Contact List

This are the names, address, and phone numbers of elected officials and
news papers to contact about your feelings on incorporation or any other
CAIT projects or complaints the public might have.


THE MORE YOU CONTACT THEM, THE MORE THEY WILL LISTEN



State Representative Bruce Kyle Dist.73 Lehigh Rep.
Phone: 335-2411
Fax: 433-6773
2120 Main Street Suite 208
Fort Myers, Florida 33901-3010
Email: Bruce.Kyle@My Florida House.Gov

State Senator Dave Aronberg Dist. 27 Lehigh Rep.
Phone: 479-8201
Fax: 338-2648
2120 Main Street Suite 209
Fort Myers, Florida 33901-3010
Email: Dave@Dave Aronberg.com



State Senator Mike Bennett Dist. 21
Phone: 1-800-500-1239 or 1-941-727-6349
Fax: 1-941-727-6352
3653 Cortez Road West Suite 90
Brandenton, Florida 34210
Email: Bennett.Mike.Web@FL Senate.Gov

Representative Paige Kreegel Dist. 72 Lehigh Rep.
Phone: 1 941 575 5820
Fax: 1 941-575 5822
410Taylor St.
Punta Gorda, FL. 33950
EMail: Paige.Kreegel@myfloridahouse.Gov

Representative Jeff Kottkamp Dist. 74
Phone: 344-4900
Fax: 344-4901
3501Del Prado Blvd. Suite 305
Cape Coral, Florida 33904
Email: Jeff.Kottkamp@ My Florida House.Gov

Senator Burt L. Saunders Dist.37
Phone: 239-417-6220
Fax: 239-417-6223
3301 East Tamiami Trail
Naples, Florida 34112
Email: Saunders.Burt.Web@Flsenate.Gov

Representative Trudi Williams Dist.75
Phone: 239 433 6775
Fax: 239 278 0922
5621 Banner Dr. Ft. Myers, FL.33912
EMail: Trudi.Williams@myfloridahouse.Gov


Representative Michael Grant Dist. 71
Phone: temp. 941-575-5820 (Kreegels office)
941 743 2033---850 488 0060
P O Box 494397 Pt. Charlotte, FL.33949
EMail: Michael.Grant@myfloridahouse.Gov


County Commissioner District 5 John Albion Lehigh Rep.
Phone: 335-2225
Fax: 335-2892
2120 Main Street
Fort Myers, Florida 33901
Email: Dist5@Lee Gov.Com

ALL other county COMMISSIONERS
DIST.1-2-3-4- @leegov..com
Same addresses as dist 5
Judah,Hall, St. Cerny, Janes

News-Press
Phone: 335-0362
Fax: Martha Hill Mailbag 334-0708


LEHIGH CITIZEN
Fax: 368-2775
25 Homestead Road North Suite 53
Lehigh Acres, Florida 33936 editor mel toadvine
Email: Citizen936@hotmail.com.com

Lehigh Acres News-Star owned by the ft myers newspress
Phone: 369-2191
Fax: 369-1396
1280 Lee Blvd.
Lehigh Acres, Florida 33936
Email: MHudson@ LehighNewsstar.com


Call In Talk Radio

Wink 1240 AM
Day Break Southwest Florida
6:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
479-5540 Phone


Wink 1240 AM
3:00 p.m - 6:00 p.m.
479-5540 Phone

Televison:

Wink T.V. (CBS)
Phone: 344-1131 or 337-2346
Fax: 338-4383

WBBH (NBC) & WZVN (ABC)
Phone: 939-2020 or News Desk 936-6458
Fax: 939-3244 or 939 2152

WFTX (Fox 4)
Phone: 574 3638
For interviews, ask for assignments desk.
wdaltry@leegov.com wayne daltry planning board

collinsd@leegov.com Donna Collins county atty..

banyanm@comcast.net M Banyan Facilitator



michael.conrad@dca.state.fl.us M. Conrad & copy to Bernard Prawah dept. community affairs phone 1877 352 3222

jeb@myflorida.com Gov. Jeb Bush fax 1 850 487 0801 phone 1 850 488 4441 jmudd@leegov.com county planner Jim Mudd phone 479 8180

oconnops@leegov.com county planner Paul Oconner

jstclair@lehighnewsstar.com News star reporter Justin St Clair

Bo@accentbp.com Bo Turberville, Chairmain of the lehigh acres community planning corp. address all correspondence to him and ask to have it copied to all board members (its The Law) also copy to the board secretary Parotdise@earthlink.com

State Atty. Steve Russell email : state attorney@ sao.cjis20.org fax: 335 2787 phone: 335 2700

Attorney General Charlie Crist fax 850 410 1630 phone citizens services !850 414 3990 office 1 850 414 3300 no email address available?

Florida Commission on ETHICS phone 1 850 488 7864 fax 850 488 3077 Bonnie Williams Exec. Director

Civil Rights Commission phone 1 800 552 6843

Lee County Elections www. Leevote@gate .net

State Division elections http://www.DivElections@dos.state.fl.us/

President George Bush phone 1 202 456 2461 email: President@Whitehouse.gov

Associated press phone 1 305 594 9265

Need outweighs opposition on Sugarmill Woods center

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Need outweighs opposition on Sugarmill Woods center

© St. Petersburg Times
published January 10, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Editor: As many Sugarmill Woods homeowners know, there is a great deal of support in the combined communities of Sugarmill Woods for a community center. A center would give the community a focal point to conduct business and social activities. Game, conference and meeting rooms, an auditorium for entertainment, dining, and intellectual and political gatherings and a fitness center are all planned.

There are a few citizens who are adamantly opposed to the center because it would increase annual assessments (estimated to be less than $50 per year per lot), because they wouldn't use its facilities and because we don't need it.

Ask yourselves if these are truly legitimate reasons or just very limited views of a small vocal minority. They either forget or don't care that we are the largest development without a community center in the whole of Citrus County; that our citizenry makeup is getting younger and more active; and that a center would lend new dimensions to our property values and to our lives at Sugarmill Woods.

Some of this minority are the same ones who cost our community hundreds of thousands of dollars because the center was not built when costs were lower. If Sugarmill Woods residents really want a place to call their communal home, they should forget the naysayers and actively support the drive for a community center.
-- Roger W. Johnson, Sugarmill Woods

County avoids utility headache

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County avoids utility headache Series: COLUMN; [STATE Edition]
JEFF WEBB. St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Fla.: Jul 20, 2005. pg. 2
Abstract (Document Summary)

Joining the FGUA would have been a mistake for a number of reasons. First, the consortium, which issues bonds to buy private utilities and then sells them back to governments, had a huge self- interest. Counties do not profit, but the lawyers rake in plenty by acting as bond counsel, which means they make money when the FGUA issues the bonds and for acquisition fees. In the deal that was on the table back in 2001, FGUA lawyers stood to pocket almost $4- million.

Neighboring Citrus County joined the FGUA and the organization bought several privately run utilities there, including Florida Water in 2003. The Citrus County Commission was told it would be involved in any rate-setting decisions, and that no increases would be proposed for five years.

That angered Citrus County commissioners, so FGUA officials backtracked and withdrew most of the assessments. But that misstep, coupled with the FGUA's initial refusal to work with the county on setting rates, has some commissioners up there threatening to buy the utility systems and kick the FGUA to the curb. They're also thinking about replacing their representative on the FGUA, Richard Wesch, who just happens to be their county administrator and once was the assistant county attorney. He, too, lobbied hard on behalf of the FGUA.

Full Text (702 words)
Copyright Times Publishing Co. Jul 20, 2005

Hernando County commissioners and many of their top staff members will tell you that purchasing the sewer and water utility in Spring Hill from Florida Water Services was one of the most farsighted achievements in county government's history.

That agreement was finalized in 2004, but the let's-make-a-deal dance dragged on for three years before.

Granted, taking over the utility was a bold move. The county - make that taxpayers - paid $36-million for it ($81-million with interest on the 30-year bonds), and millions more will be spent upgrading, expanding and maintaining the system's pipes, wells and treatment plants to accommodate the increase in users. But if all goes according to plans, customers should be better off because the County Commission will have full control over the rates and the quality of service. It eliminates the profit-making middleman and makes the commission more accountable.

But before the commissioners decided that the direct purchase of Florida Water was their top priority, they almost bought into a deal - make that "were almost sold a bill of goods" - by the Florida Governmental Utility Authority.

What's more, they almost did so on the advice of former county administrator Paul McIntosh and current County Attorney Garth Coller, who met secretly with utility authority officials and updated commissioners individually, shutting out the public from the process. They called it their "game plan" to protect the county's water.

Their "game," played in private and plagued by controversy, cost them and the commission credibility, and it almost cost taxpayers more money than it should have.

Joining the FGUA would have been a mistake for a number of reasons. First, the consortium, which issues bonds to buy private utilities and then sells them back to governments, had a huge self- interest. Counties do not profit, but the lawyers rake in plenty by acting as bond counsel, which means they make money when the FGUA issues the bonds and for acquisition fees. In the deal that was on the table back in 2001, FGUA lawyers stood to pocket almost $4- million.

Second, only four of Florida's 67 counties were members of the FGUA. The organization had never tackled a project as big as the purchase of Florida Water, which owned and operated about 150 water and sewer systems in 27 counties. It served about 33,000 customers in Spring Hill.

Commissioners, despite the advice they received from McIntosh and Coller, eventually rejected the FGUA's overtures and decided to pursue a deal on their own. It was a wise move, although some critics still argue that the county paid too much for the utility.

But now those commissioners have a new reason to pat themselves on the back for their good judgment.

Neighboring Citrus County joined the FGUA and the organization bought several privately run utilities there, including Florida Water in 2003. The Citrus County Commission was told it would be involved in any rate-setting decisions, and that no increases would be proposed for five years.

But recently the FGUA told more than 4,000 property owners that they would be charged between $2,000 and $6,000 to pay for future water line expansions. Some had already paid to be hooked into the system, so it amounted to them paying twice.

That angered Citrus County commissioners, so FGUA officials backtracked and withdrew most of the assessments. But that misstep, coupled with the FGUA's initial refusal to work with the county on setting rates, has some commissioners up there threatening to buy the utility systems and kick the FGUA to the curb. They're also thinking about replacing their representative on the FGUA, Richard Wesch, who just happens to be their county administrator and once was the assistant county attorney. He, too, lobbied hard on behalf of the FGUA.

Everything may not be rosy for the Hernando County Commission as it continues to struggle with issues related to the Florida Water Services utility, including problems with water pressure and the possibility that rates may have to be increased.

But the commissioners should be thankful they can deal with the problem directly, and not be in the cross fire between the faceless FGUA and several thousand angry faces in Spring Hill.

Reach Jeff Webb at webb@sptimes.com, or 754-6123.

Utility agency needs to respond to just criticism

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Utility agency needs to respond to just criticism Series: EDITORIAL; [STATE Edition]
St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Fla.: Jul 18, 2005. pg. 2
Abstract (Document Summary)
County Commission chairwoman Vicki Phillips scorched FGUA for being unaccountable to voters (the FGUA board is unelected) and for having a host of what she sees as possible conflicts of interest.

She is right on both counts. Citrus' representative on FGUA's board is County Administrator Richard Wesch, who serves at the pleasure of the commissioners, not voters. And the relationship between FGUA and the directors of the company it pays to run the systems seems entirely too cozy.

At the very least, her suggestion that Wesch be replaced on the FGUA board by someone held accountable to the voters, a county commissioner, should be adopted immediately. There has been a frustrating breakdown in communication between FGUA, the county and the utility customers that must be repaired.

Full Text (739 words)
Copyright Times Publishing Co. Jul 18, 2005

The staffers and board members of the Florida Governmental Utility Authority are used to working out of the public eye, rolling around in the nitty-gritty details of installing and operating water and sewer lines.

In recent days, however, they have raised their heads above the trenches only to catch a bulldozer load of grief from angry customers and county commissioners.

They have come by their criticism the old-fashioned way: They have earned it.

FGUA, a coalition of governments (including Citrus County) that was formed in 2000 to buy privately run utility systems, has been under fire before. The bruises over the 2003 purchase of Florida Water Systems, after a bizarre flirtation with two Panhandle towns that wanted to snap up the sprawling company, are still fresh in many people's minds.

But nothing compares to the reaction FGUA got to its proposal to assess more than 4,000 property owners in Pine Ridge and Citrus Springs between $2,000 and $6,000 to pay for future water line expansions.

The rub was that hundreds of current customers, people who have already paid to be hooked into the system, were to be charged this new assessment. To these homeowners, and to county officials, FGUA's contention that the fees were part of "making growth pay for itself" was an absurd slap in the face.

Thus began a series of public spankings of FGUA's leadership and a headlong retreat from the original proposal.

As it now stands, Pine Ridge property owners have been removed entirely from the equation, as have Citrus Springs property owners who either connected to or applied to be part of the system by June 24 of this year. The size of the Citrus Springs assessments remains unsettled, to be next discussed by the FGUA board Aug. 19.

Those concessions have turned down the heat, but FGUA is still in hot water with Citrus County.

County Commission chairwoman Vicki Phillips scorched FGUA for being unaccountable to voters (the FGUA board is unelected) and for having a host of what she sees as possible conflicts of interest.

She is right on both counts. Citrus' representative on FGUA's board is County Administrator Richard Wesch, who serves at the pleasure of the commissioners, not voters. And the relationship between FGUA and the directors of the company it pays to run the systems seems entirely too cozy.

Of even greater concern is the disconnect between the county and FGUA over the county's oversight role on rates and fees.

When the commissioners in 2003 approved FGUA's purchase of the local Florida Water Services properties, they did so with the understanding that rates would not increase for five years, and the county would have a say in any rate decisions.

But when the county's Water and Wastewater Authority tried to exercise that role in May, FGUA told them to butt out.

FGUA has since abandoned that stance, but the fact that it would forget this vital agreement with the commissioners and try to keep the county out of the rate-setting process is outrageous.

Factor in other puzzlements, such as FGUA proposing to run pipes to an area that might be annexed by a subdivision that already has its own water service while also planning to lay pipelines in the path of the proposed Suncoast Parkway, and there are substantial reasons for the county to wonder if this gang knows what it is doing.

After being hammered by commissioners, a chastened FGUA operations director Charles Sweat acknowledged that his side has made mistakes and must dig itself out of a deep credibility gap and try to gain Citrus County's trust.

They might not get the chance.

Phillips says Citrus County should consider buying the two subdivisions' utility systems from FGUA, something that has been contemplated from the beginning of this venture.

Before deciding to do so, however, Citrus officials must have accurate information from FGUA to determine whether the county can operate the systems economically and efficiently.

At the very least, her suggestion that Wesch be replaced on the FGUA board by someone held accountable to the voters, a county commissioner, should be adopted immediately. There has been a frustrating breakdown in communication between FGUA, the county and the utility customers that must be repaired.

The concept of FGUA was never an easy sell to various county officials and civic watchdogs, including this newspaper, for a host of reasons. As this ordeal sorely demonstrates, those reservations were all too valid.

Group forms to get involved with planned water, sewer lines

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Group forms to get involved with planned water, sewer lines

About 15 meets to discuss FGUA

By DON MANLEY
DMANLEY@LEHIGHNEWSSTAR.COM
Published by lehighnewsstar.com on July 23, 2005

A new group has sprung up to fight the proposed expansion of sewer and water lines in a section of Lehigh Acres.

In fact, the group is so new it does not have a name or a full slate of officers yet.

It was formed Wednesday at a meeting held to discuss the Florida Governmental Utilities Authority's plan to install the lines and to investigate forming a Political Action Committee to oppose the project.

About 15 people attended the informal gathering at East County Regional Library.

Mike Welch of Lehigh led the two-hour meeting, which saw a succession of audience members express opinions on the project from a podium at the front of the room.

Everyone is all upset about the high price of water

Water Lines shmater lines Everyone is all upset about the high price of water hookups.
Instead of being upset with the bill for the water lines you should be asking who is responsible for the poor planning and approvals of the infrastructure. Citrus County is growing way beyond it's infrastructures capabilities and there is no end in sight. When you have growth like we are experiencing it only makes since to plan for the future at full density and make provisions now rather than in the future. Sure it costs more to install larger capacity lines now, but a little more now is better than alot more later. These costs are nothing compared to what we can expect in the near future, sanitary sewers, storm water systems, none of this has been planned well and we will all pay for the incompetence of the people who make the decisions. It always cost more to correct a problem when it has been put off until it is out of control than to design and build it from the beginning. It is unpopular to go up against the developers and construction industry but someone has got to start making them build for future capacities rather than current need. I think the FGUA has some blame but most should be laid at the door of this county's planning department, engineering department, and development review board. Lets give credit where credit is due.

Squeaky wheel, meet grease

Squeaky wheel, meet grease


A myriad of sensitive questions about the relationship between Citrus County government and the Florida Governmental Utilities Authority remain, but FGUA customers in Pine Ridge and Citrus Springs can now breathe a bit easier.

In response to a booming housing market, FGUA was moving forth with one-time $6,571 assessments per undeveloped lot in Pine Ridge, as well as for those who built on their lot in the past year. That money was to fund the extension of water lines. About 380 lot owners would have been impacted.

Additionally, FGUA has targeted Citrus Springs lot owners for an assessment of $2,082 for water line extensions. That involves about 6,120 lot owners.

While the proposed fee for Citrus Springs hasn't changed, the plan to retroactively bill those who built homes in the past year has been scratched.

Bigger news is that the $6,571 assessment for Pine Ridge has been completely dropped. Two developers who own significant chunks of land there have agreed to fund the utility lines, significantly reducing the financial burden on FGUA.

After being lambasted by the public and county commission, FGUA officials have vowed to regain public trust.

County commissioners are rightfully steamed about how the proposed fees were sprung on them and the public. Our elected watchdogs have to be especially careful during times of rapid growth — which is what's driving the need to build the network of waterlines. FGUA contends it simply didn't anticipate or budget for the pace of growth the county's experiencing.

Again, there are many factors to be addressed before county commissioners will trust FGUA, but addressing the assessments was the most pressing issue and that's a step in the right direction.

BOCC chairwoman blasts water utility

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BOCC chairwoman blasts water utility
By Mike Wright


If nothing else, Vicki Phillips was blunt.

Phillips, chairwoman of the Citrus County Commission, didn't hold back during an interview Wednesday in criticizing the Florida Governmental Utility Authority's recent attempts to assess land owners in Pine Ridge and Citrus Springs for water lines.

And she was pointedly critical to County Administrator Richard Wesch, a member of the FGUA three-member board, for keeping herself and the public in the dark about the assessments even though they had discussed it with developers months ago.

"I understand business. I understand somebody has to pay for all of this," Phillips told the Chronicle Editorial Board as Wesch sat just to her left. "But they need to go by the rules."

FGUA had planned to assess Pine Ridge lot owners $6,571 and Citrus Springs lot owners $2,082 to extend water lines. It dropped the Pine Ridge assessment altogether when two developers pulled their lots out of the program; FGUA now says it has enough money to extend water lines in other areas of Pine Ridge without an assessment.

The utility also agreed to have the Citrus Springs assessment reviewed by the county's water and wastewater authority, after insisting for weeks that the review wasn't necessary.

Phillips said when FGUA acquired a string of private utilities in 2002, it promised not to raise rates for five years. The assessment, she asserted, is FGUA's way of passing costs onto customers without raising rates.

"They need to stick to the 2002 agreement," she said.

Phillips said FGUA may have won support from property owners had it gone public with the plan in January, rather than waiting until June. Worse, she said, is that Wesch didn't keep her informed, especially since her district includes Citrus Springs and Pine Ridge.

Wesch said he thought the FGUA staffers would have informed commissioners. Phillips said that answer was unacceptable.

"Richard's first loyalty is to the board of county commissioners," she said.

The county commission appointed Wesch to the FGUA board in 2002 when he served as assistant county administrator. FGUA bylaws say no commissioners may be on its board, but Phillips did not say if she thinks Wesch should be replaced on the FGUA board.

Asked for a response to Phillips' contention that FGUA blundered in its public relations, he said simply: "We admitted it. It will not happen again."

Phillips said before the no-rate-increase agreement ends in 2007 the county should consider buying the utility.

"There's no accountability with these folks," she said. "When the five years is up, there will be no accountability at all."

Utility board to look at line levy

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Utility board to look at line levy
By Terry Witt


A government utility will decide at a public hearing today whether to use property assessments to fund a multimillion dollar water line extension project in Citrus Springs.

The decision by the Florida Governmental Utility Authority (FGUA) board of directors could be the easiest part of the approval process for the assessments.

If the three-member board votes to use assessments as the funding method, FGUA has now agreed to let the Citrus County Water and Wastewater authority review the assessments. That could be a tougher process.

The water and wastewater authority's primary responsibility is to protect the public in utility cases.

FGUA wants to levy an assessment of $2,082 against 6,000 vacant lots in Citrus Springs in the first phase of a much larger project to eventually provide water to the entire community. Five phases are planned.

In the first phase, the utility would install 193,240 linear feet of 6-inch water line.

Earlier this week, FGUA dropped Pine Ridge from the assessment program.

If the FGUA board gives conceptual approval to the Citrus Springs assessments, the hearing will be continued through Aug. 15 to give the water and wastewater authority time to review the assessments in public hearings on Aug. 1-3.

County Utilities Regulatory Director Robert Knight, who makes recommendations to the water and wastewater authority, is already questioning the size of the project.

He said FGUA wants to do about 12 years' worth of water line extensions in one project, but he doesn't know if that is justified.

"They've got to convince me that building lines 12 years before they are needed is prudent," he said.

Utility officials say unexpectedly high growth in the community is forcing construction of more line extensions than current water rates can fund.

They say it would be unfair to increase water rates for residents already living in the community to pay for line extensions to new residents. As a result, they have proposed levying property assessments on vacant land.

Phase one, they say, is where the highest growth is occurring.

FGUA officials say they also have discussed the possibility of an assessment for sewer lines at some future date.

The question of whether FGUA would give the water and wastewater authority to review the assessments was settled Tuesday night when county commissioners met with the utility. Board members unleashed a brutal verbal assault on FGUA members for failing to telling them in advance about plans to implement the assessments and then claiming the county had no authority to review them.

On Wednesday, FGUA formally acknowledged in a letter that the water and wastewater authority could review the assessments. Officials from the utility hope to get county approval of the assessments in time to put the assessments on the tax roll.

Under the FGUA proposal, residents can prepay $2,082 before Oct. 15 for the line extensions, or they can finance the extension over 20 to 30 years at $269 a year. If they pay over time, rather than pre-pay, their base cost rises to $2,475. The interest rate is 7 percent.

n What: Florida Governmental Utility Authority meeting.

n When: 10 a.m. today.

n Where: Citrus County Commission chambers, Inverness.

n Why: Consider water-line extension assessments for Citrus Springs.

County rips into utility

County rips into utility
By Terry Witt


Citrus County commissioners on Tuesday launched a withering verbal assault on a government utility, questioning why the board was not kept better informed of its efforts to tax Pine Ridge and Citrus Springs residents for water line extensions.

Although Florida Governmental Utility Authority officials were profusely apologetic, commissioners said they no longer trusted what the officials were saying, nor did they feel the FGUA had met its obligation to allow a local utility regulatory board to review the FGUA's proposed property assessments to determine if they were justified.

The Citrus County Water and Wastewater Board has insisted for months that it has authority to review the property assessments, but FGUA has resisted, saying the assessments do not fall under the board's regulatory powers.

Commissioner Gary Bartell admonished FGUA officials for their actions, calling the assessments a "huge mistake." He said FGUA's actions "has tarnished the relationship between FGUA and the county for a long time."

"I'm going to say you all failed miserably," Bartell said.

Commission Chairwoman Vicki Phillips said she had never been more angry as an elected official than she was the previous day when FGUA officials admitted in a pre-meeting briefing at the courthouse that they had made mistakes, but had not admitted them until now.

Commissioners instructed staff to tell FGUA that the water and wastewater board has the authority to review any charges or rate increases imposed by the utility, including the proposed assessments, and they instructed staff to investigate the possibility of the county purchasing FGUA's 11 utilities in Citrus County.

Under the interlocal agreement with FGUA, the county can buy the utilities at any time. FGUA's director of operations, Charles Sweat, said FGUA would work with the county if that is what it wants to do.

Early in the meeting, FGUA announced that Pine Ridge had been dropped from the assessment program. FGUA officials said they had worked out a way to eliminate the small number of affected property owners from the program. They will not be hit with the assessments.

Commissioners also reassigned the water and wastewater authority's executive director, Robert Knight, to work under the county attorney's office. The action was intended to remove Knight from under the supervisory control of County Administrator Richard Wesch. They want Knight to be completely independent when he reviews FGUA's rates and charges.

Wesch is one of three directors who operates FGUA and commissioners said he has a conflict as Knight's supervisor.

Charles Sweat admits mistakes were made

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Utility official: Fences being mended
By Terry Witt


Charles Sweat admits mistakes were made. He calls them blunders. He wants to win back the confidence of the Citrus County Commission.

But how much fence mending will it take before commissioners are satisfied with the Florida Governmental Utility Authority's explanations about why it planned to impose property assessments for water line extensions in Pine Ridge and Citrus Springs without county oversight?

Sweat, director of operations for FGUA, told the Chronicle Editorial Board on Wednesday that FGUA will do whatever it takes to make things right. And he acknowledged plenty of things went wrong.

"This was a blunder. I've said it repeatedly. It was a mistake," Sweat said. "It was not the intention of FGUA to not provide information to the county commission."

The FGUA board began developing plans in January to assess Pine Ridge vacant lot owners for water line extensions to their properties. Pine Ridge lot owners were to pay $6,571 and Citrus Springs residents were to pay $2,082.

At the time, FGUA was facing record growth, especially in Citrus Springs, and needed millions more in revenue to pay for water line extensions, Sweat said. He said growth was 10 times the historical rate, and FGUA officials knew they were facing a shortage of revenue in August 2004.

Later that year, the government-owned utility came up with idea of imposing property assessments on the people who were causing the growth — lot owners who were not yet connected to the system.

However, FGUA failed to tell the county commission of its specific plans. And when commissioners learned of the size of the assessments, and insisted on a review by the county's Water and Wastewater Authority, FGUA resisted, saying the county had no power to review the assessments.

Since that time, FGUA has backtracked and removed Pine Ridge residents from the program. Also, residents who hooked to the FGUA system after Dec. 1, 2003, were removed from the assessment.

In hindsight, Sweat said, FGUA should have kept commissioners better informed, and he said FGUA now realizes how serious the county was about having the assessments reviewed locally. He said FGUA will allow a local review of the assessments.

"If that is their intention, we will honor the intent, even though I may not have agreed a week ago," Sweat said.

When the FGUA board meets at 10 a.m. Friday in the Citrus County Courthouse to consider approving the concept of an assessment in Citrus Springs, Sweat said his staff will recommend that FGUA agree to have the assessments reviewed by the water and wastewater authority.

But he was less certain about what would happen if the authority rules that the assessment is too high or shouldn't be imposed at all. He said the assessment numbers are based on actual construction costs.

"I won't say they are all wrong. They may disagree," he said.

The county commission adopted a motion on Tuesday saying the water and wastewater authority has the power to regulate the assessments.

Commissioners knew as early as last November that property assessments were being considered by FGUA. The utility had met individually with commissioners. Sweat said they also met individually with four of the commissioners in January to talk about the possibility of assessments. But no numbers were mentioned and commission Chairwoman Vicki Phillips was not briefed.

The public was not told about the assessments until June.

Phillips said the first time she heard that assessments were actually going to be levied was when angry Pine Ridge residents approached the board two weeks ago carrying a letter from FGUA that noted residents had no choice but to pay the fees. She said she was caught by surprise. The letter was sent to more than 6,000 residents.

At a July 6 public workshop, which Phillips said FGUA failed to tell her about, the utility took its first public lashing for the assessments. After the meeting, FGUA decided to drop the retroactive assessments it had planned to levy on homeowners who connected to the water system after Dec. 1, 2003, or who had requested service after that date.

Still under heavy public pressure, FGUA's board decided last weekend to eliminate Pine Ridge from the assessment program altogether. Sweat said that was because many of the vacant lots in Pine Ridge belonged to Gulf to Lakes Associates, a development company, and those lots were withdrawn from the program last Friday. The developer has volunteered to pay for the line extensions when the time comes to build on the properties.

Sweat said the offer to withdraw came late. He said FGUA had sent three notices of the pending assessments before the offer was made to withdraw from the program.

Sweat said the remaining vacant lots in Pine Ridge can be connected to the system using existing customer revenues. But, he said, the assessment program remains in place for Citrus Springs.

However, commissioners are wary of FGUA's intentions. The board voted Tuesday to remove County Administrator Richard Wesch as the boss of county Utilities Regulatory Director Robert Knight. Wesch sits as one of three members of the FGUA governing board.

Commissioners said they believed Wesch had a conflict of interest in supervising Knight, who was in charge of advising the water and wastewater board about FGUA's rates. Knight is now works in the county attorney's office.

The board has also asked its staff to research the possibility of the county buying FGUA's 11 utilities in Citrus County.

Information flows

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Information flows

Editor, Naples Daily News:

Re: residential well water in Golden Gate.

In October 2002 the Florida Governmental Utilities Authority, the water utility for Golden Gate city, notified health agencies of high counts of fecal coliform in seven of its supply wells. The cause of the contamination was never determined. Since the utility's well water is treated, there was no threat to FGUA customers but the scare caused the Collier County Health Department to issue a boil-water notice and conduct a hurried and inaccurate water study in the community.

County testing originally showed 40 percent fecal coliform contamination in the 117 wells tested, but state labs failed to find any fecal bacteria in the county's samples. So all 117 wells were retested and only one showed signs of fecal bacteria in the water.

Ironically, a month or so after FGUA made known its contaminated wells, representatives of the utility attended a civic meeting during which they announced their intent to request 200 homeowners residing near the utility's water lines to connect willingly to the system. They noted that as a private utility, they cannot mandate those homeowners to hook up but Collier County officials can.

Creating an emergency situation to validate pursuing specific measures is a tactic commonly used by large agencies to push an agenda. We are thankful the county health department is conducting a complete water study of our community to measure the true status of our well water.


Kaydee Tuff/President, Golden Gate Civic Association

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