Residents call county out on
land-use plan
From the Ocala Star Banner
By Bill Thompson
Staff writer
Published: Thursday, October 29,
2009
Marion County is violating its own comprehensive land-use plan and state law by failing to adopt regulations governing growth in areas where the limestone-laced soil is thinnest, thus exposing the water supply to the threat of contamination, a pair of county residents maintain in a complaint filed with state planners.
MAKE YOUR VOICE BE HEARD
Location: Growth Management Department Training Room (2710 E. Silver Springs Blvd. next to the Marion County Library Headquarters, Ocala) For more information, citizens should contact Planner II Natalia Cox at 352-438-2600 or natalia.cox@marioncountyfl.gov
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Why won't we learn from our own history?
By David Colburn
Special to the
Star-Banner
Published: Sunday, February 28, 2010
Florida became a metaphor for the boom-and-bust years, and no state experienced the highs and lows more acutely than Florida.
Investors, developers and real estate hucksters were confident that their speculation in Florida land and housing would bring them a quick fortune.
Signs of decline appeared early when the national press warned about widespread fraud and speculation in Florida.
As migration slowed to a halt and investors pulled back, construction ceased and banks began to foreclose on homes and businesses.
The financial system teetered toward bankruptcy, and 220 Florida banks collapsed.
The state, as well as many cities and counties, had thrown caution to the wind to capitalize on the growth during this period. They granted permits to developers without consideration of their financial risk or their impact on the environment.
And many cities and counties ended up deeply in debt by constructing roads and tourist facilities in the belief that if they built them the investors would come.
This reads eerily like the Great Recession of 2008-10, but these events unfolded between 1926 and 1929 as Florida's economy collapsed and the nation entered the Great Depression.
Charles Pattison and Manley Fuller:
Purchase is key to
Everglades restoration
From the Tallahassee Democrat, March
10, 2010
Charles Pattison and Manley Fuller •
My View •
An article in Sunday's New York
Times describing the still-evolving purchase of U.S. Sugar Corp. lands for
Everglades restoration surprised us in how it mischaracterized the
justification, need and feasibility of such an important purchase.
The scientific community is in
agreement that, in order to meet the goal of restoring the Everglades, a key
component and first step is converting thousands of acres of agricultural lands
into areas that can store and clean water flowing into the Everglades. The
added benefits of protecting South Florida water supplies and improving the
health of the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers are similarly critical.
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Uh, Oh!
Nibblers on the Loose
Marion County Commissioners last week approved a temporary suspension of transportation impact fees on residential and commercial projects. In a narrow 3-2 vote, commissioners agreed to suspend collection of the fees for 90 days, retroactive to January 1, as a way to stimulate the economy. Advocates for suspending the fees, including the Marion County BIA, had originally requested a one-year moratorium. According to MCBIA Executive Officer Francine Johannesen, this is a small step forward and will allow business advocates time to pursue future steps.
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It's Incontrovertible!!
September 15, 2009
State Cabinet rejects 800-home Marion subdivision
Officials
predict the decision that handed a horse farmer a victory over a major
developer could have growth implications statewide
Staff writer, Ocala Star Banner
TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist and
the Cabinet on Tuesday handed a Marion County horse farmer a major win over a
prominent developer by unanimously supporting a recommendation to reject a
nearly 800-home subdivision in the northwest part of the county.
The decision was significant because
top planners with the Department of Community Affairs, or DCA, had publicly
admitted they erred in initially approving the project.
Tuesday's outcome also might hold
implications for future growth statewide, state officials predicted, as
communities across Florida struggle to strike a balance of development amid a
severe economic downturn and anti-sprawl activists' drive to give the public
more opportunity to determine when and how their areas grow.
Tuesday's vote vindicated the long and uphill struggle Ocala horse farmer Susan Woods and a neighbor, Karen Recio, waged to hold encroachment into their rural community at bay.
Background from the St. Pete Times: CLICK THIS
Background from the Ocala Star-Banner: CLICK THIS
_________________________________________________IN MARION COUNTY
For all of you Marion County farm owners/dwellers
who are already living in an environmentally-friendly way, you will probably
qualify for the "Farms of Environmental Distinction" stamp of approval, which
gives you the right to display the absolutely free and very tasteful
metal sign that declares your accomplishment.Orange says no to Econ development bid
Commissioners
fear impact of 5,000 homes near sensitive river
By David Damron, Orlando Sentinel
March 9, 2010
The majority feared the impacts that could result from building a small new city in a rural area next to a protected waterway.
Published: Sunday, February 14, 2010
