Last night on North Florida Writer Live we discussed the issue of property taxes in Alachua County with Commissioner Ken Cornell, a professional accountant by training. Much of our discussion focused on the impact that local growth and development might have on the residents with regard to their tax bills. Tonight we'll look at one of the major growth issues currently facing the county, the request recently submitted to the small city of Hawthorne by Plum Creek Timber to annex approximately twelve hundred acres of its property into the city.
My guest tonight with be Matt Surrency, the mayor of Hawthorne, and we'll talk about the impact the annexation will have on city residents, residents of the adjacent unincorporated portions of the county, and how the development can be smoothly incorporated into the area, land which is low and also plays an important part in the local ecosystem and fragile aquifer system. The biggest question that all have is this: How can the project be done without either causing irreparable damage to the natural heritage and water needs of an area which has heretofore been treated as not open for development? We hope to find a good answer to this question tonight, or at least a good faith opening.
The plan has many supporters and, likewise, many detractors and it is important that whatever happens be done in a way to create community harmony both during and after the development process. There is no doubt that Florida will continue to grow and further develop, but since she is now the third most populous state and has much of her undeveloped land which directly supports our natural aquifer "blessing", she must be developed in a very careful way. After all, when and if the well goes dry, instead of growing Florida would become a ghost town.
I hope you'll join us tonight at nine as we try to threat the needle on an important issue. Florida is too important to all of us to make a mistake now. Here's the link:
tobtr.com/s/7894297
My guest tonight with be Matt Surrency, the mayor of Hawthorne, and we'll talk about the impact the annexation will have on city residents, residents of the adjacent unincorporated portions of the county, and how the development can be smoothly incorporated into the area, land which is low and also plays an important part in the local ecosystem and fragile aquifer system. The biggest question that all have is this: How can the project be done without either causing irreparable damage to the natural heritage and water needs of an area which has heretofore been treated as not open for development? We hope to find a good answer to this question tonight, or at least a good faith opening.
The plan has many supporters and, likewise, many detractors and it is important that whatever happens be done in a way to create community harmony both during and after the development process. There is no doubt that Florida will continue to grow and further develop, but since she is now the third most populous state and has much of her undeveloped land which directly supports our natural aquifer "blessing", she must be developed in a very careful way. After all, when and if the well goes dry, instead of growing Florida would become a ghost town.
I hope you'll join us tonight at nine as we try to threat the needle on an important issue. Florida is too important to all of us to make a mistake now. Here's the link:
tobtr.com/s/7894297
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