronis said he has met with 28 stakeholders and is open to amending some sections of the bill. He said he received about 100 emails and letters about the bill, and 70 of those opposed it, he said. Patronis also said some of the concerns raised by environmentalists are exaggerated. I think their concerns also create the theatrics that helps them create awareness of their mission, Patronis said. I think they have concerns, but at the same time, their concerns can been fixed. Treasure Coast and other local governments say the proposed legislation is an attempt to take away their enforcement authority. It affects the way we plan for future growth, said Stephen James, who represented the Florida Association of Counties during Tuesdays meeting. The bill also limits local government authority over agricultural lands and the power to adopt duplicate wetland, springs protection and stormwater regulations, unless those regulations were adopted before 2003. This limitation would affect ordinances adopted by Martin County after July 1, 2003, such as the regulation of wetlands, shoreline protection zones and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, a Board of County Commissioners memorandum states. This is not the first time Patronis and environmentalists have been at odds. Last year, Patronis introduced HB 999, which, among other things, protected the no-bid, 30-year leases granted to sugar companies on state-owned land in the Everglades. Every Treasure Coast member of the state House - Republicans Gayle Harrell, MaryLynn Magar and Debbie Mayfield, as well as Lee - voted in favor of the bill, which Gov. Rick Scott signed into law. State Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, was the only local lawmaker to oppose the legislation last year. Here is what else House Bill 703 could do: Prohibit local governments from revoking a prior land use approval solely because the land continues to be used for agricultural purposes. In some cases, an owner of agricultural land might ask a local government to approve a more intensive use of the land knowing development wont occur for years. Some local governments have granted land use changes and then revoked them when the owner continued to use it for agriculture, a House report states. Allow large developments called Developments of Regional Impact to receive 30-year water use permits if theyre within rural areas of critical economic concern. Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, Naples Daily News and Tampa Tribune journalists are in Tallahassee reporting throughout the legislative session in a collaborative capital bureau.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 12:12:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015