Town Planner Debbie Nickles says land has not been managed to be compliant, offers to update plan and do reports every five years
Although no action was taken, the Century town council heard Town Planner Debbie Nickles' request May 20 to allow her to prepare the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) 5-year management plan and all documents on property the town is responsible for maintaining for a total of $3,000, if the town chooses to change to reporting every five years instead of annually.
The Florida DEP has asked for the town of Century to transition from an annual to a five-year reporting period on the property purchased from the Florida Communities Trust in 2000. Nickles said she thought the town could continue to report yearly, but either way, a lot of work is required to implement the 19-year-old management plan to become compliant with DEP.
Nickles has always done the report since 2002, which takes her several hours and a trip to the site to take pictures.
“Every year I've been doing that and half the time I don't even bill the town to do it,” said Nickels. “But this is going to require a major rewrite of the current management plan you have for that site, and that's why it will take me a couple of weeks to get all of the information to get done.”
Nickles said she will need GPS coordinates for the boat ramp and stormwater pond and a sign where the land was purchased by Florida Communities Trust among other things.
Nickles told council member that there are several maintenance issues to be addressed, such as the storm water management (retention) pond is filled in with sand and needs to be cleaned out; there are no handicapped signs that make it compliant with the American Disabilities Act (ADA); and the access road needs to be graded out.
She recommended the council schedule some workshops to address the maintenance issues.
“We're supposed to be eradicating invasive species, there's all kinds of trees, like popcorn trees, that the town stated in their management plan back in 2000,” said Nickles. “We're supposed to have some educational signs about wetlands and wildlife which we don't have at this time. Im not sure what the Florida DEP is going to say when they come.”
She said DEP can come anytime they want and whether the town chooses to have a yearly report or five-year report, it is not compliant anymore with the actual site.
The deadline is June 30 to make a decision and Nickles told the council she would see if they could get an extension to October 30 to budget money and make a decision.
Councilman Luis Gomez asked who is responsible right now and Mayor Henry Hawkins told him the town is responsible.
“You talk about management plans and all this kind of stuff, something these guys haven't ever seen,” said Hawkins. “You can't hold people accountable for what they don't know. When they know what they need to do, then they can do it. We're holding people hostage for something we haven't told them.”
Councilwoman Ann Brooks noticed that they town is supposed to report any revenue collected, but Nickles said there is no revenue collected.
Nickles said that the town is also responsible for keeping the easement property to northwest Florida water management district directly south and adjacent to Fischer landing open.
“They paid a portion of the funds to have the turn lane put on State Road 4 in order to get to Fischer Landing,” said Nickles. “By doing that, the town agreed to give them the access to their portion of the property directly south and adjacent to Fischer Landing.”
She mentioned there are some paths or roads nearby that are not supposed to be there and that a required nature trail nearby has been allowed to grow up due to prisoners contacting poison ivy in the past when trying to maintain it.
“I’m just very concerned about DEP coming to the site right now,” said Nickles.
The issue was tabled until Nickles could find out some information about boat ramp policies, deadlines, a budget and possible advisement to maintain the property.
