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Posted May 8, 2008

Commissioner Cheryl Sanders and Representative Will Kendrick

to attend APTA Meeting

By APTA President, Ken Osborne

 From the May 6 Franklin County Commission Meeting…

The County is contacting DEP regarding declaring a state of emergency in order to allow homeowners in critically threatened areas to build seawalls, revetments etc. for protection before the height of hurricane season. This is similar to procedures after Dennis. 

The Board of County Commissioners awarded the CR 370 re-paving to C. W. Roberts. The project should begin within 120 days. 

Cheryl Sanders and Will Kendrick will be at the APTA meeting on May 10. Cheryl will be discussing the design of the boat launch at Ochlockonee Bridge. The meeting begins at 9:00 AM at the Mission by the Sea Church.

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Posted April 29, 2008

Notes from the April 22nd Franklin County Commission Meeting

By APTA President, Ken Osborne

Repaving CR 370

Franklin County received a single bid from C. W. Roberts of $2,491,000 to

repave County Road 370 from US 98 to Phipps Nature Preserve. Alan Pierce said that the county had sufficient funds with the state grant to fund the project. This project does not include any paving past the new paved area around Tom Roberts down Harbor Circle (south) to Alligator Drive and west to the vicinity of the fire house. Paving will start again at the fire house and continue to Phipps (past the Marina). The bid is now with the engineers and should be awarded at the May 6th Franklin County Commission meeting.

Alligator Drive Relocation 

The County feels it has enough FEMA and secured funds remaining from the former beach renourishment project to pave the planned route from Tom Roberts down Harbor Circle (south) to Alligator Drive that is not included in the CR 370 repaving project. The commissioners were very concerned that this leaves 600' of the road west of South Shoal Village as vulnerable to wash out as it is today.

Proposed Revision to Turtle Ordinance

The proposed Turtle Ordinance changes were pulled by the turtle permit holder from St. George Island for reconsideration. They plan to have a series of educational presentations to the Franklin County Commission and joint workshops to develop another proposed modification to the Turtle Ordinance.

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Posted April 14, 2008

NOTE from APTAWEB: The following notice was published in The Times Newspaper. Bids will be opened at the April 22, 2008 Franklin County Commission meeting at 10:00 A.M.

NOTICE TO RECEIVE SEALED BIDS

C.R. 370 RESURFACING PROJECT

"The Franklin County Board of County Commissioners will receive sealed bids from any qualified person, company or corporation interested in constructing:
C.R. 370 RESURFACING PROJECT

Plans and specifications can be obtained at Preble-Rish, Inc., 324 Marina Drive, Port St. Joe, Florida 32456, (850) 227-7200. The bid must conform to Section 287.133(3) Florida Statutes, on public entity crimes.

Completion date for these projects will be 180 days from the date of the Notice to Proceed presented to the successful bidder.

Liquidated damages for failure to complete the project on the specified date will be set at $200.00 per day.

Please indicate on the envelope that this is a sealed bid, the bid number and what the bid is for.

Bids will be received until 4:00 p.m. (EDT), on April 21, 2008, at the Franklin County Clerk’s Office, Franklin County Courthouse, 33 Market Street, Suite 203, Apalachicola, Florida 32320-2317, and will be opened and read aloud on April 22, 2008, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT) at the County Commission meeting at 34 Forbes Street, Apalachicola, FL.

Cost for Plans and Specifications will be $25.00 per set and is non-refundable. Checks should be made payable to PREBLE-RISH, INC.

The Board of County Commissioners reserves the right to waive informalities in any bid, to accept and/or reject any or all bids, and to accept the bid that in their judgment will be in the best interest of Franklin County.

If you have any questions, please call Clay Kennedy at (850) 227-7200.
Publish April 3 & 10, 2008"
(in The Times newspaper)

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Posted April 14, 2008

Franklin County to Pick Up Roadside Debris

Franklin County will have crews at Alligator Point Monday and Tuesday to pick up debris that has been placed on the right of way.

If the crews miss picking up debris you set out for removal, please contact APTA’s Beatification Chair, Joann Deibel at 270-1013.

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Posted April 14, 2008

NOTE from APTAWEB: APTA President Ken Osborne asked for and received permission from Bob Stender, a Board Member of the Perdido Key Association to reprint the following article Bob wrote for the Perdido Key Association web site; www.perdidokeyassoc.org

Lines in the Sand

Bob Stender


Recently a meeting was held at the Community Center regarding the Florida Department of Environmental Protection proposal to establish an erosion control line (ECL) on Perdido Key. In order to understand the significance of this line, a discussion of some of the other lines in the sand may be helpful. I will try to go from landward to seaward in this discussion where possible.

To start, the state has determined that Perdido Key, in its entirety, is in the Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA). The Florida Administrative Code (FAC) requires counties in their comprehensive plans to "[d]irect population concentrations away from known or predicted coastal high-hazard areas." Rule 9J-5.012(3)(b)(6), F.A.C. Furthermore, local governments have an obligation to "limit public expenditures that subsidize development permitted in coastal high-hazard areas." Rule 9J-5.012(3)(b)5, F.A.C. This line, around the whole Key, has obvious significance as we discuss and debate the planning for future growth and construction on the Key.

The next designation or line is the sand, is the coastal construction control line (CCCL). This is a more or less permanent line established by the state which defines that "portion of the beach-dune system subject to severe fluctuations which is based on a 100-year storm surge, storm waves, or other predictable weather conditions" 62B-33.002 FAC. Construction landward of this line does not require any special permit. Construction seaward of the CCCL requires a permit from the state, which provides for additional safeguards in the construction of structures due to the additional hazards from the environment. This line, therefore, does not limit construction; it only requires construction to meet higher, safer standards.

The 50-foot setback line is a line used in conjunction with the CCCL "in which construction is prohibited within 50 feet of the line of mean high water at any riparian coastal location fronting the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic coast shoreline" 62B-33.002 FAC. So, one can build seaward of the CCCL to higher standards, but no closer than fifty feet from the mean high tide line.

The mean high water line "is the average height of the high-waters over a 19-year period" 62B-33.002 FAC. In practice, licensed and certified personnel obtain data from a specified tidal gauge in the area and then project that data on to a map to find the mean high water line. The state of Florida claims all land, surface and subsurface, seaward of the mean high water to the limits of its territorial seas.

Riparian land owners, those people owning waterfront land, can gain or lose land over time as they gain land through natural accretion or lose land through natural erosion. Generally, land must be gained over a period of time, imperceptibly, to be claimed by the riparian landowner; it can be lost in a similar manner. Land lost or gained rapidly (avulsion), as in a storm or by beach nourishment, does not necessarily change ownership.

The erosion control line is a line proposed to be established by FDEP. The ECL is to be established at the mean high water line surveyed as of August 2007. Private property landward of the ECL will remain private property and lands seaward remain state lands. The line will not move once it is established per 161.141 Florida Statutes (FS). The benefit to be gained is that once the line is established, the county will be eligible to apply for federal and state (matching) funds to maintain and re-nourish the beach. Depending on how a beach nourishment project will be funded, county residents may be called upon to approve the expenditure of county funds for the project.

While these lines in the sand have been established by the state; the tides and winds are moving the island without regard to those lines. Storm winds and tides have altered, and will continue changing the shape of the island, causing significant changes to the lines in the sand. This latest regulatory defined line in the sand points to the need for sound policies and public involvement to ensure Perdido Key remains the paradise we all call home.

Access to the Florida Administrative Code and Florida Statutes can be found at:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/legal/Rules/rulelistpro.htm#bm


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Posted April 14, 2008

NWFTCA Public Meeting

April 23, 2008

The Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority will conduct a public meeting on April 23rd at the Senior Center in Carrabelle. The meeting begins at 5:00 PM and will end at 8:00 PM.

This is an opportunity for citizens to ask questions of the engineering firm that is analyzing proposed options for US 98 and to also provide their input.

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Posted April 4, 2008

Proposed Changes to the County Turtle Ordinance Could Affect You

A message from APTA President Ken Osborne

"We will be discussing the proposed changes to the turtle ordinance at our next APTA meeting April 12th at the Mission by the Sea Church starting at 9:00 AM.

These changes will affect any property seaward of the Coastal Control Construction Line (CCCL) on Alligator Point. These changes could result in required changes to lighting, windows and doors for both existing and new construction. The county commission continued the public hearing on the ordinance to allow input from other interested parties besides the turtle patrol. Please join us to develop input from all area of the community."

Original Lighting Ordinance for Marine Turtle Protection

Proposed Lighting Ordinance for Marine Turtle Protection

(original ordinance with edits to indicate the proposed changes, as provided by the County)

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Posted March 21, 2008

NOTE from APTAWEB: The following public notice was published in the March 20th issue of the TIMES newspaper.

 NOTICE OF PROPOSED ORDINANCE

The Franklin County Board of County Commissioners proposes to adopt the following ordinance:
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE 98-11, THE MARINE TURTLE PROTECTION ORDINANCE. THIS AMENDMENT IS INTENDED TO PROTECT MARINE TURTLES FROM THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING, PROVIDE OVERALL IMPROVEMENT IN NESTING HABITAT DEGRADED BY LIGHT POLLUTION AND INCREASE SUCCESSFUL NESTING ACTIVITY AND PRODUCTION OF HATCHINGS ON THE BEACHES OF FRANKLIN COUNTY, FLORIDA.
The proposed ordinance may be inspected in the office of the Franklin County Planning & Building Department, 34 Forbes Street, Suite 1, Apalachicola, Florida. A public hearing on this proposed ordinance will be held on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 10:00 A.M., at the County Commission meeting room in the Courthouse Annex, 34 Forbes Street, Apalachicola, Florida. Persons wishing to comment may do so in person at the public hearing or in writing to the Franklin County Board of County Commissioners, 33 Market Street, Suite 203, Apalachicola, Florida 32320. Transactions of this hearing will not be recorded. Persons who may wish to appeal any action resulting from this hearing dhould make the necessary arrangements to record the proceedings.
PUBLISH: March 20, 2008.

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Posted March 13, 2008

County Commissioners Vote "NO" on

AP Beach Renourishment Project

Reported by APTAWEB

In a Special Meeting at the Armory Tuesday, Franklin County Commissioners voted "NO" on the AP Beach Renourishment Project and directed County Director of Administrative Services, Alan Pierce, to recommend alternatives to protect that portion of Alligator Drive westward of the strip that was paved last year. Among the possible recommendations are: to do nothing, to place rocks, or to install sheet piling.

County Commission Chairman, Noah Lockley began the meeting by introducing County Supervisor of Elections, Doris Gibbs, who then proceeded to describe the ballot count process, attested to the count and then announced the vote: 300 "NO" votes and 264 "YES" votes.

After Commissioner Lockley acknowledged receiving the results, he opened the floor to Commissioners for discussion where upon Commissioner Cheryl Sanders motioned to vote "NO" based on the results of the ballot". Commissioner Putnal second the motion stating "the sand would only wash away". The four Commissioners present then voted "NO" on the project. Commissioner Parrish was not present as he was in "Washington DC assisting in testimony for a Congressional subcommittee on the Water wars between Florida and Georgia".

Following the vote, discussion revolved around options for protecting approximately 1800’ of Alligator Drive.

With the Commissioners vote the project is dead and no assessments will be made.

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Posted March 13, 2008

County Moves April 15th County Commission Meeting to April 22nd

Due to a scheduling conflict, County Director of Administrative Services, Alan Pierce announced that the previously scheduled April 15th County Commission meeting would be changed to Tuesday April 22nd at the Franklin County Courthouse Annex.

APTAWEB previously posted a notice that bids for resurfacing Alligator Drive would be opened at the April 15th meeting. With this change the bids will be opened at 10:00 AM April 22, 2008.

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Posted February 28, 2008

 Alligator Point Taxpayers Association Membership Drive

APTA is conducting its annual Membership Drive. Please lookout for a postcard asking you to consider renewing your membership or becoming a new member. Annual membership is $30.

This web site is the main source of news about our community and is made possible by your choice to become a member.

A Membership form is also available from our homepage by clicking the membership icon. Details are printed on the form.

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