By HILLARY COPSEY
Southbend neighbors are ready to talk with the city about building boat ramps in their area, though not everyone — not even every City Council member — likes the idea.
The city proposes to build a multi-ramp boat launch on 50 acres it owns off East Snow Road and Bay St. Lucie Drive. Boats launched from the property would have room to maneuver into the St. Lucie River because the site faces Kitching Cove, and the parcel has less than an acre of wetlands to be disturbed by construction.
Mostly, however, the city wants boat ramps at Bay St. Lucie because land-locked Port St. Lucie has few other options.
"If anybody were to go to Veterans Park this Sunday at 2, 3, 4 in the afternoon, I think it would be quite obvious there is a need for boat ramps: You wouldn't be able to find a place to park," Parks Director Chuck Proulx said.
Veterans Memorial Park on Midport Road — with just three ramps — is the only boat launch in the city. About 14,000 people own boats in St. Lucie County.
Facing increasing pressure from regional planners to provide for St. Lucie County boaters, a majority of City Council members supported the $2 million Southbend ramp proposal last week. If approved, a proposed boat ramp fee charged to western developers could pay for the project.
But Councilman Christopher Cooper flatly refused to support developing the site, and even those in favor of the plan admitted the ramps significantly could increase traffic on and around Southbend Boulevard. The council decided to ask Southbend residents to help with the planning process.
The proposal received mixed reviews in the quiet, well-manicured neighborhood along the river.
West Snow Road resident Janine Bischone totally is against the project, but Quay Street homeowner James Sanders preferred ramps to a housing development. Neighbor Glenn Krumenacker was split — liking the idea, but worried about traffic.
Regardless of opinions, most were willing to hear the city proposal and eager to throw in their two cents.
"We would certainly be active in discussing what's best for those lands, for the water and the quality of life for our residents in there," said Jim McKenzie, Bay St. Lucie Homeowners Association president.
The boat ramp facility likely would most affect Bay St. Lucie, the upscale, 29-home community at the end of Bay St. Lucie Drive. The meandering drive is public, but it only leads to the private gate protecting the community.
But residents can expect several more years of peace before boat-towing SUVs roll through their neighborhood. Permitting the project alone is expected to take at least two years because of necessary environmental studies, Proulx said.
And some residents say the city is going to need all the time it can get to properly design what is sure to be a popular park.
"Conceptually, the idea is really nice," Krumenacker said. "But the reality is that that piece of property is very inaccessible. It's going to be a serious challenge for them to provide for the kind of (positive) response they're going to get. They may create a problem they can't overcome."
SOUTHBEND BOAT RAMPS
Port St. Lucie officials want to build a boat ramp facility on 50 acres east of Southbend Boulevard. The project could include:
• Multiple boat ramps.
• Large parking lot.
• Walking trails.
• Picnic area.
WHAT'S NEXT
Before the City Council considers the boat ramp proposal for final approval, the Parks Department will host public workshops to gather suggestions and concerns about the plan from Southbend area residents.
Once a plan is created, the city will begin the permitting process, which could take as long as two years.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Upgrades studied for St. Lucie West Boulevard
By CHRIS YOUNG
City and private engineers have made a preliminary study of road improvements to St. Lucie West Boulevard to reduce accidents and increase safety.
The boulevard, a major east-west thoroughfare, may get median barriers and extended turn lanes at intersections between Peacock and Bayshore boulevards. If City Manager Don Cooper and City Council approve the plans, more detailed construction plans would be done, said Kim Graham, city engineer.
The plans were spurred by anticipated widening of the bridge over Interstate 95, said Councilwoman Michelle Berger.
"We definitely need more turning lanes, like off Peacock and Cashmere," she said.
Growth of the city and more stores and attractions in St. Lucie West have meant more residents are using the roads. The boulevard started to exceed its capacity in 2003, said Engineering Director Walter England, approaching "parking lot conditions."
In 2004, the road was targeted by the Metropolitan Planning Organization to have its traffic signals timed so that drivers going the speed limit hit more green lights than red lights.
The preliminary plans include cutting back landscaping to allow greater visibility, extending turn lanes off of St. Lucie West Boulevard including west of Peacock coming off the I-95 off-ramp, and adding medians along the boulevard.
All remaining median openings will get "peanuts," that will force drivers to turn onto the boulevard from one direction only, Graham said in a staff memo.
Intersections would also get Americans with Disabilities Act access and improvements, including Braille signage, Berger said.
City and private engineers have made a preliminary study of road improvements to St. Lucie West Boulevard to reduce accidents and increase safety.
The boulevard, a major east-west thoroughfare, may get median barriers and extended turn lanes at intersections between Peacock and Bayshore boulevards. If City Manager Don Cooper and City Council approve the plans, more detailed construction plans would be done, said Kim Graham, city engineer.
The plans were spurred by anticipated widening of the bridge over Interstate 95, said Councilwoman Michelle Berger.
"We definitely need more turning lanes, like off Peacock and Cashmere," she said.
Growth of the city and more stores and attractions in St. Lucie West have meant more residents are using the roads. The boulevard started to exceed its capacity in 2003, said Engineering Director Walter England, approaching "parking lot conditions."
In 2004, the road was targeted by the Metropolitan Planning Organization to have its traffic signals timed so that drivers going the speed limit hit more green lights than red lights.
The preliminary plans include cutting back landscaping to allow greater visibility, extending turn lanes off of St. Lucie West Boulevard including west of Peacock coming off the I-95 off-ramp, and adding medians along the boulevard.
All remaining median openings will get "peanuts," that will force drivers to turn onto the boulevard from one direction only, Graham said in a staff memo.
Intersections would also get Americans with Disabilities Act access and improvements, including Braille signage, Berger said.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
PSL investigating property on Becker
City engineers are investigating 187 pieces of property on and around Becker Road as they craft a plan to expand the road to four lanes.
The city has already purchased 70 lots in the area, but the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council expansion proposal — favored by City Council — requires another 187 lots for drainage, roundabouts, green areas and other improvements. City engineers and consultants are determining which properties are improved, as well as which lots are vital to the plan.
Engineers expect to present their findings to City Council for further direction within the next three months.
"We've got to figure out what we want to do," City Engineer Walter England said. "Then, either somebody's got to find some more money, or we'll have to phase back the plan."
The city has already purchased 70 lots in the area, but the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council expansion proposal — favored by City Council — requires another 187 lots for drainage, roundabouts, green areas and other improvements. City engineers and consultants are determining which properties are improved, as well as which lots are vital to the plan.
Engineers expect to present their findings to City Council for further direction within the next three months.
"We've got to figure out what we want to do," City Engineer Walter England said. "Then, either somebody's got to find some more money, or we'll have to phase back the plan."
BBBs issue real estate fraud alert
Business Bureaus in the United States and Canada on Monday issued an alert to help combat the growing incidences of real estate fraud.
The BBB offers the following tips for homeowners whose mortgage is in arrears or who are facing foreclosure:
• Read everything before you sign and get all verbal promises in writing. Some schemers will offer to complete paperwork for you, or ask you to sign a stack of documents, supposedly to secure a new mortgage. Victims later learn that they signed a quit-claim deed in which they gave away ownership of their home.
• Beware the personal approach. Some less-than-ethical businesses will stuff a handwritten note in your front door or mailbox that implies that help is available from someone you know or who has your interests in mind. Foreclosure scam artists know exactly what neighborhoods to blanket with their offers.
• If people describing themselves as "foreclosure rescuers" or mortgage brokers" instruct you not to contact your mortgage company or your attorney, be wary. You should be in touch with your mortgage company to explain payment problems and your lawyer is the only individual obligated to represent your rights.
• Never sign a contract under pressure and never sign away ownership of your property. Remember, signing over your deed to someone else does not necessarily relieve you of a loan obligation. Ask a trusted family member, attorney or a financial professional to review any paperwork you are asked to sign.
• Before agreeing to any deal, contact your local BBB for a report on the company and check with your state attorney general and state Real Estate Commission. On the Treasure Coast, call the BBB office in Port St. Lucie at (772) 335-2017.
For additional information, call (800) 834-1267 or visit www.bbbsoutheastflorida.org.
The BBB offers the following tips for homeowners whose mortgage is in arrears or who are facing foreclosure:
• Read everything before you sign and get all verbal promises in writing. Some schemers will offer to complete paperwork for you, or ask you to sign a stack of documents, supposedly to secure a new mortgage. Victims later learn that they signed a quit-claim deed in which they gave away ownership of their home.
• Beware the personal approach. Some less-than-ethical businesses will stuff a handwritten note in your front door or mailbox that implies that help is available from someone you know or who has your interests in mind. Foreclosure scam artists know exactly what neighborhoods to blanket with their offers.
• If people describing themselves as "foreclosure rescuers" or mortgage brokers" instruct you not to contact your mortgage company or your attorney, be wary. You should be in touch with your mortgage company to explain payment problems and your lawyer is the only individual obligated to represent your rights.
• Never sign a contract under pressure and never sign away ownership of your property. Remember, signing over your deed to someone else does not necessarily relieve you of a loan obligation. Ask a trusted family member, attorney or a financial professional to review any paperwork you are asked to sign.
• Before agreeing to any deal, contact your local BBB for a report on the company and check with your state attorney general and state Real Estate Commission. On the Treasure Coast, call the BBB office in Port St. Lucie at (772) 335-2017.
For additional information, call (800) 834-1267 or visit www.bbbsoutheastflorida.org.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Hurricane Grill looks to perk up PSL, Westmoreland 'eyesore'
By CHRIS YOUNG
After years of planning and bureaucratic hurdles, a developer may soon break ground on the last corner of one of the city's busiest intersections.
The southeast corner of Port St. Lucie and Westmoreland boulevards boasts a stretch of foot-high grass and a cluster of palm trees, but new billboards announce a Hurricane Grill And Wings with eight retail spots and a bank.
City Council members said the City Fountain Center parcel finally is coming together, though not exactly as they wanted.
"I wanted a more upscale restaurant than the Hurricane Grill, but it does have probably the best wings in St. Lucie County," said Councilman Jack Kelly. "I'm glad to see it moving forward. That property has been an eyesore as long as I've been in Port St. Lucie."
Kelly said the line of rental houses that used to be on the property "never looked right" for the city's vision for Riverwalk.
Neighbors on adjacent Petunia Avenue recalled that tenant turnover was high, and the houses weren't well-maintained. Betty Keele, 74, said that the neighbors across from her property even sold used appliances from their back porch.
Developer Frank Poma agreed to buy the lots for about $2.1 million and razed the houses.
The city, Poma said, has dragged its feet on approving his rezoning and replatting, taking a couple of years.
Kelly agreed, saying the property was tied up in the planning of a special assessment district that would fund intersection expansions and Riverwalk South — city land bordering the St. Lucie River including a botanical gardens.
The project was complicated further by the corner wedge, a perennially vacant city-owned parcel that Poma committed to furnish with a 20-foot-wide fountain as part of his sale agreement.
Talks between Poma and the neighbors about the restaurant, at one point a sushi restaurant, led one resident to circulate a letter about the Hurricane Grill.
"A beer and wings place attracts a different crowd than a sushi restaurant," said the letter's author, Harvey Glatt, who was concerned about noise.
Hurricane Brand Holdings chairman Michael Matakaetis said the new location would be family-friendly and not a true bar, selling beer and wine only.
Betty Keele said she was waiting for a sound wall that city officials promised would be built.
Poma said he would build it before constructing the building, but the site plan has needed revision because of city staff requirements. He is submitting a revised plan in the next several weeks.
Keele said it's about time.
"Every year they've come up with something new," she said. "We were looking forward to the doggone thing getting started."
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Get ready for 'new era' of economic development in PSL
By HILLARY COPSEY
The city is entering a new phase of economic development as it finishes cleaning up the mistakes of the original developer, City Manager Don Cooper said Friday during a City Council planning retreat.
"At the winter retreat, in February, you will be in a new era of the city," Cooper said. "By February 2007, we'll have an answer to Burnham, whether or not they will come here."
Even if the California biotech facility, The Burnham Institute, does not build in Port St. Lucie, Cooper guaranteed other high-tech industry would arrive.
For years, the city has worked to build the roads, utilities and other basic amenities not provided by Port St. Lucie's founder, General Development Co.
That work largely is finished. Next year, a slew of new projects begin that will change the face of the city, Cooper said.
During the two-day planning retreat, City Council approved a $650 million budget that included cash for the Crosstown Parkway and Becker Road. Both roads will have exits on Interstate 95 underway next year, while a new interchange on Florida's Turnpike opens.
The city's first significant retail development — The Landing — is coming to Tradition, as Wal-Mart and Sam's Club go up on Gatlin Boulevard. Meanwhile, construction will start next year on City Center, the city's first downtown, causing "a radical change on the east-side," Cooper said.
And while growth is slowing, Planning Director Cheryl Friend said as many as 400,000 people could live in Port St. Lucie by 2016.
A major part of that growth will come in development west of I-95.
As many as 80,000 homes are planned in the western areas annexed since 2003. While those developments bring retail, school sites and other infrastructure the city needs, they also will add 200,000 people.
"We need to begin thinking, given that environment ... about the next 10 to 15 years, because it's going to be a different city than the last 50 years," Cooper said. "The city is now on a national stage."
As the city enters the high-wage industry competition, Port St. Lucie planners are trying to educate themselves, elected officials and the community. The city is hosting a biotech conference on October 27 with speakers from Scripps Research Institute and other organizations.
"We're hoping this is the first of many," Assistant Planning Director Daniel Holbrook said.
Port St. Lucie is about to embark on a new era of economic development, City Manager Don Cooper says. Next year, Port St. Lucie will start several city-altering projects:
Crosstown Parkway: The third east-west thoroughfare will be under construction from a new Interstate 95 interchange to the St. Lucie River.
Becker Road: Work will begin on a new I-95 interchange and finish on a interchange at Florida's Turnpike.
The Landing at Tradition: While not a city project, Cooper calls Core Communities' upscale shopping center the city's first significant retail development.
City Center: A partnership with developer George de Guardiola will create the city's first downtown.
The city is entering a new phase of economic development as it finishes cleaning up the mistakes of the original developer, City Manager Don Cooper said Friday during a City Council planning retreat.
"At the winter retreat, in February, you will be in a new era of the city," Cooper said. "By February 2007, we'll have an answer to Burnham, whether or not they will come here."
Even if the California biotech facility, The Burnham Institute, does not build in Port St. Lucie, Cooper guaranteed other high-tech industry would arrive.
For years, the city has worked to build the roads, utilities and other basic amenities not provided by Port St. Lucie's founder, General Development Co.
That work largely is finished. Next year, a slew of new projects begin that will change the face of the city, Cooper said.
During the two-day planning retreat, City Council approved a $650 million budget that included cash for the Crosstown Parkway and Becker Road. Both roads will have exits on Interstate 95 underway next year, while a new interchange on Florida's Turnpike opens.
The city's first significant retail development — The Landing — is coming to Tradition, as Wal-Mart and Sam's Club go up on Gatlin Boulevard. Meanwhile, construction will start next year on City Center, the city's first downtown, causing "a radical change on the east-side," Cooper said.
And while growth is slowing, Planning Director Cheryl Friend said as many as 400,000 people could live in Port St. Lucie by 2016.
A major part of that growth will come in development west of I-95.
As many as 80,000 homes are planned in the western areas annexed since 2003. While those developments bring retail, school sites and other infrastructure the city needs, they also will add 200,000 people.
"We need to begin thinking, given that environment ... about the next 10 to 15 years, because it's going to be a different city than the last 50 years," Cooper said. "The city is now on a national stage."
As the city enters the high-wage industry competition, Port St. Lucie planners are trying to educate themselves, elected officials and the community. The city is hosting a biotech conference on October 27 with speakers from Scripps Research Institute and other organizations.
"We're hoping this is the first of many," Assistant Planning Director Daniel Holbrook said.
Port St. Lucie is about to embark on a new era of economic development, City Manager Don Cooper says. Next year, Port St. Lucie will start several city-altering projects:
Crosstown Parkway: The third east-west thoroughfare will be under construction from a new Interstate 95 interchange to the St. Lucie River.
Becker Road: Work will begin on a new I-95 interchange and finish on a interchange at Florida's Turnpike.
The Landing at Tradition: While not a city project, Cooper calls Core Communities' upscale shopping center the city's first significant retail development.
City Center: A partnership with developer George de Guardiola will create the city's first downtown.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Torino park will take almost all of PSL's recreation cash
By HILLARY COPSEY
A $12 million regional park in Torino will take almost all the city's recreation cash for the next four years, the City Council decided Thursday.
The city included $5 million in the 2006-07 budget, which takes effect Oct. 1, to design and construct a four-field softball complex on a 139-acre parcel between West Blanton Boulevard and North Torino Parkway. By 2010, the city aims to spend an additional $7 million to transform the empty land into a regional park.
"This will be the single-largest parks improvement ever undertaken in the history of the city," Parks Project Manager Brad Keen said. "There may be smaller projects that we can get done, but this will be the major thrust for the next four years."
The city typically has built parks in phases, building a section one year then waiting several years before finishing the project. Often, there simply wasn't enough money to finish things at once, Parks Director Chuck Proulx said.
But since 2003, the area's growth has provided a steady income of parks impact fees from developers and a special parks tax. That, combined with ever-increasing construction costs, makes building all at once a better option.
"We have not had good experiences piecemealing our parks," City Manager Don Cooper said. "To be frank, it tends to cost us more money overall."
Many recent parks projects have run over budget and over schedule. Unexpected building needs and increased costs delayed the Torino field complex for three years.
Now, Torino could delay for four years the construction of regional parks in the eastern and southwestern areas of the city. Cooper said the city might be able to build Torino faster by borrowing the funds.
Impact fees and parks taxes will pay for the debt, Cooper said.
But first, the City Council must approve a master plan for the park. The city plans to host public meetings to gather residents' suggestions.
With the $12 million, the city hopes to build as many as eight baseball or softball fields, several other athletic fields, a playground and walking trails. Eventually, Cooper and Keen said the city might consider building a pool or community center at the site.
TORINO POSSIBILITIES
• Eight or more softball and baseball fields.
• A rugby field.
• Soccer fields.
• Tennis courts.
• Playgrounds.
• Pavilions.
• A fishing pier.
• Walking trails.
THE BUDGET
• City Council members Thursday unanimously set a property tax rate of $4.44 per $1,000 of taxable value for next fiscal year.
• The rate is a drop of 25 cents from the current year. A homeowner with a homestead exemption and a house with an assessed value of $200,000 would pay $804 next year, a reduction of $17 from the current city tax bill.
• Public hearings to finalize the tax rate will be held at council meetings at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11 and 25 at City Hall.
• Residents also will see a $9 increase in stormwater fees and 1.5 percent increase in water and sewer rates.
• Key budget items include hiring 34 additional police officers.
OTHER RETREAT ACTION
• The City Council received an update about a new road maintenance system designed to spend paving dollars where they are needed most.
The new system analyzes the condition of each road in the city,
Public Works Director Don Freedland said. Instead of paving whole sections of the city in a rotating schedule, workers now will pave individual roads based on need.
The system, which is used in Tampa, Orlando and Lakeland, should make the most of the city's annual $2.4 million paving budget, Freedland said.
• Council members decided to consider a 2.5 percent to 5 percent increase in rental fees for parks and recreation facilities.
"If they go up, you're talking about dollars, probably," Parks Director Chuck Proulx said.
Still, an increase in operating costs and employees needed to staff the facilities makes the cost necessary, Proulx said. He asked council to consider creating a yearly increase after the initial price hike to adjust for cost-of-living.
• Communications Director Wayne Larson updated the City Council on the city's marketing plan, which includes an upcoming survey of how residents get information.
Several council members criticized PSL TV-20, the public access channel, and the Community Relations Department, pledging to nix any requests for more money until programming improved.
But City Manager Don Cooper said the city must concentrate on improving its Web site, PSL TV-20 and other communication systems to market itself to big business.
A $12 million regional park in Torino will take almost all the city's recreation cash for the next four years, the City Council decided Thursday.
The city included $5 million in the 2006-07 budget, which takes effect Oct. 1, to design and construct a four-field softball complex on a 139-acre parcel between West Blanton Boulevard and North Torino Parkway. By 2010, the city aims to spend an additional $7 million to transform the empty land into a regional park.
"This will be the single-largest parks improvement ever undertaken in the history of the city," Parks Project Manager Brad Keen said. "There may be smaller projects that we can get done, but this will be the major thrust for the next four years."
The city typically has built parks in phases, building a section one year then waiting several years before finishing the project. Often, there simply wasn't enough money to finish things at once, Parks Director Chuck Proulx said.
But since 2003, the area's growth has provided a steady income of parks impact fees from developers and a special parks tax. That, combined with ever-increasing construction costs, makes building all at once a better option.
"We have not had good experiences piecemealing our parks," City Manager Don Cooper said. "To be frank, it tends to cost us more money overall."
Many recent parks projects have run over budget and over schedule. Unexpected building needs and increased costs delayed the Torino field complex for three years.
Now, Torino could delay for four years the construction of regional parks in the eastern and southwestern areas of the city. Cooper said the city might be able to build Torino faster by borrowing the funds.
Impact fees and parks taxes will pay for the debt, Cooper said.
But first, the City Council must approve a master plan for the park. The city plans to host public meetings to gather residents' suggestions.
With the $12 million, the city hopes to build as many as eight baseball or softball fields, several other athletic fields, a playground and walking trails. Eventually, Cooper and Keen said the city might consider building a pool or community center at the site.
TORINO POSSIBILITIES
• Eight or more softball and baseball fields.
• A rugby field.
• Soccer fields.
• Tennis courts.
• Playgrounds.
• Pavilions.
• A fishing pier.
• Walking trails.
THE BUDGET
• City Council members Thursday unanimously set a property tax rate of $4.44 per $1,000 of taxable value for next fiscal year.
• The rate is a drop of 25 cents from the current year. A homeowner with a homestead exemption and a house with an assessed value of $200,000 would pay $804 next year, a reduction of $17 from the current city tax bill.
• Public hearings to finalize the tax rate will be held at council meetings at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11 and 25 at City Hall.
• Residents also will see a $9 increase in stormwater fees and 1.5 percent increase in water and sewer rates.
• Key budget items include hiring 34 additional police officers.
OTHER RETREAT ACTION
• The City Council received an update about a new road maintenance system designed to spend paving dollars where they are needed most.
The new system analyzes the condition of each road in the city,
Public Works Director Don Freedland said. Instead of paving whole sections of the city in a rotating schedule, workers now will pave individual roads based on need.
The system, which is used in Tampa, Orlando and Lakeland, should make the most of the city's annual $2.4 million paving budget, Freedland said.
• Council members decided to consider a 2.5 percent to 5 percent increase in rental fees for parks and recreation facilities.
"If they go up, you're talking about dollars, probably," Parks Director Chuck Proulx said.
Still, an increase in operating costs and employees needed to staff the facilities makes the cost necessary, Proulx said. He asked council to consider creating a yearly increase after the initial price hike to adjust for cost-of-living.
• Communications Director Wayne Larson updated the City Council on the city's marketing plan, which includes an upcoming survey of how residents get information.
Several council members criticized PSL TV-20, the public access channel, and the Community Relations Department, pledging to nix any requests for more money until programming improved.
But City Manager Don Cooper said the city must concentrate on improving its Web site, PSL TV-20 and other communication systems to market itself to big business.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
St. Lucie's crime rate down 7.2 percent
By WILL GREENLEE
The crime rate per 100,000 in Fort Pierce and fast-growing Port St. Lucie decreased last year, though rose slightly in the unincorporated county, according to state statistics released Tuesday.
The local figures, which reflect reports in seven categories of serious crimes, came from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as that agency and Governor Jeb Bush announced the state's index crime rate has reached a 34-year low.
The Port St. Lucie police showed a 10.4 percent drop from 2004 in the crime rate per 100,000, which appears to be a product of population growth because the number of serious crime reports remained essentially unchanged in 2004 and 2005.
Port St. Lucie's population last year was 129,135, an increase of about 14,000 from 2004, though the total number of serious crimes in 2005 increased by just 15.
"Overall I think we've done a fantastic job," Chief John Skinner said.
He said it appears the city won't be able to proclaim it's the safest of its size in the state as it has in years past.
"You can only keep it down so long," Skinner said. "You do the very best you can, but it's difficult when you have that many coming into the city."
The Fort Pierce police recorded a 5.1 percent drop in the crime rate per 100,000 from 2004, which Assistant Chief Sean Baldwin attributed partially to partnerships with the community and other law enforcement agencies and hard work by his department's officers.
"We had some significant decreases in our burglary and theft, which traditionally account for significant portions of our crimes," he said.
Burglaries dropped from 970 in 2004 to 872 last year while larceny went from 1,912 in 2004 to 1,629 last year.
Homicides, however, rose to 10 last year from six in 2004, and Fort Pierce continues to have the highest crime rate per 100,000 in the county.
Statistics show the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office had a 2.8 percent increase in the crime rate per 100,000 last year, with significant jumps in larceny and motor vehicle theft, which Sheriff Ken Mascara called "crimes of opportunity."
"Our crime prevention unit continues to try to educate our public on how to keep things locked up and secure when they're not around," Mascara said. "We are trying to address those little increases that we're experiencing."
Crime down
For seven major crimes, the crime rate dropped in St. Lucie County from 2004 to 2005, based on crimes per 100,000 residents:
Port St. Lucie: -10.4.
Fort Pierce: -5.1.
Sheriff's Office: +2.8.
St. Lucie County total: -7.2.
The crime rate per 100,000 in Fort Pierce and fast-growing Port St. Lucie decreased last year, though rose slightly in the unincorporated county, according to state statistics released Tuesday.
The local figures, which reflect reports in seven categories of serious crimes, came from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as that agency and Governor Jeb Bush announced the state's index crime rate has reached a 34-year low.
The Port St. Lucie police showed a 10.4 percent drop from 2004 in the crime rate per 100,000, which appears to be a product of population growth because the number of serious crime reports remained essentially unchanged in 2004 and 2005.
Port St. Lucie's population last year was 129,135, an increase of about 14,000 from 2004, though the total number of serious crimes in 2005 increased by just 15.
"Overall I think we've done a fantastic job," Chief John Skinner said.
He said it appears the city won't be able to proclaim it's the safest of its size in the state as it has in years past.
"You can only keep it down so long," Skinner said. "You do the very best you can, but it's difficult when you have that many coming into the city."
The Fort Pierce police recorded a 5.1 percent drop in the crime rate per 100,000 from 2004, which Assistant Chief Sean Baldwin attributed partially to partnerships with the community and other law enforcement agencies and hard work by his department's officers.
"We had some significant decreases in our burglary and theft, which traditionally account for significant portions of our crimes," he said.
Burglaries dropped from 970 in 2004 to 872 last year while larceny went from 1,912 in 2004 to 1,629 last year.
Homicides, however, rose to 10 last year from six in 2004, and Fort Pierce continues to have the highest crime rate per 100,000 in the county.
Statistics show the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office had a 2.8 percent increase in the crime rate per 100,000 last year, with significant jumps in larceny and motor vehicle theft, which Sheriff Ken Mascara called "crimes of opportunity."
"Our crime prevention unit continues to try to educate our public on how to keep things locked up and secure when they're not around," Mascara said. "We are trying to address those little increases that we're experiencing."
Crime down
For seven major crimes, the crime rate dropped in St. Lucie County from 2004 to 2005, based on crimes per 100,000 residents:
Port St. Lucie: -10.4.
Fort Pierce: -5.1.
Sheriff's Office: +2.8.
St. Lucie County total: -7.2.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Commerce on Becker Road advances
By CHRIS YOUNG
PORT ST. LUCIE — After months of waiting, the City Council advanced the city's plan for the Becker Road corridor Monday night.
To the applause of more than a dozen residents, the council unanimously voted to use an $80,000 report by the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council as a guide to shaping the corridor and create a conversion zone. The zone would allow the gradual conversion of residential lots into commercial lots, a recommendation from the Planning & Zoning board.
The next step is to have staff do a needs assessment with pros and cons of variables such as traffic lights versus roundabouts, Mayor Bob Minsky said.
"We have to consider cost and functionality," Minsky said.
Property owners voiced their concerns at the meeting, demanding the city choose a direction.
"It is time for you to act with a vision," resident Bill Bristol said.
Realtor Eileen Smith said before the meeting that many lot owners along Becker Road want to sell but are having difficulty because no one knows what the future holds.
"What are the setbacks, the occupancy, the parking rules, the best places for alleys?" said Smith, who owns two lots on Becker Road.
The council last gave direction on the thoroughfare in April, approving a plan showing how side streets will intersect Becker Road and sites for future drainage ponds. That plan included a four-lane road with five traffic signals and no roundabouts, but officials said they could be added later.
Councilman Christopher Cooper said if city staff recommended a four-lane road with roundabouts for Floresta Boulevard, which the council approved in June, staff should be able to do the same for Becker.
"I can't see any valid reason for not supporting roundabouts," he said.
He added that the eventual road will not look 100 percent like the planning council plan.
"It won't look like that unless one person bought the entire thing and developed it," he said.
To solve a drainage problem on the expanded Becker Road, the council also voted to remove the four-foot wide bike lanes but widen sidewalks to eight feet on each side of the road.
The council also leaned toward having future developers build their own drainage instead of having a unified drainage system.
Creating such a system could require buying more than 270 lots, Assistant City Manager Jerry Bentrott said.
PORT ST. LUCIE — After months of waiting, the City Council advanced the city's plan for the Becker Road corridor Monday night.
To the applause of more than a dozen residents, the council unanimously voted to use an $80,000 report by the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council as a guide to shaping the corridor and create a conversion zone. The zone would allow the gradual conversion of residential lots into commercial lots, a recommendation from the Planning & Zoning board.
The next step is to have staff do a needs assessment with pros and cons of variables such as traffic lights versus roundabouts, Mayor Bob Minsky said.
"We have to consider cost and functionality," Minsky said.
Property owners voiced their concerns at the meeting, demanding the city choose a direction.
"It is time for you to act with a vision," resident Bill Bristol said.
Realtor Eileen Smith said before the meeting that many lot owners along Becker Road want to sell but are having difficulty because no one knows what the future holds.
"What are the setbacks, the occupancy, the parking rules, the best places for alleys?" said Smith, who owns two lots on Becker Road.
The council last gave direction on the thoroughfare in April, approving a plan showing how side streets will intersect Becker Road and sites for future drainage ponds. That plan included a four-lane road with five traffic signals and no roundabouts, but officials said they could be added later.
Councilman Christopher Cooper said if city staff recommended a four-lane road with roundabouts for Floresta Boulevard, which the council approved in June, staff should be able to do the same for Becker.
"I can't see any valid reason for not supporting roundabouts," he said.
He added that the eventual road will not look 100 percent like the planning council plan.
"It won't look like that unless one person bought the entire thing and developed it," he said.
To solve a drainage problem on the expanded Becker Road, the council also voted to remove the four-foot wide bike lanes but widen sidewalks to eight feet on each side of the road.
The council also leaned toward having future developers build their own drainage instead of having a unified drainage system.
Creating such a system could require buying more than 270 lots, Assistant City Manager Jerry Bentrott said.
St. Lucie taxes falling 65 cents per $1,000
By REBECCA PANOFF
FORT PIERCE — St. Lucie County Commissioners ended a week-long budget review Monday with a decision to slightly reduce the county property tax rate — by 65 cents per $1,000 of taxable value.
Rather than rolling back the tax rate more, commissioners also decided to spend about $27.5 million in surplus tax money on various projects.
Commissioners called the budget a balance between meeting the fiscal needs of the county and maintaining residents' quality of life.
"I think this budget does both of those things," Commissioner Joe Smith said.
Commissioners had said repeatedly they wanted to decrease the tax rate and had more tax money than originally budgeted because county property values jumped more than 37 percent this year.
Even with the cut in the tax rate, many residents and business owners will see an increase in their tax bill because their property value went up.
For city residents, commissioners reduced the tax rate from $7.24 to $6.59 per $1,000 of taxable value.
Residents in the unincorporated county will see a slightly lower cut because of a slight increase in the stormwater tax for stormwater and drainage projects. The unincorporated tax rate will go from $7.24 to $6.63.
Commissioners will vote at 9 a.m. today on the proposed tax rate and the final 2006-07 budget. Public hearings will be conducted Sept. 7 and 14.
Commissioner Paula Lewis said she felt comfortable with the amount the county is cutting, but said it's up to other governmental bodies to decrease their tax rates so residents actually feel the cut.
"I can't make up for the fact everyone has not taken a cut," she said.
While cutting the tax rate, commissioners also decided to use the surplus money to provide the remaining funding to build a new Emergency Operations Center, for a building at the Oxbow Center and for an increase in New Horizons' budget. About $1.2 million of the surplus will be used to fund criminal justice programs.
County officials last Monday did not have a final total budget figure.
At a glance
For a house valued at $250,000 with a $25,000 Homestead Exemption, the cut in county tax rates means:
• City residents will save $145.59.
• Residents in the unincorporated county will save $137.52.
• Despite the rate cut, residents actually may pay more in taxes because property values have increased
Key projects funded with surplus cash
• $900,000 for Emergency Operations Center.
• $1.6 million for entrance at Courthouse complex (called the monumental staircase).
• $1.5 million for first phase of Old Courthouse renovations.
FORT PIERCE — St. Lucie County Commissioners ended a week-long budget review Monday with a decision to slightly reduce the county property tax rate — by 65 cents per $1,000 of taxable value.
Rather than rolling back the tax rate more, commissioners also decided to spend about $27.5 million in surplus tax money on various projects.
Commissioners called the budget a balance between meeting the fiscal needs of the county and maintaining residents' quality of life.
"I think this budget does both of those things," Commissioner Joe Smith said.
Commissioners had said repeatedly they wanted to decrease the tax rate and had more tax money than originally budgeted because county property values jumped more than 37 percent this year.
Even with the cut in the tax rate, many residents and business owners will see an increase in their tax bill because their property value went up.
For city residents, commissioners reduced the tax rate from $7.24 to $6.59 per $1,000 of taxable value.
Residents in the unincorporated county will see a slightly lower cut because of a slight increase in the stormwater tax for stormwater and drainage projects. The unincorporated tax rate will go from $7.24 to $6.63.
Commissioners will vote at 9 a.m. today on the proposed tax rate and the final 2006-07 budget. Public hearings will be conducted Sept. 7 and 14.
Commissioner Paula Lewis said she felt comfortable with the amount the county is cutting, but said it's up to other governmental bodies to decrease their tax rates so residents actually feel the cut.
"I can't make up for the fact everyone has not taken a cut," she said.
While cutting the tax rate, commissioners also decided to use the surplus money to provide the remaining funding to build a new Emergency Operations Center, for a building at the Oxbow Center and for an increase in New Horizons' budget. About $1.2 million of the surplus will be used to fund criminal justice programs.
County officials last Monday did not have a final total budget figure.
At a glance
For a house valued at $250,000 with a $25,000 Homestead Exemption, the cut in county tax rates means:
• City residents will save $145.59.
• Residents in the unincorporated county will save $137.52.
• Despite the rate cut, residents actually may pay more in taxes because property values have increased
Key projects funded with surplus cash
• $900,000 for Emergency Operations Center.
• $1.6 million for entrance at Courthouse complex (called the monumental staircase).
• $1.5 million for first phase of Old Courthouse renovations.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
New PSL school prepares to open doors
By MARGOT SUSCA
PORT ST. LUCIE — The administration building's metal roof is bright red, but don't confuse West Gate K-8 with any old school house.
From groundbreaking to grand opening in just 10 months, St. Lucie County school leaders are celebrating the near completion of the high-technology school slated to open for 1,450 students in August.
Costs were more than originally planned, including a $100,000 increase for interior lighting to "improve student learning," school district Chief Financial Officer Tim Bargeron said.
With adjustments made and finishing touches in the works, Proctor Construction plans to turn the keys over to Principal Robert Cranmer in less than three weeks.
"People ask me 'What are you waiting for?'" Cranmer said. "It's the first day of school when I can walk through the classrooms and see the kids learning."
To facilitate that learning, Cranmer tapped 100 educators, some from as far away as Michigan and New Jersey, who are well versed in using digital tools to boost student success.
Cranmer, an educator for 36 years, says change towards computer-heavy, technology-based learning is essential to motivating and reaching children.
Last week, as 200 workers buzzed, hammered and painted, Cranmer toured the site pointing out wires in the ceiling that will eventually be outfitted with digital cameras, a kind of 21st Century take on the overhead projector.
The entire site offers wireless Internet access.
Classrooms are centered around a joint work space that can be walled off or shared by multiple teachers for speakers or a movie viewing.
The school's teacher- planning areas also are considered an innovation. Gone are the single-space rooms where teachers go to grade homework or prepare exams.
At West Gate, rooms with six-person conference tables will serve as planning stations, an effort Cranmer says is geared toward getting staff working together.
"We want to build collegial communities like corporations do," Cranmer said. "You keep working as a staff and as a staff you get better and better."
Teachers can map out one child's needs there or create a seamless transition for first and second graders on entire subjects like reading or writing.
The school, decked out inside in hues of blue, coral and yellow, also has plenty of windows to let in natural light.
It's the second K-8 to open in as many years — Oak Hammock opened last summer — and one of two sites opening in August under the revised student assignment system.
Treasure Coast High School also is scheduled to open at Darwin and Tulip boulevards in August.
West Gate K-8
Projected cost: $38.4 million, about $800,000 above original estimate.
Size: 225,000 square feet on 19 acres between Cashmere Boulevard and Florida's Turnpike.
Enrollment: First year 1,450 students; eventually 1,600.
Staff: 100 teachers, one principal, two assistant principals.
Extra use: Joint auditorium/cafeteria withstands 170 mph winds to serve as a public hurricane shelter for up to 500.
What parents need to know
• Beginning July 19, parents of children in grades 6, 7 and 8 assigned to West Gate K-8 should go there to choose electives.
• Parents of kindergarten through fifth-grade children should go to the school to register.
• On July 19, the main school phone number should be active and parents can call for more information: (772) 807-7600.
PORT ST. LUCIE — The administration building's metal roof is bright red, but don't confuse West Gate K-8 with any old school house.
From groundbreaking to grand opening in just 10 months, St. Lucie County school leaders are celebrating the near completion of the high-technology school slated to open for 1,450 students in August.
Costs were more than originally planned, including a $100,000 increase for interior lighting to "improve student learning," school district Chief Financial Officer Tim Bargeron said.
With adjustments made and finishing touches in the works, Proctor Construction plans to turn the keys over to Principal Robert Cranmer in less than three weeks.
"People ask me 'What are you waiting for?'" Cranmer said. "It's the first day of school when I can walk through the classrooms and see the kids learning."
To facilitate that learning, Cranmer tapped 100 educators, some from as far away as Michigan and New Jersey, who are well versed in using digital tools to boost student success.
Cranmer, an educator for 36 years, says change towards computer-heavy, technology-based learning is essential to motivating and reaching children.
Last week, as 200 workers buzzed, hammered and painted, Cranmer toured the site pointing out wires in the ceiling that will eventually be outfitted with digital cameras, a kind of 21st Century take on the overhead projector.
The entire site offers wireless Internet access.
Classrooms are centered around a joint work space that can be walled off or shared by multiple teachers for speakers or a movie viewing.
The school's teacher- planning areas also are considered an innovation. Gone are the single-space rooms where teachers go to grade homework or prepare exams.
At West Gate, rooms with six-person conference tables will serve as planning stations, an effort Cranmer says is geared toward getting staff working together.
"We want to build collegial communities like corporations do," Cranmer said. "You keep working as a staff and as a staff you get better and better."
Teachers can map out one child's needs there or create a seamless transition for first and second graders on entire subjects like reading or writing.
The school, decked out inside in hues of blue, coral and yellow, also has plenty of windows to let in natural light.
It's the second K-8 to open in as many years — Oak Hammock opened last summer — and one of two sites opening in August under the revised student assignment system.
Treasure Coast High School also is scheduled to open at Darwin and Tulip boulevards in August.
West Gate K-8
Projected cost: $38.4 million, about $800,000 above original estimate.
Size: 225,000 square feet on 19 acres between Cashmere Boulevard and Florida's Turnpike.
Enrollment: First year 1,450 students; eventually 1,600.
Staff: 100 teachers, one principal, two assistant principals.
Extra use: Joint auditorium/cafeteria withstands 170 mph winds to serve as a public hurricane shelter for up to 500.
What parents need to know
• Beginning July 19, parents of children in grades 6, 7 and 8 assigned to West Gate K-8 should go there to choose electives.
• Parents of kindergarten through fifth-grade children should go to the school to register.
• On July 19, the main school phone number should be active and parents can call for more information: (772) 807-7600.
PSL, St. Lucie at odds over handling of complaints
The most recent snag in the development of the Island Club came in February, when St. Lucie County determined the developer, Kolter Property Co., had not provided 490 acres of upland preserve habitat as required by the development order for PGA Village.
Some homeowners have demanded this land, which would be a place for native plant and animal species to be protected.
After listening to resident complaints and to Kolter representatives, commissioners blocked further building at PGA Village until the developer provided the habitat and resolved other development issues. The company was given 30 days to come up with a compliance plan, but no plan has yet been submitted.
Port St. Lucie, which has jurisdiction over portions of the land Kolter is developing, was notified of the county's findings, but decided Kolter had not violated the development orders it has within city limits. Work within the city has been allowed to continue.
What has irked some PGA Village residents is that Kolter is marketing its Verano project — which includes a luxury clubhouse — when work has not even begun on the Island Club. Verano and a new hotel in PGA Village were approved before the county was aware of the upland preserve problems, county officials say.
Kolter and the county still are negotiating that dispute, according to Bob Nix, county director of growth management.
Before any work can begin on the Island Club, the county commission must give final approval at a public meeting. Kolter officials previously said they would work with the county to resolve all problems and they would give residents the Island Club, as promised.
Some homeowners have demanded this land, which would be a place for native plant and animal species to be protected.
After listening to resident complaints and to Kolter representatives, commissioners blocked further building at PGA Village until the developer provided the habitat and resolved other development issues. The company was given 30 days to come up with a compliance plan, but no plan has yet been submitted.
Port St. Lucie, which has jurisdiction over portions of the land Kolter is developing, was notified of the county's findings, but decided Kolter had not violated the development orders it has within city limits. Work within the city has been allowed to continue.
What has irked some PGA Village residents is that Kolter is marketing its Verano project — which includes a luxury clubhouse — when work has not even begun on the Island Club. Verano and a new hotel in PGA Village were approved before the county was aware of the upland preserve problems, county officials say.
Kolter and the county still are negotiating that dispute, according to Bob Nix, county director of growth management.
Before any work can begin on the Island Club, the county commission must give final approval at a public meeting. Kolter officials previously said they would work with the county to resolve all problems and they would give residents the Island Club, as promised.
PSL police headquarters could move west
By CHRIS YOUNG
PORT ST. LUCIE — Police officials are proposing a new headquarters on the southeast tip of St. Lucie West to replace their existing building, which they say is too small for the needs of the fast-growing city.
The proposed building, which would be on about 35 acres of city land just north of the Crosstown Parkway and west of Florida's Turnpike, would be about 90,000 square feet, more than double the size of the current headquarters, Chief John Skinner said.
Skinner brought up the idea at the last City Council retreat, but said last week he will present updated plans for the location, which would include an emergency operations center and 911 center, at the next retreat in two weeks.
Council members said they wanted to hear more details and the cost. The proposal would shift resources toward the new areas of the city and away from the eastern side.
It could be built in about two years, Skinner said.
Currently the city contracts with St. Lucie County for 911 calls, and the EOC Center is a room in the Community Center.
Council members said they generally supported the new headquarters, which was previously considered as a new location for the public works department, which has requested a $7.8 million new compound in its capital improvements budget.
"Logistically, I think it's a good spot for the police," Councilman Jack Kelly said. "With the annexations, the center of the city has moved west."
Councilwoman Michelle Berger said the new headquarters was ideally situated next to the Crosstown Parkway.
But Councilman Christopher Cooper said he needed to hear Skinner's justification for relocating.
"Why do the police need to move out of a three-story headquarters with a two-story building (substation with 40 to 50 officers) on Rosser and another two-story station in the CRA (community redevelopment area)?" he said. "If we move this one, it will be two out west, one out east, with none in the middle."
The CRA station is scheduled to be built in the City Center at Walton Road and U.S. 1 at a cost of $4.1 million with 20,000 square feet of space and parking for about 80 vehicles, according to a Police department request form.
Council members agreed the city should have its own 911 center.
In addition to the headquarters relocation, police requested $2.1 million in renovations for the existing headquarters next to City Hall for the next fiscal year, including $1.4 million in structure fixes on all three floors, $200,000 for an upgraded security system, and $550,000 for a backup generator for the entire building.
Police asked for $100,000 yearly for the next five years to contribute to the public safety training complex at Indian River Community College. The city, as well as the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and Fort Pierce, would pay for the facility with matching state funds.
City Manager Don Cooper said he thought the joint IRCC facility was a good idea but was awaiting details, especially because the police also wanted a firing range at the new headquarters costing another $500,000.
"Those are big numbers," he said.
City police would get six dedicated firing lanes at IRCC's building, but currently only have limited access at a sheriff's office range for training.
PORT ST. LUCIE — Police officials are proposing a new headquarters on the southeast tip of St. Lucie West to replace their existing building, which they say is too small for the needs of the fast-growing city.
The proposed building, which would be on about 35 acres of city land just north of the Crosstown Parkway and west of Florida's Turnpike, would be about 90,000 square feet, more than double the size of the current headquarters, Chief John Skinner said.
Skinner brought up the idea at the last City Council retreat, but said last week he will present updated plans for the location, which would include an emergency operations center and 911 center, at the next retreat in two weeks.
Council members said they wanted to hear more details and the cost. The proposal would shift resources toward the new areas of the city and away from the eastern side.
It could be built in about two years, Skinner said.
Currently the city contracts with St. Lucie County for 911 calls, and the EOC Center is a room in the Community Center.
Council members said they generally supported the new headquarters, which was previously considered as a new location for the public works department, which has requested a $7.8 million new compound in its capital improvements budget.
"Logistically, I think it's a good spot for the police," Councilman Jack Kelly said. "With the annexations, the center of the city has moved west."
Councilwoman Michelle Berger said the new headquarters was ideally situated next to the Crosstown Parkway.
But Councilman Christopher Cooper said he needed to hear Skinner's justification for relocating.
"Why do the police need to move out of a three-story headquarters with a two-story building (substation with 40 to 50 officers) on Rosser and another two-story station in the CRA (community redevelopment area)?" he said. "If we move this one, it will be two out west, one out east, with none in the middle."
The CRA station is scheduled to be built in the City Center at Walton Road and U.S. 1 at a cost of $4.1 million with 20,000 square feet of space and parking for about 80 vehicles, according to a Police department request form.
Council members agreed the city should have its own 911 center.
In addition to the headquarters relocation, police requested $2.1 million in renovations for the existing headquarters next to City Hall for the next fiscal year, including $1.4 million in structure fixes on all three floors, $200,000 for an upgraded security system, and $550,000 for a backup generator for the entire building.
Police asked for $100,000 yearly for the next five years to contribute to the public safety training complex at Indian River Community College. The city, as well as the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office and Fort Pierce, would pay for the facility with matching state funds.
City Manager Don Cooper said he thought the joint IRCC facility was a good idea but was awaiting details, especially because the police also wanted a firing range at the new headquarters costing another $500,000.
"Those are big numbers," he said.
City police would get six dedicated firing lanes at IRCC's building, but currently only have limited access at a sheriff's office range for training.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Port St. Lucie to auction houses bought before road-plan changes
By Teresa Lane
PORT ST. LUCIE — At least seven times in the past two years, city officials have bought single-family houses they didn't need, paying families to leave only to learn months later the homes didn't stand in the way of a new interchange or a wider roadway.
Displaced families were allowed to strip whatever fixtures they wanted from the homes, leaving most as barren shells as they awaited demolition.
Now, faced with an inventory of seven run-down homes and two vacant lots near Becker Road and Interstate 95, the city is planning an auction to recoup the roughly $1 million it spent on the parcels.
No date has been set, and Assistant City Attorney Lois Nichols said the property list may be whittled if city employees decide they would like to use some of the homes as satellite offices.
Neighbor Diane Tomaselli, who has lived across the street from the homes on Cacao Street and Edinburgh Drive during three hurricanes and countless calls to city hall, is eager to see change in what she considers a blighted neighborhood.
"Those houses are the pits," said Tomaselli, who tried to sell her own house for nearly a year after losing her job. "They were getting flooded even before (Hurricane) Wilma. Those people took everything, including the kitchen sink."
City officials put a building moratorium on 92 lots, including 18 homes, in February 2004 after a preliminary engineering design showed the lots would stand in the way of a new interchange at I-95 and Becker Road.
Although city officials warned residents the design was preliminary and a final route could take two years to decide, several residents accepted the city's offer to sell rather than waiting years to learn their fate.
When a later design pared the number of homes and lots needed, the city resold several to their original owners but were left with six homes and two lots that no one wanted.
A seventh house, on Paley Road, was bought for $285,000 last September when owners claimed it was impossible to find a willing buyer after the city labeled the home a drainage area on a proposed redevelopment map.
Although city officials said their goal is to never buy unneeded property, they said it is inevitable when residents insist on immediate action amid changing design plans.
"This is somewhat disturbing because people want an instant answer," said Councilman Christopher Cooper, who met with Becker-area residents several times to discuss buyouts. "People may have moved unnecessarily, but our original goal was to let people get on with their lives. I hope we can recoup our money."
Nichols said that will be difficult despite appreciation in home prices since 2004.
Because the city ultimately expected to raze the homes, officials allowed sellers to strip practically anything of value.
Some owners, or perhaps burglars, took things they weren't supposed to, leaving some homes exposed to rain, Nichols said.
Tomaselli said other homes had roofs damaged by Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne and began to leak long before Wilma paid a visit.
"Many of the homes we inspected were trashed, but we can't say who did it," Nichols said. "This is not the best time to be putting them on the market, either."
PORT ST. LUCIE — At least seven times in the past two years, city officials have bought single-family houses they didn't need, paying families to leave only to learn months later the homes didn't stand in the way of a new interchange or a wider roadway.
Displaced families were allowed to strip whatever fixtures they wanted from the homes, leaving most as barren shells as they awaited demolition.
Now, faced with an inventory of seven run-down homes and two vacant lots near Becker Road and Interstate 95, the city is planning an auction to recoup the roughly $1 million it spent on the parcels.
No date has been set, and Assistant City Attorney Lois Nichols said the property list may be whittled if city employees decide they would like to use some of the homes as satellite offices.
Neighbor Diane Tomaselli, who has lived across the street from the homes on Cacao Street and Edinburgh Drive during three hurricanes and countless calls to city hall, is eager to see change in what she considers a blighted neighborhood.
"Those houses are the pits," said Tomaselli, who tried to sell her own house for nearly a year after losing her job. "They were getting flooded even before (Hurricane) Wilma. Those people took everything, including the kitchen sink."
City officials put a building moratorium on 92 lots, including 18 homes, in February 2004 after a preliminary engineering design showed the lots would stand in the way of a new interchange at I-95 and Becker Road.
Although city officials warned residents the design was preliminary and a final route could take two years to decide, several residents accepted the city's offer to sell rather than waiting years to learn their fate.
When a later design pared the number of homes and lots needed, the city resold several to their original owners but were left with six homes and two lots that no one wanted.
A seventh house, on Paley Road, was bought for $285,000 last September when owners claimed it was impossible to find a willing buyer after the city labeled the home a drainage area on a proposed redevelopment map.
Although city officials said their goal is to never buy unneeded property, they said it is inevitable when residents insist on immediate action amid changing design plans.
"This is somewhat disturbing because people want an instant answer," said Councilman Christopher Cooper, who met with Becker-area residents several times to discuss buyouts. "People may have moved unnecessarily, but our original goal was to let people get on with their lives. I hope we can recoup our money."
Nichols said that will be difficult despite appreciation in home prices since 2004.
Because the city ultimately expected to raze the homes, officials allowed sellers to strip practically anything of value.
Some owners, or perhaps burglars, took things they weren't supposed to, leaving some homes exposed to rain, Nichols said.
Tomaselli said other homes had roofs damaged by Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne and began to leak long before Wilma paid a visit.
"Many of the homes we inspected were trashed, but we can't say who did it," Nichols said. "This is not the best time to be putting them on the market, either."
Regional sports complex proposed for Fort Pierce
By ALEXI HOWK
FORT PIERCE — His clients have included the NFL, PGA Tour and NASCAR.
According to several Web sites, Rick Horrow, CEO of Jupiter-based Horrow Sports Ventures, is considered the leading expert in the business of sports. He's done 103 deals worth more than $13 billion in sports and urban infrastructure projects, including the American Airlines Arena for the Miami Heat.
Now he has his sights set on Fort Pierce.
Horrow is proposing to build a regional sports and entertainment complex within the Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency boundaries.
City Manager Dennis Beach presented the plan Wednesday to city commissioners, acting as the Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency. The proposal would include an 8,000- to 10,000-seat indoor arena for an Arena Football 2 league, a regional convention center, an ice rink and training facilities, space for major concerts and other major sports and entertainment events.
But not so fast, Beach said.
"The size of it and cost takes it out of our comfort range to proceed," Beach said, suggesting the city pass the project on to the county.
Beach estimates the cost of the project at a minimum $80 million, and Horrow is asking for $20,000 a month in fees as the complex's strategic development adviser.
The project came about after Kurt Holden, founder and co-owner of Fort Pierce Fire, a 2-year-old football minor league, read Horrow's book, "When the Game is on the Line," an insider's guide to the people, politics and power plays behind mega-sports deals.
Holden's team currently plays at Lawnwood Stadium. He said his goal was to turn the team into an Arena Football 2 league, offshoot of the Arena Football League.
"This guy is very reputable and has done it," Holden said. "He has very strong credentials. He knows how to take private enterprise and partner it with the public sector. Not only is this an attracting facility, it will create jobs and change the face of Fort Pierce."
During discussions with Horrow, Holden brought in business partner Larry Lee, owner of WIRA 1400 AM and a State Farm Insurance agency, who briefly played for the Denver Broncos.
Lee said building a project of this size in the city's redevelopment boundaries would help eliminate major blight and spur economic redevelopment.
"We're growing and we're the ideal place for this to happen," Lee said. "This would be a major impact not just to St. Lucie County but to the Treasure Coast because there is nothing like this."
Lee said about 20 acres are needed for the project and so far three sites have been identified. Lee declined to disclose the locations.
While several commissioners expressed excitement over the project, more details are needed to decide whether a project of this size is feasible. Commissioners decided to seek more details on the project and discuss it again at its July 24-25 annual workshop.
"This is actually quite exciting that we have the potential for this kind of thing," Commissioner Eddie Becht said. "We have a lot of assets for this if we could help steer this in the city."
Becht said a feasibility study would be needed to determine whether the county could support the complex.
Commissioner Christine Coke cautioned the commissioners that the Treasure Coast Sports Commission is already actively pursuing a similar project in Port St. Lucie and had concerns the city would be duplicating efforts.
"There's no way I'd think this area could support two of these venues," she said.
Coke said she would talk with the Treasure Coast Sports Commission to find out more details and present the information during next month's workshop.
Meanwhile, Lee and Holden said they're optimistic about the project, saying Fort Pierce is more suitable for a site for a sports and entertainment complex because of tax incentives in its redevelopment district and its access to the waterfront.
"It's really going to depend on the (Treasure Coast Sports Commission)," Lee said. "I hope we don't get into a battle of 'I want it in my front yard.' If we all come together we can make it happen. If we can get the cities and county to talk."
THE PLAN
Rick Horrow, CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures in Jupiter is proposing to build a regional sports and entertainment complex within the redevelopment district of Fort Pierce.
• An 8,000- to 10,000-seat indoor arena for an Arena Football 2 league.
• Space for major concerts and special entertainment events.
• Space for regional conventions and meetings.
• Ice facilities similar to Florida Panthers' "Incredible Ice" skating and training facilities.
• Other major sports events.
• Estimated minimum cost of $80 million.
FORT PIERCE — His clients have included the NFL, PGA Tour and NASCAR.
According to several Web sites, Rick Horrow, CEO of Jupiter-based Horrow Sports Ventures, is considered the leading expert in the business of sports. He's done 103 deals worth more than $13 billion in sports and urban infrastructure projects, including the American Airlines Arena for the Miami Heat.
Now he has his sights set on Fort Pierce.
Horrow is proposing to build a regional sports and entertainment complex within the Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency boundaries.
City Manager Dennis Beach presented the plan Wednesday to city commissioners, acting as the Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency. The proposal would include an 8,000- to 10,000-seat indoor arena for an Arena Football 2 league, a regional convention center, an ice rink and training facilities, space for major concerts and other major sports and entertainment events.
But not so fast, Beach said.
"The size of it and cost takes it out of our comfort range to proceed," Beach said, suggesting the city pass the project on to the county.
Beach estimates the cost of the project at a minimum $80 million, and Horrow is asking for $20,000 a month in fees as the complex's strategic development adviser.
The project came about after Kurt Holden, founder and co-owner of Fort Pierce Fire, a 2-year-old football minor league, read Horrow's book, "When the Game is on the Line," an insider's guide to the people, politics and power plays behind mega-sports deals.
Holden's team currently plays at Lawnwood Stadium. He said his goal was to turn the team into an Arena Football 2 league, offshoot of the Arena Football League.
"This guy is very reputable and has done it," Holden said. "He has very strong credentials. He knows how to take private enterprise and partner it with the public sector. Not only is this an attracting facility, it will create jobs and change the face of Fort Pierce."
During discussions with Horrow, Holden brought in business partner Larry Lee, owner of WIRA 1400 AM and a State Farm Insurance agency, who briefly played for the Denver Broncos.
Lee said building a project of this size in the city's redevelopment boundaries would help eliminate major blight and spur economic redevelopment.
"We're growing and we're the ideal place for this to happen," Lee said. "This would be a major impact not just to St. Lucie County but to the Treasure Coast because there is nothing like this."
Lee said about 20 acres are needed for the project and so far three sites have been identified. Lee declined to disclose the locations.
While several commissioners expressed excitement over the project, more details are needed to decide whether a project of this size is feasible. Commissioners decided to seek more details on the project and discuss it again at its July 24-25 annual workshop.
"This is actually quite exciting that we have the potential for this kind of thing," Commissioner Eddie Becht said. "We have a lot of assets for this if we could help steer this in the city."
Becht said a feasibility study would be needed to determine whether the county could support the complex.
Commissioner Christine Coke cautioned the commissioners that the Treasure Coast Sports Commission is already actively pursuing a similar project in Port St. Lucie and had concerns the city would be duplicating efforts.
"There's no way I'd think this area could support two of these venues," she said.
Coke said she would talk with the Treasure Coast Sports Commission to find out more details and present the information during next month's workshop.
Meanwhile, Lee and Holden said they're optimistic about the project, saying Fort Pierce is more suitable for a site for a sports and entertainment complex because of tax incentives in its redevelopment district and its access to the waterfront.
"It's really going to depend on the (Treasure Coast Sports Commission)," Lee said. "I hope we don't get into a battle of 'I want it in my front yard.' If we all come together we can make it happen. If we can get the cities and county to talk."
THE PLAN
Rick Horrow, CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures in Jupiter is proposing to build a regional sports and entertainment complex within the redevelopment district of Fort Pierce.
• An 8,000- to 10,000-seat indoor arena for an Arena Football 2 league.
• Space for major concerts and special entertainment events.
• Space for regional conventions and meetings.
• Ice facilities similar to Florida Panthers' "Incredible Ice" skating and training facilities.
• Other major sports events.
• Estimated minimum cost of $80 million.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Music downloads hit sour note for sued ordinary folks
This article is not real estate related, but I thought it would be of interest to those of us who have teenagers downloading music! (like myself!)
By Jane Musgrave
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
When Dorothy O'Connell was slapped with a lawsuit for illegally downloading music, she threw herself at the mercy of the multibillion-dollar recording industry.
"I would like you to know that I am a widow on a fixed income, supporting my daughter and my two grandchildren," the 53-year-old Boynton Beach woman wrote. "I live paycheck to paycheck. I have trouble coming up with the money to buy my prescriptions each month.... I appreciate your position regarding this matter. If you need to continue litigation there is nothing I can do to stop you. I guess my future is in your hands."
The future, before a lawyer got involved, was a $6,895 fine. She also was ordered to pay the $305 it cost the recording industry to sue her.
O'Connell hardly matches the profile of the typical Internet-savvy, if slightly unscrupulous, music lover. That would be an 18- to 25-year-old white male who can get the latest recording of his favorite rap or hip-hop artist for free, with a few keystrokes.
But, typical or not, O'Connell is far from unique.
During the past month, three Boca Raton residents have been sued in federal court for illegally downloading music.
That brings to 10 the number of Palm Beach County residents who have been sued since 2003, when the recording industry began cracking down on what it likes to call "music pirates."
Louise Tropiano is one of the three snared in the latest round of lawsuits.
Initially, she said, she was surprised, but not worried. She figured the 300 songs her 15-year-old son downloaded would cost her about $1 a pop.
Her estimate was a zero short.
"For $1 a song I thought, 'OK, I'll pay them,' just to keep someone from ruining my credit," she said. "But $3,000?"
When she found out how much the recording industry, including Capitol Records, Motown Record Co. and Sony BMG Music Entertainment, wanted to settle the case, she asked a lawyer friend for help.
Although only 10 Palm Beach County residents have been sued officially, far more are feeling the hot breath of the recording industry on their wallets.
Initially, industry spies get a person's Internet user-name by joining music lovers on programs available from one of the popular so-called peer-to-peer downloading sites, such as Kazaa.com or Limewire.com. After picking the names they are going after, they file what are called John Doe lawsuits.
Once that suit is filed, they subpoena the records of the person's Internet service provider to find out his real name. Before filing a suit against the person using his real name, they offer a settlement. If it is declined, a suit is filed.
Since September 2003, the Recording Industry Association of America has filed 18,200 suits against individuals nationwide on behalf of its member recording companies, according to the Washington, D.C.-based trade organization.
Of those, 609 are against Florida residents. About a third — 212 — have been settled and none in Florida or nationwide has gone to trial, according to industry records. The average settlement is $4,000, those who have monitored the process say.
Not surprisingly, many of the lawsuits are against parents who say they had no idea their teenage children were downloading music illegally.
Take Shirley Wright, a Boynton Beach resident who is facing charges that she illegally downloaded 923 songs, including hits by Trick Daddy, Missy Elliott and 50 Cent.
"It wasn't me. It was my daughter," said Wright, who works as a receptionist at a mortgage company. "I'm so illiterate with the computer, it's not funny."
What's less funny, she said, is the $750 to $30,000 the recording companies said they want from her for each of the songs her daughter downloaded with Kazaa.
"I don't have that kind of money," she said.
Mary Ann Meredith, a Boynton Beach grandmother, could have found herself in similar straits. However, the industry sued her 14-year-old granddaughter.
"I told them, 'You can't sue a minor,'" the 75-year-old retired medical office manager said. "I don't know if they could or couldn't, but I called their bluff."
Ultimately, the suit was dismissed. But, Meredith said, it still makes her angry.
"What is a big company like Sony doing trying to get money from everyday working people?" she said.
The recording industry counters that illegal downloading hurts everyday working people.
They blame illegally downloaded music for a 30 percent drop in music sales from 1999 to 2004. The drop, they claim, doesn't hurt just musicians, those high-rolling fat cats who live in waterfront mansions and drive cars worth more than most people's homes.
In addition to less well-heeled artists, the drop has a ripple effect, leaving the industry's unsung heros — the recording engineers, CD-plant workers and even music-store clerks — out of work.
Further, they point out, the law consistently has been on their side, beginning with their well-publicized case against Napster and continuing last year in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision.
The decision, handed down a year ago Tuesday, cleared the way for record labels and other copyright holders to sue firms behind file-swapping services.
Since the decision, the industry has pursued legal action against the few remaining so-called peer-to-peer services, which operate like giant party lines, allowing millions of computer users around the world to trade music with one another.
In the wake of court decisions, many of the former peer-to-peer services, including the infamous Napster, have reconstituted themselves. They now charge fees to download music and share the proceeds with the industry.
In 2005, 367 million songs were downloaded legally, a 163 percent jump over the previous year, according to figures from the recording industry's trade group. Record company revenues from digital music increased more than 150 percent, it says.
Still, some say the industry's strong-arm tactics against individuals are unwarranted.
"Millions and millions of people use peer-to-peer file-sharing," said Rebecca Jeschke, spokeswoman for the California-based Electronic Frontier Foundation. "These are just the unlucky few who get singled out."
Instead of fighting the technology and those who use it, Jeschke said industry leaders should figure out ways make money from it. The peer-to-peer system is a fast and efficient way of distributing files, proponents say.
From radios to video recorders, the entertainment industry has a long and rich history of fighting new technology, Jeschke said.
Those who are being sued typically are those who can least afford it, she said.
In what appears to shore up her claim, few of the Palm Beach County residents who have been sued have hired attorneys to defend them. O'Connell, the Boynton Beach woman, ultimately avoided a $6,800 fine after U.S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley asked an attorney from Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County to represent her in settlement talks.
Ultimately, attorney Melissa Duncan said, she negotiated a settlement that she would not disclose but said was "fair and equitable" to all involved.
But, as O'Connell attempted to do, most of those accused of music piracy have either defended themselves or relied on friends for help.
Wright, for instance, asked a computer guru at her office to look at the computer her daughter supposedly was using to download hundreds of songs. He couldn't find any evidence of it, she said.
She is preparing a dossier on her daughter for the judge to review. She will mention her daughter's good grades and her volunteer work.
"I'm not trying to beat the system," she said. "I'm just so aggravated. It's the first time we've ever been accused of anything."
By Jane Musgrave
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
When Dorothy O'Connell was slapped with a lawsuit for illegally downloading music, she threw herself at the mercy of the multibillion-dollar recording industry.
"I would like you to know that I am a widow on a fixed income, supporting my daughter and my two grandchildren," the 53-year-old Boynton Beach woman wrote. "I live paycheck to paycheck. I have trouble coming up with the money to buy my prescriptions each month.... I appreciate your position regarding this matter. If you need to continue litigation there is nothing I can do to stop you. I guess my future is in your hands."
The future, before a lawyer got involved, was a $6,895 fine. She also was ordered to pay the $305 it cost the recording industry to sue her.
O'Connell hardly matches the profile of the typical Internet-savvy, if slightly unscrupulous, music lover. That would be an 18- to 25-year-old white male who can get the latest recording of his favorite rap or hip-hop artist for free, with a few keystrokes.
But, typical or not, O'Connell is far from unique.
During the past month, three Boca Raton residents have been sued in federal court for illegally downloading music.
That brings to 10 the number of Palm Beach County residents who have been sued since 2003, when the recording industry began cracking down on what it likes to call "music pirates."
Louise Tropiano is one of the three snared in the latest round of lawsuits.
Initially, she said, she was surprised, but not worried. She figured the 300 songs her 15-year-old son downloaded would cost her about $1 a pop.
Her estimate was a zero short.
"For $1 a song I thought, 'OK, I'll pay them,' just to keep someone from ruining my credit," she said. "But $3,000?"
When she found out how much the recording industry, including Capitol Records, Motown Record Co. and Sony BMG Music Entertainment, wanted to settle the case, she asked a lawyer friend for help.
Although only 10 Palm Beach County residents have been sued officially, far more are feeling the hot breath of the recording industry on their wallets.
Initially, industry spies get a person's Internet user-name by joining music lovers on programs available from one of the popular so-called peer-to-peer downloading sites, such as Kazaa.com or Limewire.com. After picking the names they are going after, they file what are called John Doe lawsuits.
Once that suit is filed, they subpoena the records of the person's Internet service provider to find out his real name. Before filing a suit against the person using his real name, they offer a settlement. If it is declined, a suit is filed.
Since September 2003, the Recording Industry Association of America has filed 18,200 suits against individuals nationwide on behalf of its member recording companies, according to the Washington, D.C.-based trade organization.
Of those, 609 are against Florida residents. About a third — 212 — have been settled and none in Florida or nationwide has gone to trial, according to industry records. The average settlement is $4,000, those who have monitored the process say.
Not surprisingly, many of the lawsuits are against parents who say they had no idea their teenage children were downloading music illegally.
Take Shirley Wright, a Boynton Beach resident who is facing charges that she illegally downloaded 923 songs, including hits by Trick Daddy, Missy Elliott and 50 Cent.
"It wasn't me. It was my daughter," said Wright, who works as a receptionist at a mortgage company. "I'm so illiterate with the computer, it's not funny."
What's less funny, she said, is the $750 to $30,000 the recording companies said they want from her for each of the songs her daughter downloaded with Kazaa.
"I don't have that kind of money," she said.
Mary Ann Meredith, a Boynton Beach grandmother, could have found herself in similar straits. However, the industry sued her 14-year-old granddaughter.
"I told them, 'You can't sue a minor,'" the 75-year-old retired medical office manager said. "I don't know if they could or couldn't, but I called their bluff."
Ultimately, the suit was dismissed. But, Meredith said, it still makes her angry.
"What is a big company like Sony doing trying to get money from everyday working people?" she said.
The recording industry counters that illegal downloading hurts everyday working people.
They blame illegally downloaded music for a 30 percent drop in music sales from 1999 to 2004. The drop, they claim, doesn't hurt just musicians, those high-rolling fat cats who live in waterfront mansions and drive cars worth more than most people's homes.
In addition to less well-heeled artists, the drop has a ripple effect, leaving the industry's unsung heros — the recording engineers, CD-plant workers and even music-store clerks — out of work.
Further, they point out, the law consistently has been on their side, beginning with their well-publicized case against Napster and continuing last year in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision.
The decision, handed down a year ago Tuesday, cleared the way for record labels and other copyright holders to sue firms behind file-swapping services.
Since the decision, the industry has pursued legal action against the few remaining so-called peer-to-peer services, which operate like giant party lines, allowing millions of computer users around the world to trade music with one another.
In the wake of court decisions, many of the former peer-to-peer services, including the infamous Napster, have reconstituted themselves. They now charge fees to download music and share the proceeds with the industry.
In 2005, 367 million songs were downloaded legally, a 163 percent jump over the previous year, according to figures from the recording industry's trade group. Record company revenues from digital music increased more than 150 percent, it says.
Still, some say the industry's strong-arm tactics against individuals are unwarranted.
"Millions and millions of people use peer-to-peer file-sharing," said Rebecca Jeschke, spokeswoman for the California-based Electronic Frontier Foundation. "These are just the unlucky few who get singled out."
Instead of fighting the technology and those who use it, Jeschke said industry leaders should figure out ways make money from it. The peer-to-peer system is a fast and efficient way of distributing files, proponents say.
From radios to video recorders, the entertainment industry has a long and rich history of fighting new technology, Jeschke said.
Those who are being sued typically are those who can least afford it, she said.
In what appears to shore up her claim, few of the Palm Beach County residents who have been sued have hired attorneys to defend them. O'Connell, the Boynton Beach woman, ultimately avoided a $6,800 fine after U.S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley asked an attorney from Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County to represent her in settlement talks.
Ultimately, attorney Melissa Duncan said, she negotiated a settlement that she would not disclose but said was "fair and equitable" to all involved.
But, as O'Connell attempted to do, most of those accused of music piracy have either defended themselves or relied on friends for help.
Wright, for instance, asked a computer guru at her office to look at the computer her daughter supposedly was using to download hundreds of songs. He couldn't find any evidence of it, she said.
She is preparing a dossier on her daughter for the judge to review. She will mention her daughter's good grades and her volunteer work.
"I'm not trying to beat the system," she said. "I'm just so aggravated. It's the first time we've ever been accused of anything."
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
St. Lucie growth sparks battle
By ALEXI HOWK
FORT PIERCE — Gearing up to fight what they describe could be an uphill battle with the county, city officials are preparing to pull out all the stops to prevent a Fort Lauderdale developer from building 974 multi-family units on land preserved for light-industrial development.
Fort Pierce Angle Road Trust and Riverstone Metzger LLC, comprised of three partners based out of Maryland and Fort Lauderdale, is proposing to build "attainable workforce" housing on 75 acres on what some officials say could eventually become withering industrial land meant to attract businesses and job growth.
"This might be the first of many battles with the county on many projects that affect Fort Pierce where traffic and roads aren't addressed," said Fort Pierce City Commissioner Eddie Becht.
The property, west of Angle Road and east of Fort Pierce Westwood High School, lies within the city's utility service boundaries and will eventually be annexed into the city.
City officials complained the county is approving development projects that will largely affect the city without taking into consideration the city's concerns.
The city's main objections to the project are that it's too dense, poses a
traffic nightmare and lessens the amount of land needed to attract businesses to the area.
"Here's a huge development right adjacent to a school in an area that needs road improvements," said Mayor Bob Benton. "The county has no plans for improvements to Angle Road and we don't have the infrastructure to support this when we have thousands of other homes going up in the area."
Last week, the county's Planning and Zoning Board also had issues with the plan and postponed sending it on to the County Commission for a vote until Aug. 17.
"It's not appropriate to put, in my opinion, residential next to industrial. It's not compatible with the surrounding uses. That's the bottom line," Board Chairman Bill Hearn said Monday.
Jan Stewart, one of the principles involved in the project, said he and his partners have either met or will meet all of the county's requirements.
"We have been working with the county for two years on this," he said. "We've done everything they've asked us to do so far. Our sincere objective is to create affordable housing for St. Lucie County. There's no other product out there. That is the concern that is driving this residential development we're trying to put together."
Stewart estimates prices for the units to be between $150,000 to $200,000, though he recognizes the prices could fluctuate depending on shifts in the market.
"Because of the density the county commissioners approved, you can build a less expensive product with a higher density," he said. "The land is less expensive per unit."
Proposed development
• 974-unit proposed development on 75 acres zoned light industrial west of Angle Road and east of Fort Pierce Westwood High School.
• 720 three-story condominiums and 254 two-story town homes.
• About 13 units per acre.
• Condominiums from 1,200 to 2,400 square feet. Town homes from 800 to 1,700 square feet.
• The developer is Fort Pierce Angle Road Trust and Riverstone Metzger LLC of Fort Lauderdale.
• The County Commission on May 15 approved a future land-use amendment allowing high-density residential. The amendment has been adopted by the state Department of Community Affairs.
• The county Planning and Zoning Board reviewed the proposal last week and postponed the plan until Aug. 17 until conditions are met.
Port St. Lucie named the third-fastest growing city in nation
By HILLARY COPSEY
Port St. Lucie is no longer America's fastest-growing city, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but with the population reaching 150,000 and economic development just beginning, city officials say losing the top growth title doesn't matter.
Elk Grove, Calif., just south of Sacramento, nabbed the title of America's fastest-growing city by increasing its population by 11.6 percent between 2004 and 2005.
Port St. Lucie, with an 11 percent growth rate, fell to the third fastest-growing city in the country but remains the fastest-growing in Florida for cities of a population of more than 100,000.
"We're still maintaining our high growth rate," Mayor Bob Minsky said, and that rate likely will soar with such economic development successes as the relocation of Carling Technologies and the Burnham Institute discussions.
"It's going to take off like a helium balloon in a vacuum," Minsky said. "Once the ball starts rolling and you start getting things like Burnham and Carling, it's going to be like waving a red flag at all these people out there who are like, 'Where do we want to go?'"
Indeed, according to city estimates, Port St. Lucie's population will top 150,000 this month, city spokesman Ed Cunningham said. Census reports put the population at 131,692 last July.
Relatively cheap housing has driven Port St. Lucie's population boom. New residents such as Chuck McGowen, a Realtor from Boca Raton, moved to the city in January 2005 to get away from high housing costs in South Florida.
By buying a four-bedroom, 2,600-square-foot home in Port St. Lucie instead of Boca Raton, McGowen said he saved roughly $100,000.
But McGowen works from home and commutes. Residents and city officials all say the city must create more jobs and amenities if it wants to maintain growth.
Being America's fastest-growing city helped put Port St. Lucie on the national business radar, city officials said. California-based biomedical researcher, The Burnham Institute, is considering the city for a satellite campus, and Connecticut electronics firm, Carling Technologies, is relocating here.
But remaining America's fastest-growing city wasn't really important, officials say.
"We don't need to be No. 1," Councilwoman Michelle Berger said. "There's enough pressure on the city itself ... to grow economic development. That's what we're looking for now: to maintain balance as we grow."
PORT ST. LUCIE POPULATION
The city's population hit 100,000 in 2003, when it ranked sixth on the U.S. Census Bureau's annual list of America's fastest-growing cities. Since then, the population boom has continued.
July 2004: 118,655
July 2005: 131,692
June 2006: 150,000*
Port St. Lucie is no longer America's fastest-growing city, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but with the population reaching 150,000 and economic development just beginning, city officials say losing the top growth title doesn't matter.
Elk Grove, Calif., just south of Sacramento, nabbed the title of America's fastest-growing city by increasing its population by 11.6 percent between 2004 and 2005.
Port St. Lucie, with an 11 percent growth rate, fell to the third fastest-growing city in the country but remains the fastest-growing in Florida for cities of a population of more than 100,000.
"We're still maintaining our high growth rate," Mayor Bob Minsky said, and that rate likely will soar with such economic development successes as the relocation of Carling Technologies and the Burnham Institute discussions.
"It's going to take off like a helium balloon in a vacuum," Minsky said. "Once the ball starts rolling and you start getting things like Burnham and Carling, it's going to be like waving a red flag at all these people out there who are like, 'Where do we want to go?'"
Indeed, according to city estimates, Port St. Lucie's population will top 150,000 this month, city spokesman Ed Cunningham said. Census reports put the population at 131,692 last July.
Relatively cheap housing has driven Port St. Lucie's population boom. New residents such as Chuck McGowen, a Realtor from Boca Raton, moved to the city in January 2005 to get away from high housing costs in South Florida.
By buying a four-bedroom, 2,600-square-foot home in Port St. Lucie instead of Boca Raton, McGowen said he saved roughly $100,000.
But McGowen works from home and commutes. Residents and city officials all say the city must create more jobs and amenities if it wants to maintain growth.
Being America's fastest-growing city helped put Port St. Lucie on the national business radar, city officials said. California-based biomedical researcher, The Burnham Institute, is considering the city for a satellite campus, and Connecticut electronics firm, Carling Technologies, is relocating here.
But remaining America's fastest-growing city wasn't really important, officials say.
"We don't need to be No. 1," Councilwoman Michelle Berger said. "There's enough pressure on the city itself ... to grow economic development. That's what we're looking for now: to maintain balance as we grow."
PORT ST. LUCIE POPULATION
The city's population hit 100,000 in 2003, when it ranked sixth on the U.S. Census Bureau's annual list of America's fastest-growing cities. Since then, the population boom has continued.
July 2004: 118,655
July 2005: 131,692
June 2006: 150,000*
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Fort Pierce sees record tax roll increase
By ALEXI HOWK
The city will see a record 46.22 percent increase in its tax roll this year, a projection expected to be higher than any other municipality of similar size in the state, according to St. Lucie County Property Appraiser Jeff Furst.
Furst delivered the news about the preliminary tax roll during Monday night's City Commission meeting. Final numbers aren't expected to be revealed until July 1, the deadline to submit official tax rolls to the state.
"The numbers are just unbelievable," Furst said. "You had the most increase of any government body in this county, and probably in the state, and you did it in a year you took your (tax rate) back."
Earlier this month, Furst released conservative projections of 16 percent increases for Fort Pierce, the county and Port St. Lucie.
"Fort Pierce has never had these numbers," he said. "Now all of a sudden they've got the biggest numbers, and it's really a reflection in how they've done in terms of real estate. The talk years ago was 'Can they survive?'"
Last year's increase was 14.9 percent.
Furst wouldn't release final numbers for Port St. Lucie or the county until today, but he said he expects the county as a whole to have one of the highest increases in the state.
"If we can get our millage rate down, hopefully this year again, the business community will come back," Mayor Bob Benton said. "We can send a message to the county and bring businesses back."
Furst said Fort Pierce came out ahead of Port St. Lucie for the first time, primarily because Port St. Lucie has been running so strong, and it's difficult to sustain that level. A good tax roll increase is between 6 and 8 percent per year, he said.
"A business such as Wal-mart distribution center and an Outback is looking for vitality in a community," Furst said. "One way you measure this is rising values, not rising taxes."
Furst attributed the increase primarily to Fort Pierce's waterfront property values, but also to the city's commercial corridors along major roads. The revitalization of downtown has also played a key role in upping values, he said.
"It took a lot of guts to stay with the program, the whole redevelopment of downtown and older neighborhoods," Furst said. "Because the city was old, they suffered many problems. People left old areas and went to new areas outside the city limits. The tax base and job base went away. It takes a long time to change things."
When Furst was elected in 2000, the Port of Fort Pierce was valued at about $5 million. It's now up about $30 to $40 million. Six years ago, Harbortown was valued at about $2 million compared to about $20 million now.
Real estate alone went up 50 percent, and that doesn't include new construction, he said.
"A lot of the value is waterfront," Furst said. "Nobody recognized Fort Pierce as waterfront."
Furst said it is important to note that regardless of the increased property values, those who have homestead exemptions won't see an increase of more than 3 percent.
The city will see a record 46.22 percent increase in its tax roll this year, a projection expected to be higher than any other municipality of similar size in the state, according to St. Lucie County Property Appraiser Jeff Furst.
Furst delivered the news about the preliminary tax roll during Monday night's City Commission meeting. Final numbers aren't expected to be revealed until July 1, the deadline to submit official tax rolls to the state.
"The numbers are just unbelievable," Furst said. "You had the most increase of any government body in this county, and probably in the state, and you did it in a year you took your (tax rate) back."
Earlier this month, Furst released conservative projections of 16 percent increases for Fort Pierce, the county and Port St. Lucie.
"Fort Pierce has never had these numbers," he said. "Now all of a sudden they've got the biggest numbers, and it's really a reflection in how they've done in terms of real estate. The talk years ago was 'Can they survive?'"
Last year's increase was 14.9 percent.
Furst wouldn't release final numbers for Port St. Lucie or the county until today, but he said he expects the county as a whole to have one of the highest increases in the state.
"If we can get our millage rate down, hopefully this year again, the business community will come back," Mayor Bob Benton said. "We can send a message to the county and bring businesses back."
Furst said Fort Pierce came out ahead of Port St. Lucie for the first time, primarily because Port St. Lucie has been running so strong, and it's difficult to sustain that level. A good tax roll increase is between 6 and 8 percent per year, he said.
"A business such as Wal-mart distribution center and an Outback is looking for vitality in a community," Furst said. "One way you measure this is rising values, not rising taxes."
Furst attributed the increase primarily to Fort Pierce's waterfront property values, but also to the city's commercial corridors along major roads. The revitalization of downtown has also played a key role in upping values, he said.
"It took a lot of guts to stay with the program, the whole redevelopment of downtown and older neighborhoods," Furst said. "Because the city was old, they suffered many problems. People left old areas and went to new areas outside the city limits. The tax base and job base went away. It takes a long time to change things."
When Furst was elected in 2000, the Port of Fort Pierce was valued at about $5 million. It's now up about $30 to $40 million. Six years ago, Harbortown was valued at about $2 million compared to about $20 million now.
Real estate alone went up 50 percent, and that doesn't include new construction, he said.
"A lot of the value is waterfront," Furst said. "Nobody recognized Fort Pierce as waterfront."
Furst said it is important to note that regardless of the increased property values, those who have homestead exemptions won't see an increase of more than 3 percent.
Road work approved for Floresta Boulevard
By CHRIS YOUNG
City Council members on Monday unanimously approved a conceptual plan for widening traffic-clogged Floresta Boulevard.
Floresta already receives an "F" grade for traffic conditions from south of Port St. Lucie Boulevard north to where the planned Crosstown Parkway will cross it, at about West Virginia Drive.
But officials said adding one lane in each direction for a 4.1-mile stretch on Floresta from Southbend Boulevard to Prima Vista Boulevard should alleviate the gridlock and improve north-south traffic flow.
"The project has to be done in a major way to address long-term transportation needed for that roadway," said City Manager Don Cooper.
Officials estimate the expansion could cost about $7 million per mile because of high construction costs, and more if the city has to buy property.
The first segment of the plan, from Southbend to the Elkcam Waterway, could start in the next two years.
The proposed Floresta plan includes traffic light improvements at Port St. Lucie Boulevard, Crosstown Parkway and Prima Vista, and roundabouts at six neighborhood streets. They are Oakridge Drive, Thanksgiving Avenue, Thornhill Drive, Walters Terrace, Fallon Drive and Naranja Avenue.
There also would be four drainage ponds, sidewalks and streetlights, and landscaped medians.
Very little property would have to be bought by the city, though the roundabouts may require taking the edges of some corner properties, said Brian Mirson, from American Consulting Engineers of Florida.
The plan also proposes maintaining residential land usage along the corridor and discouraging commercialization.
The Planning & Zoning Board will discuss the plan, with public hearings, at a future meeting. City Council will then review the Board's recommendation.
PROPOSED FLORESTA IMPROVEMENTS
• Widening one lane in each direction from Southbend Boulevard to Prima Vista Boulevard.
• Improving traffic signals at three major intersections.
• Building roundabouts at six neighborhood streets.
• Adding sidewalks, streetlights and landscaped medians.
City Council members on Monday unanimously approved a conceptual plan for widening traffic-clogged Floresta Boulevard.
Floresta already receives an "F" grade for traffic conditions from south of Port St. Lucie Boulevard north to where the planned Crosstown Parkway will cross it, at about West Virginia Drive.
But officials said adding one lane in each direction for a 4.1-mile stretch on Floresta from Southbend Boulevard to Prima Vista Boulevard should alleviate the gridlock and improve north-south traffic flow.
"The project has to be done in a major way to address long-term transportation needed for that roadway," said City Manager Don Cooper.
Officials estimate the expansion could cost about $7 million per mile because of high construction costs, and more if the city has to buy property.
The first segment of the plan, from Southbend to the Elkcam Waterway, could start in the next two years.
The proposed Floresta plan includes traffic light improvements at Port St. Lucie Boulevard, Crosstown Parkway and Prima Vista, and roundabouts at six neighborhood streets. They are Oakridge Drive, Thanksgiving Avenue, Thornhill Drive, Walters Terrace, Fallon Drive and Naranja Avenue.
There also would be four drainage ponds, sidewalks and streetlights, and landscaped medians.
Very little property would have to be bought by the city, though the roundabouts may require taking the edges of some corner properties, said Brian Mirson, from American Consulting Engineers of Florida.
The plan also proposes maintaining residential land usage along the corridor and discouraging commercialization.
The Planning & Zoning Board will discuss the plan, with public hearings, at a future meeting. City Council will then review the Board's recommendation.
PROPOSED FLORESTA IMPROVEMENTS
• Widening one lane in each direction from Southbend Boulevard to Prima Vista Boulevard.
• Improving traffic signals at three major intersections.
• Building roundabouts at six neighborhood streets.
• Adding sidewalks, streetlights and landscaped medians.
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