GOVERNOR'S OFFICE RENEGES ON EARLIER OFFER TO MEET WITH PANHANDLE CITIZENS COALITION (PCC); PCC REPORTS MAJOR PROGRESS ON AIRPORT AND US 98 CLOSURE PETITIONSPanhandle
Citizens Coalition (PCC) today criticized Governor Bush for his refusal to
meet with the group after having previously agreed to have his office
conduct a session on growth management issues of urgent concern to
residents in the Panhandle region. The group urges the Governor to
reconsider and meet personally soon with PCC in order to dispell his image
as being unconcerned about reckless growth. SummerCamp replay? The St. Joe company barrels ahead toward January 21 adoption hearingPanhandle Citizens Coalition (PCC) urges denial until Franklin Comprehensive Plan updated; PCC calls upon the St Joe company to debate whether their proposed projects reflect the vision of Panhandle citizens, the company dodgesIgnoring calls from citizens, the Panhandle Citizens
Coalition (PCC), and others, to wait until after Franklin County's
Comprehensive Plan is updated, the St. Joe Company has chosen to request
and the Franklin County Commission has scheduled the adoption hearing for
the SummerCamp Comprehensive Plan Amendment for January 21st at 10:30AM. "The St. Joe Company will say they have had lots of public meetings and sessions with many members of the public, but all these sessions have had one goal in mind -- to sell the public on the validity of their plans and so far, increasingly, the public is saying 'no sale'. They are not attempting to seriously discuss and earnestly negotiate the composition of their developments with the public who will be most affected by them and when given the opportunity to do that by being first offered a Pause for Planning by PCC, their response was silence."
December 24, 2002 John Hedrick, 850-421-2483; No Orlandos, PleaseA citizens group says it’s not anti-growth or anti-St. Joe, but the company is clearly its concern. The following was received and approved by the McBride campaign FYI. Growth Management Enforcement will return under McBrideGovernor Bush has undermined the very integrity of the Growth Management Act by decreasing the role of the Department of Community Affairs. Local governments and the business community need to know that there's a consistent and fair standard backing them up-the state oversight-applied to all local governments to enforce the laws in order to avoid costly urban sprawl. In community after community, Jeb Bush's understaffed agency has been told to look the other way, while local governments are being forced to violate their own growth management laws, by aggressive urban sprawl projects that are potential disasters for local taxpayers. (McBride/Rossin) will restore that fair and predictable statewide enforcement to protect our communities and back up those embattled planning professionals employed in public service of their local governments. More later. John Hedrick, Chair, Panhandle Citizens Coalition; 10/28/02 TopJohn Hedrick (850) 421-2483 PANHANDLE CITIZENS COALITION ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF PETITION DRIVE FOR SOPCHOPPY IN WAKULLA COUNTY TO HEAD OFF POTENTIAL ADVERSE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY Panhandle Citizens Coalition announced today that they are immediately beginning an initiative petition drive to amend the City of Sopchoppy's charter to prevent additional sewer and water service being provided outside of the city limits without the approval of the City's voters. John Hedrick, Chair of Panhandle Citizens Coalition, made the announcement that was prompted by a published report in a Wakulla newspaper yesterday that the St. Joe Company is attempting to negotiate a deal with Sopchoppy for sewer and water service regarding their Summercamp development in Franklin County. "Providing sewer and water service to the St. Joe Company will have a tremendous impact on Sopchoppy and Wakulla County. The St. Joe Company says they would pay for an expansion of the city's system but looking at their record of paying for impacts elsewhere leaves one to seriously question that commitment. Couple this with short-sighted politicians who cannot foresee the negative effects of unbridled growth and you have a prescription for disaster." said Hedrick PCC began their petition drives when it became apparent that neither the St. Joe Company nor the affected local or state governments were going to enact a pause for planning on their own, which would have allowed time for adequate development and land use planning across the entire region. Without action by the citizens, their communities will be adversely impacted and their quality of life diminished. "Now the city says it doesn't have the capacity to provide water to the St. Joe Company but could within a year. Does this mean Sopchoppy is overextending its water supply? Once you provide service to the St. Joe Company, they will always be competing for water and sewer resources with the citizens of Sopchoppy and Wakulla County. Will the Panhandle become like the rest of the state, where water is a limited resource. Are we going to start having water wars like the rest of the state?" said Hedrick. The announcement of the potential charter change in Sopchoppy coupled with the retroactive provision that has been in other PCC petitions will send up a 'Red Flag" for developers that the outcome of a referendum could prevent the city from providing additional water and sewer outside the city without voter approval. " We are not going to let the St. Joe Company do an end run and have the citizens subsidize their development. Where is this going to stop? Could Tallahassee be called upon again in this saga - after all, St. Joe Company's Southwood and Summercamp projects have been tied together on various issues already, notably the provision of a marina in the Summercamp area that would benefit Southwood owners. We can't let the St. Joe Company be the one doing the regional planning." said Hedrick. According to the report, St. Joe Company has spent more than $2 million on wells, but came up with only one producing well and the water was bad. "The move on Sopchoppy is a very significant development because it shows we are having an effect on the St. Joe Company since they are apparently no longer trying to negotiate with Lanark Village or Carrabelle for sewer and water service in the wake of our obtaining the necessary signatures on our petitions there." said Hedrick, who also stated that petitions for the 2 Carrabelle initiatives have now been verified by the Franklin County Supervisor of Elections. "The citizens of our area are making progress in holding St. Joe Company accountable. We intend to be out in full force on election day gathering petition signatures as well as at a special election being held in Panama City Beach on November 12th. Trustfully, we will have in hand in the near future the necessary signatures to qualify all of our petitions for the various city ballots." said Hedrick PCC has initiative petitions in the following cities Carrabelle, to repeal a Planned Unit Development ordinance which allows for unrestricted height and to prevent extending additional sewer and water service outside the city limits unless both the voters aprove and those same services are first offered to city residents; Port St. Joe, to prevent annexation into the city without approval of the voters and to prevent extending additional sewer and water service outside the city limits unless the voters approve; Panama City, to prevent moving the airport without the approval of the citizens and; Panama City Beach, to prevent annexation without approval of the voters and to prevent extending additional sewer and water service outside the city limits or to major development projects without voter approval. PCC also has citizen petitions in Franklin, Gulf and Bay counties for the following purposes in Franklin, to have a pubPCC vote to stop amending the current comprehensive plan until the voters adopt a new plan; in Gulf, to have a public vote on whether to move US 98 and; in Bay, to have a public vote on moving the airport. -30- Top
Hello Fellow Activist, September 27, 2002 ST. JOE COMPANY TO FACE THE VOTERS IN CARRABELLE-THEIR RESPONSE: FASTER AND MORE DEVELOPMENT; GOVERNOR BUSH BROADLY RESPONDS TO PANHANDLE CITIZENS COALITION; PCC CALLS ON BUSH AND McBRIDE TO MEET WITH THEM CONCERNING GROWTH AND OVERDEVELOPMENT WHILE SNARING MAJOR ENDORSEMENT AND POTENTIAL FOUNDATION SUPPORT; GOVERNOR BUSH PRESSED TO MEET CONCERNING PROPOSED CLOSING OF US 98 AND ILLEGAL ACTIONS REGARDING ST. JOE DEVELOPMENTS IN BAY COUNTY In a stunning series of developments, the Panhandle Citizens Coalition announced today they had made their signature goals in Carrabelle for their citizen initiative referendums and are in a position to have their first elections on their initiative petitions held as early as this fall. In their response, according to PCC, St. Joe Company is accelerating their various development activities with announcements of more projects and speeding up of what has been already announced. PCC also disclosed that they have made progress when Governor Bush just revealed a broad response to their recent Pause for Planning. The two major gubernatorial candidates will be invited to meet with PCC as soon as possible before the election to better flesh out their views on Growth and Overdevelopment. The Florida Consumers Action Network (FCAN) has voted to support PCC's efforts to hold the St. Joe Company accountable, making it the first major statewide organizational endorsement. Additionally, PCC's innovative style and actions have attracted the attention of several foundations who could offer significant support as well. Governor Bush was likewise pressed to meet with PCC right away on the proposed US 98 closure issue in Gulf County and the illegal actions which have just occurred regarding St. Joe Company developments in Bay County. "We are pleased to announce that our members in Carrabelle and Franklin County have achieved the signature goals to put our twin initiatives on the ballot in the city of Carrabelle. We will now press to have this election held as soon as possible, either on the November general election or a special election, as well as push the Franklin County petition which bars amending their Comprehensive Plan until a new Comprehensive Plan is approved by the voters." said John Hedrick, Chair of Panhandle Citizens Coalition. "In Carrabelle, a striking cross section of people signed the petition" said Pat Maier of PCC from Carrabelle. "Old-timers and newcomers, senior citizens and younger people-all are very concerned about the effects of overdevelopment on our community. The people of Carrabelle had requested a referendum back in June on the Planned Unit Development ordinance and was told by the mayor there will be no referendum. When your elected officials do not respond to the the citizens' requests, they have no choice but to take matters in their own hands, The citizens of Carrabelle did that with these ballot initiatives and we are hoping that other cities will do the same."
The initiatives, when approved by the electorate, will (1) bar the extension of water and sewer service outside the city limits unless both approved by the electorate and not until those same services are offered to all city residents and (2) repeal a Planned Unit Development ordinance which would have allowed unlimited heights in favor of restoring the building codes from Franklin County in effect on January 1, 2002. "Both initiatives affect the St. Joe Company. One would limit their access to water and sewer services in Carrabelle, and the other would prevent them from annexation aimed at getting around height restrictions in Franklin County." said Maier. "I am grateful to the PCC for helping to empower the citizenry of Carrabelle to have a chance to determine their own future. I hope this will translate into a model for other communities who may feel that the battle against overdevelopment that changes the fabric and character of their neighborhoods is a hopeless one." stated Jim Lycett, PCC member from Carrabelle. Hedrick also said all the other petition drives are well underway with people petitioning in Port St. Joe, Panama City and Panama City Beach. "So what has St. Joe Company's response been to all our activity? Though there has never been an official response and of course they have published their propaganda in newspaper columns and advertising, the most tangible sign has been in their acceleration of their projects and their pushing for approval of new projects." said PCC. She continued, "For examples, in Bay County just Tuesday the County Commission, in a patently illegal move, adopted the Sector Plan which paves the way for the proposed new airport. What makes it illegal is that the Comprehensive Plan was rewritten at the last minute with no opportunity for meaningful public review and without approval by the local planning agency, as required by Florida Statutes. Because the Department of Community Affairs appears to have abdicated their responsibilities in relation to Bay County, we call upon Governor Bush to intervene immediately in these matters and meet with us on them right away." "In Panama City Beach just yesterday, their City Commission approved the annexation of over 2,000 acres of St. Joe Company property into their city, doubling the size of the city, while knowing we have our initiatives under way with that city and with the knowledge that this annexation is illegal because these lands are not urban in character, are not substantially contiguous to the municipal boundaries, and the area is not reasonably compact. This same type of annexation occurred with Port St. Joe and Windmark in Gulf County." "We have also discovered new developments which the St. Joe Company is pushing: a major new housing development in Bay County; a major expansion of the port facility in Port St. Joe which could dredge a 14 mile, 700 foot wide channel to a depth of 40 feet, and enlarge the port's size costing close to half a billion dollars; and a potential industrial park in Gadsden County. All these taken together indicate to us that St. Joe Company has put down the hammer and is going full speed ahead on development. The revelation of the port expansion gives further credence to our previous assertion that St. Joe Company has big plans they have not shared with the public." "Most significantly, Governor Bush has now finally reacted broadly to our request for the pause for planning." said Hedrick. "Quoting from the letter, 'While we believe that no legal authority is available to us, the Governor has asked the Department of Community Affairs, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Transportation to institute an informal, inter-agency effort to develop and maintain a comprehensive and cohesive process to address the issues related to development in Florida. These three agencies have already begun the informal process to coordinate their actions, not only in northwest Florida, but statewide.'" "Translation- Governor Bush created his position in response to our activities. And while his response is still inadequate--for example, they are not even using the authority available to them, and if they truly believe they don't have authority, why aren't they requesting they be given additional authority--this shows the interrelated issues of growth and overdevelopment have grown in importance enough so Governor Bush had to react and the issues now have become statewide campaign issues in all races in 2002. After all, most of the rest of the state has already experienced what the Panhandle now is just beginning to experience-growth and overdevelopment. It is in that light that we now are calling on both Jeb Bush and Bill McBride to meet with us as soon as possible so we can state our views on these matters and ascertain their positions on these important decisions." said Hedrick. "PCC's clout has also been enhanced by our unsolicited but welcome endorsement from the Florida Consumer Action Network, a statewide consumer organization which has approximately 40,000 members, and supports our efforts to hold the St. Joe Company accountable. Foundation interest has also materialized and could also offer significant support." "Finally, we have learned that the proposed US 98 closure in Gulf County has not been finally approved by the state Department of Transportation. To PCC's knowledge, there has been no other instance where the state has moved a public roadway to assist a specific developer to increase its profits. We are requesting an immediate meeting with Governor Bush to brief him on the outstanding environmental and other issues regarding this project, that local opposition is strong, and that moving this road would not be in the public interest and should be disapproved." said Hedrick. "The Panhandle Citizens Coalition moves forward with renewed commitment to preserve fiscal, ethical, and environmental accountability and to safeguard the cultural heritage of the region." said Hedrick. John Hedrick, 850-421-2483 Give it a rest You people are absolutely crazy.
|
Help
support  |
PCC response: "She Doth Protest Too Much"The August 30 letter blasting the Panhandle Citizens Coalition presents a crude grab bag of propaganda, including half-truths, falsehoods and fear mongering. To suggest that good growth management leads to crime is ludicrous and irresponsible. It's enough to make one wonder whether certain developers are afraid of what will happen if more time and thought were put into planning development in Bay County. First, a half-truth: The Coalition has been in existence less than two months and thus had no involvement in the Bay County code rewrite. The only truth here is that a Bay County member of PCC has actively followed the zoning issue, calling special attention to such deficiencies as high-rise commercial encroaching into neighborhoods -- coincidentally, a type of development in which the writer has a financial interest. Ironically, hurricane evacuation -- a critical human safety issue exacerbated by high-density projects -- is one concern that this citizen activist has consistently raised. On to the fear-mongering: The letter suggests that daring to ask for a "pause for planning," which is proposed for a year or less and will affect only large-scale development, will upset the county's biggest landowner and cost Bay County tax revenues and opportunity. Such a viewpoint assumes that increased tax revenues will cover costs of development, an assumption that has yet to be shown on a county or regional cost-to-benefit analysis. Also, the Panhandle Citizens Coalition is calling for a region-wide pause for better planning and visioning, so the fear of losing business to a nearby county is unfounded. As for constructive suggestions, the Panhandle Citizens Coalition does have a positive vision for a high-quality of life in which growth occurs in an orderly fashion and without putting undue strain on our natural resources, highways, and local budgets. So often maligned as "special interests," environmentalists experience no personal gain from their efforts to preserve vestiges of wetlands, trees, and native landscapes. They sit through hours boring meetings, doggedly dig up facts, and follow legal notices that most people have no time to think about -- unless they have a financial interest in the matter at hand. Often, environmentalists are the only
ones who show up at meetings where momentous decisions are made, to
voice concerns about neighborhood as well as environmental
preservation. The real special interests are those who pay
professionals to fight codes and reasonable watchdogging of growth. |
Letter to protest moving Highway 98 in Franklin County
This is a letter sent to Department of Transportation's Secretary Barry on Monday September 9th: (no response as of 9/12/02 )
Thomas Barry, Secretary
Florida Department of Transportation
605 Suwannee St
Tallahassee FL 32399-0050
Dear Secretary Barry/Tom;
We understand the pending approval for realignment of US Highway 98 in
Gulf County, at the proposed St Joe Company Windmark development, is
imminent. We believe approval of this project at this time is very
premature and ultimately not warranted. This position is based on
several factors.
The public has been precluded from the opportunity to make meaningful
input into this project because we have been unable to obtain copies of St
Joe Company's consultant's responses to all agency questions. There
are outstanding environmental issues related to this project, including
severe impacts on Federal protected species and habitat and field survey
techniques.
It is our understanding the field survey's were conducted by PBS&J, a
regular consultant for the St Joe Company. We find this very
disturbing in that a continuing relationship of this sort creates an
obvious conflict of interest.
I am sure that you are aware of the high number of Port St Joe Citizens
who expressed public opposition to closing this public road, and
especially for the purpose of increasing the profits of one particular
private entity -- the St Joe Company. We are unaware of any
precedence where a public roadway has been moved for the express purpose
of allowing a specific development; and in this case, a development that
will severely impact public health and safety during hurricane evacuation.
We request at the very least that you delay approval of this project until
such time as all the various agency questions are answered to your
satisfaction by an independent consultant and that an opportunity for
meaningful public input is afforded by the DOT on this matter; we believe
ultimately that you will find moving this road will not be in the public's
interest and you should disapprove the move.
If there is any information we can provide you that would assist you, we would be happy to do it. Please do not hesitate to contact us and thanks very much in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
St. Joe company and governments ignore citizens: Panhandle citizens coalition opposes all st. Joe company projects, advances citizen initiatives in 4 cities and calls for referendum in Franklin county
Having received no response from the St. Joe Company and the affected local and state governments to its 'pause for planning', the Panhandle Citizens Coalition (PCC) today outlined their initial campaign against St. Joe Company and various local governments.
PCC announced its opposition to St. Joe Company's development projects and launched citizen initiative campaigns in Carrabelle, Port St. Joe, Panama City and Panama City Beach. For Franklin County, PCC called for a countywide referendum to stop all amendments to its comprehensive plan until a new comprehensive plan is developed with citizen involvement and ultimately approved by the citizens of Franklin County at a future referendum.
PCC Chair John Hedrick stated "St. Joe Company, Governor Jeb Bush and the local and state governments have been ignoring the public's views and are continuing to do so. We as citizens must use our resources and available processes to exert our voices in what happens with us and the best way to show that citizens care to be involved is to demonstrate our resolve to protect our communities and our way of life. St. Joe Company and the local governments otherwise will continue ignoring the public."
PCC had called on St. Joe Company and the local and state governments to have a pause for planning regarding all St. Joe Company properties in the Panhandle as well as other major developments for at least one year to allow time for adequate development and land use planning across the entire region. All St. Joe Company development projects would have been placed on hold during this period. The St. Joe Company and the affected governments ignored the voice of citizens, thus causing the response from PCC.
"Remember who stand to either benefit from or utilize these corporate tourist and corporate development projects." said Hedrick, "For example, St. Joe Company's Watercolor development in Walton County has hotel rooms going for $335 a night and vacation/second homes with $200,000-$1,000,000 price tags. This is far outside the price range of average citizens and their families."
"For the pleasure of having an oceanfront development that would take the average person in Franklin County several life times to pay for, St. Joe Company will directly affect their heritage and their livelihood in the area where they were born and raised." said Victor Lambou of PCC from Wakulla County. "There will be many unemployed and displaced fishermen and women and others who will be hurt by the ecologic damage created by St. Joe Company. They have been made aware of the human impact, the possible destruction of an industry and the livelihood of a community."
"As a native Floridian growing up in Orlando, I have seen first hand what has occurred to Central Florida in the wake of Disney World and all the urban sprawl with its attendant traffic congestion, air pollution, loss of green space, creation of low income jobs, higher taxes and housing priced out of people's reach, among other factors. Now the same things threaten the Panhandle from Jefferson through Walton Counties courtesy of the St. Joe Company's radical decision to simultaneously put large tracts of their property up for potential development. It would be irresponsible and even immoral for someone like me, who has personally seen the disastrious after effects,to stand silent and watch this happen again without energetically trying to stop it." said Hedrick, who more recently has lived in both Tallahassee/Leon County and Jefferson County and works as an attorney in Tallahassee.
"We know this won't be easy." said PCC from Bay County. "We know St. Joe Company, like other developers, exerts a great deal of political influence through, for example, their corporate and their company representatives' campaign contributions to the Bush Brothers (Jeb and George W.) and a host of other politicians on the federal, state and local levels as well as other corporate largesse. And in return for these contributions and largesse, they expect us, the taxpayers, to pay for an unneeded $200 million airport in Bay county, countless other millions for roads in Bay, Washington, Gulf, Calhoun, Jackson and Franklin counties.They also expect us to foot another bill for expanded services which otherwise would not need to be created. This corporate welfare must cease and when it does, we strongly suspect the St. Joe Company projects will suddenly no longer be financially viable."
"The ballot initiative in Panama City would require the City of Panama City to instruct their Airport Authority to get voter's approval to build or move an airport; otherwise authority members from Panama City and elsewhere may have to be replaced until they seek approval of the voters." said Hedrick. "Likewise, in Carrabelle, Port St. Joe and Panama City Beach, those cities would be prohibited from extending water and sewer service outside the city limits to developments without the express approval of city voters. Additionally, in Port St. Joe, the city would be prohibited from voluntarily annexing property into the City without a vote of their electorate. Our goal is for all of these initiatives to be on the ballot no later than the spring 2003. Finally, in Franklin County we will work to get a countywide referendum which will stop amendments to their comprehensive plan until a new comprehensive plan is developed and adopted with broad citizen input.
These measures will serve as an object lesson for other developers to avoid. St. Joe Company will learn that failure to really involve the local citizens in your plans in meaningful ways will be costly to them." said Hedrick.
Hedrick added that the first wave of these initiative and referendum campaigns will be in full swing before the week is out.
9/3/02
August 27, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION:
DRAFT
August 27, 2002 John Hedrick, 850-421-2483
(other contact people)
TOE TO TOE WITH THE ST. JOE COMPANY: PANHANDLE CITIZENS COALITION CALLS
FOR PAUSE FOR PLANNING FOR ALL ST. JOE COMPANY PROPERTIES WITH AFFECTED
LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS
The Panhandle Citizens Coalition (PCC) called today for a pause for
planning by local and state governments and the St. Joe Company regarding
all St. Joe Company properties in the Panhandle for at least one year to
allow time for adequate development and land use planning across the
entire region. All St. Joe Company development projects and connected road
and airport plans and construction would be placed on hold during this
period.
"The Panhandle Citizens Coalition was formed due to serious concerns
of regional citizens regarding either individual projects of the St. Joe
Company or their overall development plans in the Panhandle.
St. Joe Company is the largest developer in Florida and the Panhandle;
they have 850-900,000 acres of land available for development. This is an
area 30 times larger than Disney and is the largest development activity
in Florida since Disney. The known projects already in the works will
bring tens of thousands of people to the Panhandle and appear to be on
track to create the equivalent of at least an Orlando in the
Panhandle." said John Hedrick, Chair of PCC who has lived in both
Tallahassee/Leon County and Jefferson County for many years.
"For example, the projected airport near Panama City will be large
enough to accommodate a metropolitan area of 4-5 million people, but it is
larger than Tampa International. There has been widespread speculation
that the St. Joe Company plans to build at least one major tourist
attraction in the region--a theme park or a casino--but the company denies
that it has such plans. A pattern of projects materializing after the
developer had previously denied they existed is reminiscent of how Disney
World took hold of the Orlando area. And remember, Disney is the former
corporate home of St. Joe Company CEO Peter Rummel. It would seem, with
the expansive airport and roadways proposed by St. Joe Company or its
proxies, that the St. Joe company must have as yet undisclosed grandiose
plans, in addition to its residential and commercial development. We say
to the St. Joe Company, let's get it all on the table NOW so adequate
planning can be done." Hedrick continued.
"There has been no comprehensive review of all of St. Joe Company's
activity by any government body. The only reviews have been on one project
at a time by individual local governments. No responsible agency has
considered the overall regional impact of all St. Joe Company proposed
developments combined. We've been informed that St. Joe Company plans
ahead at least 2-3 decades due to their previous involvement with timber
and they have had their plans for a long time. " said Sandra Allen of
PCC from Eastpoint in Franklin County.
" Is there a new, improved St. Joe Company? St. Joe Company doesn't
believe its plans need any fundamental revision whereas we feel exactly
the opposite. The citizens of the Panhandle most adversely impacted by
these developments did not bargain for this to happen to them. In St. Joe
Company's own words, their plans fundamentally change the character of all
the existing communities and the Panhandle as a whole. We know many of
these changes will have negative impacts on our communities, governments
and our quality of life. " stated PCC from Bay County.
"For example, in Franklin County this could extend to wiping out an
entire way of life. Any large scale development on or near the water could
signal death for the commercial and recreational fishermen and women of
all of Northwest Florida. This is not inconsequential, as according to the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in 2000, saltwater and
freshwater fishing along with hunting and wildlife viewing generated $53
million in total expenditures annually in Franklin County alone, which
resulted in a total economic impact on the County of almost $95 million,
and created 1,268 full time jobs. As we should remember, Tampa Bay and
Chesapeake Bay were also once fishing communities. " said Allen.
"St. Joe Company stands to make billions off their development
projects- an
estimated 100 million on the Franklin project and $500 million on the Gulf
project alone- yet is offering very little to the affected communities to
defray development impacts, expecting the local, state and federal
taxpayers to pick up the tabs. St. Joe Company, just like many other
developers, is only doing what is in their best interests (making money
for themselves and their stockholders) and not taking into account the
citizenry as a whole. In fact, by the design of their upscale, high-end
projects, St. Joe Company seems to pit the rich and powerful against the
rest of the citizens." said Hedrick.
"A pause for planning is essential to digest the breath and scope of
all St, Joe Company's plans. A pause for planning will allow time for
better public participation and will put the decision-making into the
hands of the citizens, not one major developer." said Tim Turner with
PCC from Apalachicola in Franklin County.
" Letters to affected local governments, the Governor and St. Joe
Company have been sent outlining the pause for planning and if they either
do not respond quickly or reject the call for the pause, then you will see
us again shortly outlining what will happen next. Stay tuned and in the
meantime, we would urge all citizens to contact their local and state
officials to put pressure on them to adopt the pause." said Hedrick
in conclusion.
| SAMPLE
ORDINANCE RESOLUTION FROM PANHANDLE CITIZENS COALITION
|
News Clips
Tallahassee Democrat: Opponents
of St. Joe use poor approach
It's hardly surprising that The St. Joe Co.'s "Great Northwest"
has incited opposition and even outrage from some Floridians. The
developer's vision for thousands of homes, a new airport and the
re-routing of a major Panhandle highway is sweeping. It would obviously
have a major impact on this region.... 8/29/02
Slow
growth group calls on St. Joe to halt developments
TALLAHASSEE — A group of Panhandle slow-growth activists on Tuesday
asked the St. Joe Company to halt its developments in the Panhandle for a
year to better determine how the area will be changed by the company's
plans. St. Joe, the largest landholder in the state, has several
development proposals from Tallahassee to Destin.... 8/28/02
Group
seeks slow Panhandle growth
Activists want a one-year delay on work by the St. Joe Co., the state's
largest landowner.... 8/28/02
State
asked to stop St. Joe Co.'s development
Outraged by The St. Joe Co.'s proposed developments across the Florida
Panhandle, a new group is calling on the state to halt development
projects across the region for at least a year.... 8/28/02
info: email info@whoseflorida.com