Issue IX November 1998

In This Issue:



Annexation — There Must Be A Better Way

As the Planning Council has wrestled with annexation issues over the past couple of years, it has concluded that a more systematic and comprehensive approach to dealing with annexation is desirable.

A series of issues ranging from the Council's review of annexations over ten acres in size for the “ability to serve,” to concerns with the interpretation of State law relating to the creation of enclaves and the requirement for contiguity , to simple matters of advance notice and proper legal descriptions, have culminated in a Council recommendation to seek a more balanced and efficient means of dealing with annexation.

The Council has recommended an eight point plan that would include the following considerations:

  1. Advance Notification;
  2. Verification/Reconciliation of Legal Descriptions;
  3. Compliance with General State Law Governing Annexation;
  4. Determination of Ability To Serve the Annexed Area;
  5. Provision for Contracts for Service Between County and Municipalities;
  6. Defined Areas Eligible To Be Annexed; Required Consistency with the Countywide Plan; and
  7. Coordination with State Plan Amendment Review Process.

The Council and Board of County Commissioners are currently examining the various issues involved and the means by which such an approach could be implemented if it is determined desirable to do so.



The Role of the Local Planning Agency in the EAR Review Process

Writing Evaluation Appraisal Report (EAR)-based comprehensive plan amendments is a process involving not only staff, but local commissions, boards, and the public. While different jurisdictions handle the public participation aspect of the amendment process in slightly different ways, the intent is the same: to provide an opportunity for citizens to contribute to the planning process.

The Local Planning Agency (LPA) has the task of reviewing the proposed comprehensive plan amendments. Generally speaking, the LPA members are different than those on the city/town commission or council, but they do not have to be. Following its review, the LPA is responsible for sending (transmitting) the draft EAR-based amendments to the commission/council for review and adoption as the new comprehensive plan.

Education
 Over the past year, PPC staff members have met with the six LP As from municipalities with which the PPC has local assistance interlocal agreements. Typically, LPA members are not professional planners. They come from every walk of life and their familiarity with land use planning varies as does the membership. The amendment review meetings have required LPA members to become familiar with a variety of esoteric planning terms and acronyms, among them: Level of Service (LOS), Coastal High Hazard Areas (CHHA), consistency, concurrency, Floor Area Ratio (FAR), Impervious Surface Ratio (ISR), 9J-5, and “The Rules” of the PPC. In addition, unfamiliar planning concepts need to be learned, for example: the difference between zoning districts and land use designations, why they are different, and what functions they serve; and private property rights versus local government actions that may negatively impact those rights. These are just of few of the many complex issues that the LPA must be knowledgeable about.

Involvement
 The part played by the LPA in the amendment process can vary from perfunctory review to a high level of participation involving give and take between staff and members. The draft amendments that result from the LPA workshops tend to reflect the level of interest and participation. If there is little participation, the community goals, objectives, and policies are likely to be similar to those in the existing plan. On the other hand, the amendments that come from a highly participatory LPA will likely include customized goals, objectives, and policies that reflect local interests and values.

Issues
 On average the LPAs met once a month, but several met twice a month to review and make comments on the elements of the comprehensive plan. PPC staff presented the LPA an element of the plan to review at each meeting. Through this process the LPA made recommendations and addressed issues that affected the community. Issues such as density/intensity, control of stormwater/drainage improvements, and improvement of transportation corridors were some of the major issues that the LPAs addressed.

With the review provided by the LPA, the EAR-based amendments will focus on the needs of the community and incorporate any improvements that are necessary into the comprehensive plan.



Featured Pinellas Planning Council Member: David Coyner

Mayor David Coyner was raised in east Tennessee and first came to Florida by way of the U.S. Navy in 1950. He was stationed at Green Cove Springs and later moved to Tallahassee to attend Florida State University. He graduated in 1958 from the School of Social Welfare with a Bachelor of Science degree in Juvenile Corrections.

Professional Experience
 Mayor Coyner worked as an administrator with Blue Cross-Blue Shield, the Florida Medical Association, and the American Medical Association, later serving as the Executive Director of The Professional Standards Review Organization for the State of Montana and Pinellas County. In addition, he worked for the Hospital Corporation of America in developing a Physician and Hospital Network for their PPO-HMO programs. He was also responsible for developing the employee's PPO program, and the Managed Care Department, for Morton Plant Hospital.

Political Career
 Mayor Coyner was elected to the Belleair Bluffs City Commission in 1992 and served as city commissioner for four years. He was elected as mayor in 1996. His main focus as mayor is “to ensure that the City of Belleair Bluffs is governed in an efficient, positive manner so citizens can reap the benefits of a well-run city.” Currently, Mayor Coyner is working on the development of a community center complex for all citizens of the City to enjoy. In addition, he has served on the Pinellas Planning Council since March 1997, representing the “Group C” municipalities of Belleair, Belleair Bluffs, Gulfport, Kenneth City, Seminole, and South Pasadena.

PPC Perspective
 As a Councilmember, Mayor Coyner has a unique perspective of the PPC and its planning functions. While attending college in the 1950's, he worked on a Traffic/Safety Issue study for U.S. Highway 19 in Pinellas County. At that time no coordinated planning Mayor David Coyner was taking place within the county and, because of this lack of planning, the safety issues that were discovered in the study could not be fully implemented. Mayor Coyner has seen Pinellas County undergo tremendous changes over the last forty years, from rural and undeveloped to the most densely populated county in the state. Mayor Coyner views the PPC as a necessary component of a countywide approach to planning that is essential in our highly urbanized county with multiple local government jurisdictions.

Family
 Mayor Coyner and his wife Carolyn have been married for 43 years. They have three grown children, Eric and Scott who live in Largo, and Carol who lives in Granite City, Illinois. The joy of their life is their granddaughter, Jordan, daughter of Eric and Laurie. Some of Mayor Coyner's favorite hobbies include hunting, fishing, and growing orchids in his garden during his free time.



New Pinellas Planning Council Member: Lee Benjamin

Councilmember Lee Benjamin represents the Pinellas County School District on the Pinellas Planning Council. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky , Mr. Benjamin has been a resident of Pinellas County for over 44 years. In 1954 he started his teaching career in Florida, in the newly opened Northeast High School, of which he later became principal.

He was appointed Area Superintendent ofPinellas County overseeing 30 schools in 1974, and retired from the Pinellas County Schools in 1986. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Florida State University. Councilmember Benjamin was elected to the School Board in 1990, re-elected in 1992 and 1996, and served as chairman from 1991-93. He and his wife of 49 years, Felice, have five grown children and nine grandchildren with another grandchild on the way.


The Pinellas Planning Council
  • Commissioner Karen Brayboy
    Chairman - Tarpon Springs
  • Councilmember Bob Kersteen
    Vice-Chairman - St. Petersburg
  • Mayor Thomas De Cesare
    Secretary - Madeira Beach, St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island
  • Councilmember Chuck Williams
    Treasurer - Pinellas Park
  • Lee Benjamin
    Pinellas County School District
  • Mayor W. David Coyner
    Belleair Bluffs, Belleair, Gulfport, Kenneth City, Seminole, South Pasadena
  • Commissioner Jean Halvorsen
    Largo
  • Commissioner Janet Henderson
    Dunedin
  • Commissioner Ed Hooper
    Clearwater
  • Vacant
    Belleair Shore, Belleair Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores, North Redington Beach, Redington Beach, Redington Shores
  • Commissioner Nadine Nickeson
    Safety Harbor
  • Commissioner Robert B. Stewart
    Pinellas County Board of Commissioners
  • Councilmember Babe Wright
    Oldsmar

The mission of the PPC is to establish a representative forum for countywide planning that provides overall policy direction, plan consistency, interagency coordination, and technical assistance in furtherance of a coherent, efficient and effective countywide planning process.



The Countywide Planning Authority
  • Commissioner Barbara Sheen Todd, Chairman
  • Commissioner Steven M. Seibert, Vice-Chairman
  • Commissioner Calvin D. Harris
  • Commissioner Sallie Parks
  • Commissioner Robert B. Stewart

The role of the Board of County Commissioners, acting in their capacity as the Countywide Planning Authority, is that of final decision maker in the adoption and administration of the Countywide Plan.



Hearing and Meeting Schedule
Planners Advisory
Committee		 Pinellas Planning
Council		 Countywide Planning
Authority
  • November 18, 1998
  • December 16, 1998
  • January 20, 1999
  • February 17, 1999
  • November 3, 1998
  • December 8, 1998
  • January 5, 1999
  • February 2, 1999
  • November 9, 1998
  • December 7, 1998
  • January 11, 1999
  • February 8, 1999