By DOTTY NIST
Community residents gathered at the Rosemary Beach Town Hall on May 11 for a discussion of options available to south Walton County residents for a way to the kind of community that they would hope for in the future.
About 35 people attended this first of a series of meetings held by a new group called “Citizens for a Better South Walton (CBSW).” Incorporation of all or part of south Walton County was discussed, along with other possibilities.
Founding members of the group Jacquee Markel and Kelley Mossburg spoke to attendees.
Markel brought up the Hampton Inn that had been proposed for CR-30A in Seagrove, a project she said had served to “wake up” the community.
The proposed 90-room chain hotel had come forward with a county staff report indicating that it would meet all provisions of the Walton County Comprehensive Plan (CP) and Land Development Code (LDC). After community outcry and opposition, followed by findings by the Walton County Board of County Commissioners that the proposed development would not comply, it was denied in a 4-0 vote on April 21.
Markel said people had been surprised that such a project could happen here. She called the proposal “a symptom of an underlying problem.” As a result, she continued, residents began consider what their community would be like in five to 10 years if changes were not made and started to look at tools to bring about those changes.
“We love this community,” said Kelley Mossburg, who told the group that he and his wife Debbie had moved to south Walton County about 1 1/2 years ago. He is originally from Atlanta, and Debbie is from Alabama.
Mossburg noted that they had been part of the grass-roots effort to oppose the Hampton Inn, as had many of those in attendance. With the Hampton Inn no longer a factor for the time being (although a lawsuit by the applicants is possible) Mossburg said many in the community had wondered “what’s next,” or what new development proposals of concern could come forward. There are those who are upset about current developments in their neighborhoods also, he noted.
“This is a long-term issue…we’re not in a sprint, we’re in a marathon,” he said.
Mossburg said the purpose of CBSW is to create dialog with citizens who live and vacation in the area and what solution or solutions are possible. He told attendees he was “not here to tell you” that he had the answer or any “magic bullet” —but that he hoped that through the process of the dialog a consensus on a solution could be arrived at.
Mossburg spoke about the uniqueness of south Walton County in many respects, including the beaches, parks and coastal dune lakes. He said residents should ask themselves what kind of community this will be if the same path is pursued. He warned that the area could “end up in the same place as our neighbors to the east and west.”
As reasons for changing course he identified current “underrepresentation” of residents south of the bay in county government, the need for homeowners to manage/improve their property values, the need for a closer relationship with county officials and staff, the need to ensure that taxes paid by residents benefit their area, and the desire of residents south of the bay to “control our own destiny.”
He identified a number of options and discussed advantages and disadvantages, problems and challenges associated with each.
Possible courses of action included voting in commissioners who would support goals of the community, getting a Master Plan Overlay Amendment for the area adopted, amending the CP, or just continuing to “fight the good fight” when developments undesirable to residents are proposed.
While acknowledging the value of pursuing one or more of these strategies, Mossburg highlighted what he saw as a number of advantages of incorporation of all or part of the area south of the bay. These included “home rule,” and resulting local control of the future of the area, the ability to create a government that meets the needs of the community, and more effective planning and enforcement of codes.
Bringing up concerns that have been expressed with regard to incorporation, Mossburg first acknowledged that incorporation would add another layer of government but pointed out that the new government would be closer to the people it serves. The cost to taxpayers for the new government will not be known until a feasibility study is conducted, Mossburg told attendees. Some communities who have gone to home rule have kept taxes in the newly-incorporated area at the same rate or have decreased taxes, he noted.
Incorporation is a grass-roots effort funded through the community, Mossburg detailed, which follows a proven process that other areas have used. He suggested that the time to start the process is now. The fund-raising goal, Mossburg revealed, would be a total of $100,000 to fund the required feasibility study, drafting of a city charter, legislative and community outreach, citizen awareness, and legal services.
Next steps, he told the group, would be additional community meetings in May and June and fund raising through the summer, with completion of the feasibility study anticipated by the end of August.
Other deadlines, Mossburg outlined, would be submittal of the study to the Florida Legislature in by Sept. 1 and a vote on the incorporation proposal by the Legislature in early 2016, followed by signature by the governor and a vote on incorporation by registered voters in the area proposed for incorporation in fall 2016.
He directed those interested in getting involved or wanting more information to visit the group’s web site, www.forabettersouthwalton.com. A Facebook page for the group is also in the works, Mossburg noted. Members of the group will be available to speak to neighborhood or community groups on request, he also indicated.
The next community meeting to be hosted by CBSW in the series is scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 21 at the Seascape Resort conference center.
