Flagstone Pavers off of Cobb Road has applied to the City of Brooksville for the voluntary annexation of 5 parcels totaling 27.7 acres of land (between Fort Dade Ave and Cobb Rd) as well as for an additional 1.3 acres (the semicircular piece of land surrounded by Cobb Rd and Old Cobb Rd). A portion of the 1.3 acres does appear to be wetlands. The company intends to incorporate the properties in their current industrial operation, which would require future land use/ comp plan and zoning changes through the City of Brooksville.
Because the city of Brooksville recently lost a lawsuit to the county over the city’s annexations of several properties, Council Member Kemerer was weary of the county’s position on the annexation of the Flagstone parcels. “I’d like to know whether or not there’s been any indication from the county if they’re going to have a problem with this.”
“We’ve met with county planning staff and they are supportive of it,” said Steve Gouldman, City Planner.
“They were last time too and we ended up in court,” Kemerer replied.
Mayor Battista said that he had a brief conversation with County Administrator Len Sossamon and he said that while the planning department was supportive of it, the county attorney’s office did have some questions.
Battista stated that he’d like to proceed since the county attorney’s office has had time to contact them with any questions they had on the annexations in question and it is only the first reading of the ordinance.
The city of Brooksville lost the annexation lawsuit because the judge ruled that the owner’s signature on the annexation petition is required to annex a property. The city in this case (and in the past) relied on power of attorney granted by the property owners in a utilities service agreement in order to file the voluntary annexation petitions. The Flagstone Pavers property annexations are different in that they are not giving the city power of attorney to annex the property and are filing the petition themselves.
The first reading of both annexation ordinances passed 5-0. The final readings of the ordinances were set for Oct. 2, 2017.
If the Flagstone Pavers properties are annexed into the City, then it will be a positive tax revenue gain for the city.