Palm City Annexation News Article-florida Today

[N. Cook]

I anticipate a news article in the sports section of the FLORIDA TODAY on Tuesday regarding the meeting that nite on Palm City's plan to annex the bulk of the nearby St. Johns River marshes. We should have a good turnout.....I suggest comments from our group be positive and courteous as usual....but to the point that UW-F sees real problems in the future with a city commission, voted in by urban residents, controling the public use of traditional hunting lands and marshes. Newton

[Converted]

Sportsmen fighting annexation

BY BILL SARGENT
FLORIDA TODAY



Duck hunters, airboaters and other sportsmen hope to shoot down a proposal to annex about 25 square miles of St. Johns River marshland into the City of Palm Bay.

Under a proposed agreement with the St. Johns River Water Management District, 19,000 acres in unincorporated Brevard County between U.S. 192 and the Fellsmere Grade would be annexed into Palm Bay. The land is west of the existing Palm Bay City limits.

The plan will be discussed at a special meeting tonight of the district's southern region Recreation Advisory Council starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Palm Bay Council Chambers at 120 Malabar Road.

According to district officials, the annexation would benefit the district by allowing for construction projects to be addressed through the city's streamlined permitting process. Officials say it would save time and tax dollars.

At the same time, the annexation would boost Palm Bay's comprehensive plan by expanding the amount of its open green space.

District officials say the annexation would not affect existing outdoor recreation uses of the property.

But duck hunters, airboaters and other sportsman who widely use the area are concerned about future public use of the land.

Newton Cook, the president of United Waterfowlers of Florida, an organization of duck hunters, said there's no guarantee that future public use will be protected in the annexation.

"The concern we have is not with the current (district) board and the (city) commissioners," Cook said. "Our concern is with future boards and future commissions which could take anti-hunting stances."

A de-annexation clause in the proposal would allow the district to take back the land if the city were to go against public use such as hunting and airboating at a future date.

"But there's no guarantee that would happen," Cook said. "If the city gets its tentacles into the land, and 10 years from now those tentacles will be intertwined with development the (de-annexation) process could be stopped."

Aaron Pritchard, the state chairman for Delta Waterfowl, another organization of waterfowl hunters, aired similar concerns.

"Down the road, Palm Bay could use leverage saying they could de-annex if (the district) didn't go along with their proposals," Pritchard said. "If you look at the histories of other city annexations, it's not a good deal for hunters and sportsmen."

The annexation has not been publicized very well, and the sporting groups didn't realize until May that the plan wasn't being taken to the recreation advisory council, which takes its recommendations to the district's board.

In June the advisory council called for tonight's special meeting to allow for additional public comment before the council's final recommendation goes to the district.