A county official's challenge to Crystal River's tabulating of parcels to back the plan prompts a review.
By COLLEEN JENKINS
Published February 24, 2004
CRYSTAL RIVER - The City Council agreed Monday night to delay until March a final vote on a contentious annexation plan.
The time is needed so the city's attorney can review the parcel count being used to justify the proposed annexation.
Crystal River is considering an involuntary annexation of more than 500 acres south of the city. Until late last week, city officials expected Monday's vote to seal the annexation proposal. The council passed the proposed ordinance 4-1 on first reading at its Feb. 9 meeting.
But Friday, the Citrus County property appraiser questioned whether Crystal River City Attorney David LaCroix had properly calculated some of the parcels included in the area proposed for annexation.
LaCroix counted property known as "Crystal River Acres" as 14 parcels and 14 "yes" votes for annexation. Ron Schultz, the property appraiser, said the area should be considered only as two parcels due to a reconfiguration of the land approved by the county a decade ago.
Because the proposed annexation is involuntary, Florida law requires the city to get written consents from more than 50 percent of the owners of parcels to be annexed. Thirty-three owners have consented, and 32 have not.
Five of those consenting votes come from Realticorp, the South Carolina-based developer that owns more than 200 acres south of the city. The company approached the city about annexing its land after talks with the county concerning a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter and other commercial and residential development broke down.
Monday night, LaCroix said he appreciated Schultz bringing the lot reconfiguration to his attention. In the event the property appraiser is right, LaCroix suggested that the City Council allow him to redraw the annexation map and revise an accompanying report.
Doing so won't be difficult, LaCroix said. The map has changed several times since it was first publicized last summer. Undeveloped residential lots behind commercial properties immediately to the west of U.S. 19 were added along the way and likely would be the first to go, he said.
Council members will vote on a revised annexation report March 29. The city then will hold two more public hearings on an altered annexation ordinance.
Anticipating the council's decision to postpone the second reading, Citizens Opposed to Realticorp Annexation (CORA), an opposition group made up of business owners unwillingly included in the plan, issued a written statement before the meeting.
The group praised the council's decision to halt the process and expressed hope that city leaders would re-evaluate the entire annexation proposal. CORA argued that Realticorp would develop its 200-plus acres and leave the city and its citizens grappling with ensuing problems.
