TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Despite a vote rejecting a similar proposal last year, Jeffrey Phipps, a wealthy Tallahassee landowner, has filed for voluntary annexation to bring parts of rural Leon County into city limits.
Leon County Commissioner Rick Minor announced the voluntary annexation petition earlier this month, while City Commissioner Jack Porter said the issue will go before the city commission in June.
Sophie Wacongne-Speer, the president of Friends of Lake Jackson, said the proposal could make about 1,000 acres developable near Lake Carr and Mallard Pond, near Meridian Road, which is one of Tallahassee’s protected canopy roads.
In total, Minor wrote in his newsletter that just under 1,700 acres would be annexed into the city under the proposal, but Wacongne-Speer said less than that will actually be developable.
Still, the Friends of Lake Jackson worry development near Lake Carr will spell a similar demise to Southern Lake Jackson, where water quality and quantity problems persist.
Phipps, the former owner of WCTV, did not respond to a request for comment through his lawyer, Gary Hunter. Minor declined to comment, but said more details would be forthcoming soon.
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Wacongne-Speer said both local governments had this conversation last year, when the Leon County Commission rejected the city’s proposal to expand the “Urban Services Area,” which would’ve brought electric utilities and sewer systems out closer to the lakes, spurring development.
In creating the “comprehensive plan,” a land use constitution, both the city and county governments must generally agree on the parameters. That’s why the county was able to veto the utilities expansion. However, Wacongne-Speer said the county has far less power when a landowner seeks to exercise their right to voluntarily make themselves part of the city limits.
If the proposal goes through, she hopes regulators will require 60% conservation easements that amount to more than stormwater retention ponds. Right now, she said only one home can be built per 10 acres in the many acres in the area, though the city would have sole zoning authority if the annexation goes through.
Wacongne-Speer provided a map she created, in part based on Minor’s newsletter and proposals from last year. While it’s only meant to give a rough idea, she said homes could be developed in the area of Orchard Pond Parkway, Meridian Road and certain pockets closer to the lakes inside the Lake Jackson Drainage Basin.
In general, the county commission must accept a voluntary annexation request accepted by the city, though county commissioners have publicly mulled the idea of amending their constitution, known as the charter, to give themselves more authority to block an annexation.
Further, annexation has been used as a point of support for those who seek to consolidate the city and county governments, as natural growth often leads to the expansion of cities and the diminishment of counties.
Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey, who used to represent the Lake Jackson area, has argued expanding the urban services area closer to the lakes is a good thing because it removes homes from using septic tanks and puts them on central sewer.
Dailey is also a lame-duck. He’s not seeking re-election, and major shuffling is expected at City Hall in November, regardless of which candidates prevail. It’s unclear how long the voluntary annexation process would take after an initial vote in June, and whether or not that process could be completed before the next elections.
Tune in to Eyewitness News at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. for the full story. This article will also be updated this evening with all the details.
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