The Leon County Commission made its stance clear: It will not support the annexation of land near the environmentally sensitive Lake Jackson Aquatic Preserve and the protected North Meridian canopy road.
During their July meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to authorize staff to formally object to the annexation of more than 1,700 acres of land owned by Jeffrey Phipps, but even still, commissioners recognized they don’t necessarily get a say.
“I think it’s important for people to understand that this is not going to likely stop this annexation,” Commissioner Brian Welch said. “For us to raise this objection does not stop the eventuality that this will be decided by the city commission.”
City commissioners in June voted to set a public hearing for the annexation of Phipps’ land, but during the county’s July 14 meeting, commissioners said it was clear this annexation is out of compliance with the law, making objection an easy decision.
“This is pretty simple,” Commissioner David O’Keefe said. “You got to check the boxes, and literally, the boxes can’t be checked. In this one, that’s pretty much the core problem.”
The county’s analysis of the annexation request determined the proposed annexation doesn’t “satisfy the reasonable compactness and contiguity requirements” as defined in state law.
Last year, county commissioners voted 4-3 against proposed Comp Plan changes that would have allowed far more residential units along with substantial commercial space on Phipps’ land, something nearby residents and environmental groups opposed.
In May, Phipps filed for voluntary annexation of the land into the city, a move seen by environmentalists as a way to circumvent the normal city-county urban service area expansion process.
The city’s scheduled public hearing means it’s one step closer to possibly approving this request, but the approval wouldn’t come without opposition. A slew of speakers came before the county board, expressing fears over the impacts of future development in this area and asking local leaders to not approve the annexation.
But Gary Hunter, Phipps’ attorney, addressed these concerns, saying there’s nothing in the works to change the land from being considered rural and that “there are zero developmental plans for the parcel.”
“While much of Florida has changed over the last 90 years … the Phipps property for 90 plus years has remained conservation land,” Hunter said.
He added that they intend to sit down with the public and go through the public hearing process, but it makes more sense for that to happen in the city.
Welch said he understands peoples’ concerns over the ecosystem and infrastructure implications if the land were to be developed — and even shares some of them — but a lot of details remain up in the air.
“Speculating on those things at this point with these sort of hysterical responses that we tend to see around the idea of growth and development are premature,” he said.
The controversial matter has also caught traction on the campaign trail, as City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, who’s running for mayor, called for the city to postpone the decision until after the elections usher in a new city commission. He attended the county meeting to encourage commissioners to challenge the annexation.
Tom Derzypolski, who’s running for Matlow’s seat, released a statement ahead of the Tuesday meeting, also urging the county commission to oppose the annexation. The city commission candidate said the proposal could have “profound consequences” for the community, and those consequences should be carefully considered instead of rushing through the process.
“Too often, asking tough questions gets portrayed as being anti-growth. It isn’t,” Derzypolski said. “Supporting responsible growth means supporting responsible planning. And that’s simply good government.”
Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: County unanimously objects to controversial Phipps land annexation
Reporting by Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
