by TRC_Admin | Mar 12, 2022 | Codes, Environmental, Nature, Zoning
Map: from Fernandina Observer
‘Tiger Island has no zoning. Consequently, the County Planning Department is proposing that it be zoned Open Rural (OR). By doing so, North Florida Land Trust will be able to get it appraised and finally conserve it.
Tiger Island – a 981-acre parcel located in the middle of the Amelia and St. Mary’s Rivers, has been on the watch list for the acquisition and protection of countless conservation organizations for years. Well over seven years at the very least, said a spokesperson for one conservation organization.
Why does this parcel rank so high on a most wanted list? Because Tiger Island is a barrier island . . . just like Cumberland Island and Amelia Island –and Tiger Island is one of the southernmost sea islands in the area. As such, these ‘sea islands’ help to protect surrounding areas from erosion, flooding and storm surge. Not to mention the fact that they provide and protect the habitats of so very many species – including manatees, gopher tortoises, sturgeon and countless birds.
In December of 2021, the North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) heralded news that it and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had been awarded a $1 million grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program to preserve the salt marsh and maritime forest that is Tiger Island.
The ultimate goal is to have Tiger Island become part of Fort Clinch State Park with ongoing maintenance and management provided by Fort Clinch’s parent organization—the State of Florida’s Division of Recreation and Parks.
Getting any parcel of land protected is no easy job. To quote Jim McCarthy, President of the North Florida Land Trust (NFLT), ‘conservation moves at glacier speed,’ . . . and when he said it, he noted that he was taking a bit of poetic license from a developer he knew some time ago who was talking about his own line of business.
To get any particular piece of land protected, it takes a lot of coordination, cooperation, collaboration . . . and of course, community support. Here is an outline of some of the essential elements and how they relate to Tiger Island.
#1 A WILLING SELLER Many years ago, the owners of Tiger Island may have envisioned developing the acreage for housing or hotels . . . but not anymore. During a recent phone conversation with the NFLT, the owners have committed themselves to preservation. In fact, there is already a signed contract that basically ‘seals the deal’ which will preserve in perpetuity, this island paradise.
#2 A CRITICAL MASS OF INDIVIDUALS/ORGANIZATIONS DEDICATED TO THE CAUSE In addition to the main funding sources already mentioned, the Forever Florida program has promised a matching $1 million grant.
#3 PRIVATE SUPPORT In addition to support at the federal, state and local levels, add to that list is an anonymous donor who has pledged to provide any additional funds necessary to complete the purchase and get the conservation program well underway – connecting a network of protected lands and waterways along the Florida-Georgia line.
There’s just one (or two) last hurdle(s).
It seems Tiger Island has never been zoned – despite Florida law which requires that every acre of land in the State be zoned.
Some say the omission of Tiger Island was a mere ‘Scrivener’s Error’ when Florida went ‘digital.’
Regardless, Tiger Island now needs to be zoned and that step in the process cannot be ‘skipped’ because an actual zone classification is needed so that the land can be appraised…'”
— Cindy Jackson, Fernandina Observer
Read entire article
by TRC_Admin | Mar 12, 2022 | Codes, Derelict Structures, Environmental, Floating, Legal, Trash
Photo: FWC in Resident News
” …The City of Jacksonville is on the cusp of limiting long-term anchoring in the city’s waterways, and the highly-trafficked Ortega River in particular, to 45 days.
It didn’t take an act of Congress, just the Florida Legislature, and cooperation from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) that controls the state’s waterways, plus a local push from Jacksonville City Councilwoman Randy DeFoor and the city’s Waterways Commission.
Derelict vessels and the troubles they bring to the Ortega River and the larger St. Johns River are not new but they’ve become more common in recent years, residents say.
They damage other boats and docks in storms, serve as low rent housing and appear as eyesores against otherwise scenic vistas. But the river blight has united the many parties in cooperation of a common goal: improving traffic conditions for boaters, many of whom live and/or play on the river.
Councilwoman DeFoor put it like this for landlubbers; imagine an old car in disrepair. It may still run but it’s not your weekend piddle project. It’s just parked in front of your house. For months on end. And you can’t do anything to move it.
That will soon change for derelict boats, however.
Two new city ordinances moving toward approval should improve traffic on the river. One measure will remove a nuisance vessel from the Ortega River via a state grant program funded from a portion of boater registration fees. The cost is $30,000.
Another ordinance crafted by Councilwoman DeFoor will prohibit vessels from serving as long-term housing by capping anchoring periods in the high traffic parts of the St. Johns River, like the Ortega River, to 45 days.
‘Neighbors who live along the Ortega River brought this issue to my attention when I was running for office,’ explained Councilwoman DeFoor by email. ‘I’ve been a boater my whole life and I understand the joy and responsibilities of owning a boat. Lisa Grubba, Mike Barker, and other neighbors shared their concerns with me and because the waterways are controlled by the state we brought Representative Wyman Duggan in on the conversations…
‘We can’t let the Ortega River fill up like a junkyard,’ added Mr. Barker.”
— Joel Addington, Resident Community News
Read entire article
by TRC_Admin | Dec 28, 2021 | Codes, Legal
Photo: Michael Laughlin, South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP
“A South Florida woman wanted to make a statement with her Halloween costume by dressing up as a condo building project she opposes.
She says a local police officer warned her not to, but according to Facebook posts, she did it anyway.
Cat Uden has been an outspoken critic of a developer’s plan to build a 30-story condo on taxpayer-owned beachfront land in Hollywood, Florida.
Ahead of the city’s Hollyweird Halloween block party, Uden posted in a Facebook group encouraging others to dress up like the condo building or hold ‘No Condo’ signs to raise awareness for their cause, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
But Uden ran into an issue when she says a local officer told her the costume coordination plan would be considered a planned protest march, for which she needs a permit.
According to posts by Uden in the ‘Hollywood Residents-Speak Up’ Facebook group, she had previously applied for permits for protests she has held against the condo developer in the past but did not consider this plan a protest…
The Sun Sentinel reports that Uden and six of her friends followed through on the plan and wore their condo building costumes to the block party without issue. The newspaper adds that one woman toting a ‘No Condo’ sign says she even got a hug from a police sergeant…
There has been debate over similar issues in the Tampa Bay area after Sarasota City commissioners approved a developer’s plan to build a high-rise hotel on Siesta Key.
The plan was a point of contention between people who want to further develop Siesta Key to keep up with the area’s rapid growth and those living in the area who don’t want to see their home overrun by high-rise hotels. ”
— Michael Laughlin, South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP
Read entire article
by TRC_Admin | Oct 5, 2021 | City Signs, Codes, Controversial
Photo: YourObserver.com
“Longboat Key beach enthusiasts have for years had the run of the town’s nearly 11 miles of Gulf of Mexico shoreline, which up until this summer included a 209-foot stretch of privately owned seawall on one of the town’s most iconic properties.
But a few weeks ago, following repairs to the seawall following Hurricane Eta in 2020, the owners of the property known as Ohana at 6633 Gulf of Mexico Drive, posted signs that their property, which extends to the water’s edge, was now off limits…
The only way to avoid trespassing on Ohana Hale Estate Land Trust property is now to wade into the surf, which often breaks right on the seawall, or make a 1-mile detour along Gulf of Mexico Drive using the two nearest public beach-access spots.
The seawall that extends all the way to the state’s erosion control line is unusual and dates back more than 50 years, town attorney Maggie Mooney said. ‘All of a sudden, we see signs saying that they had an invisible fence and a dog in training, and that’s where we all went, “Oh, OK. Things are changing,”‘
Longboat Key Turtle Watch Vice President Cyndi Seamon said of volunteers who scour the beach regularly during nesting season. Mooney explained the public’s right to access the beach area seawards of the state-drawn erosion control line (ECL).”
— Mark Bergin, YourObserver.com
Read entire article
by TRC_Admin | Oct 5, 2021 | City Signs, Codes, Controversial, Interactive Advertising
Photo: WWSP
“Some resort and condo owners on Siesta Key have placed signs on the beach telling people to stay off their beach property…
Sarasota County says they are aware of the situation and they are looking into the ordinance that governs the signage. Although some beachgoers are upset with what they’re seeing, many are very understanding.
— Rick Adams, WWSP
Read entire article
by TRC_Admin | Jul 29, 2021 | Codes, Mural
Photo: Christina Donahon
“In Crestview’s historic downtown distract, native Floridian wildflowers are sprouting on the side of a popular bakery café.
The mural on Back Home Bakery Café’s rear side wall is a collaborative effort between building owner Kimberley Howard, bakery owner (and Kimberley’s mom) Dorene Howard, local State Farm Insurance agent Tiffany Woodham, and muralist Christina Donahon.
Inspiration for the mural began when Police Chief Stephen McCosker, City Manager Tim Bolduc and Community Development Services staff began the current ongoing effort to address blight, including graffiti, a scourge that had hit the Bake Home Bakery rear side wall.
‘It started with graffiti we had to cover up,’ Dorene Howard said. ‘Tiffany came to us awhile back and asked if she could help.’
‘I felt we should do a downtown beautification project of some sort,’ Woodham said. ‘I want to help make downtown pretty. Kimberley and I met and we discussed what the design should be and Florida wildflowers came up. We wanted to do something that people would like and would want to take their pictures in front of…’
While the Howards painted out the graffiti, Woodham, who funded the project, engaged Donahon’s talents to realize their concept of a Florida wildflowers motif…
‘We wanted to do something to help beautify Crestview,’ Dorene Howard said. ‘We’re doing our part to make Crestview look good.'”
— Brian Hughes, City of Crestview in nwfdailynews.com
Read entire article
