Yes, You Can Fight City Hall
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Uncanny ability Pensacola Beach Dolphin hoops starts season 2-0 is a Holiday Parade sticky subject B1 rings in the season Sports, C1 4B Gulf Breeze High School Drama Presents FRIDAY, DEC 7th - 7:30 p.m. Tickets available online All Seats SATURDAY, DEC 8th - 7:30 p.m. through PSC Theatre Dept. Reserved SUNDAY, DEC 9th - 2:30 p.m. or by calling 850-484-1847 Ashmore Auditorium, Pensacola State College December 6, 2018 YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER $1.00 SOS group’s efforts are Yes, you can paying off Developer must add exit to Hwy. 98 fight City Hall BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News © 2018 Homeowners prevail [email protected] Dara Hartigan led 60 people in a in Catawba appeal discussion about Soundside Drive de- velopment and recent flooding issues Sunday at Dave’s Oyster House in and who encouraged the City to, in effect, make BY GLENDA CAUDLE Gulf Breeze. Hartigan, president of the Gulf Breeze News © 2018 Catawba a toehold in that battle. Save Our Soundside non-profit organi- [email protected] It has been an expensive battle, with costs run- zation recently formed, told the group ning well beyond three quarters of a million dol- its efforts have already paid off, saying Judge John F. Simon Jr. got it right when he lars for the taxpayers, and that does not include “The county has decided not to make found in favor of Gulf Breeze residents Dr. John bills incurred by the City on appeals. A recent Soundside Drive Deadman’s Curve the Lance Reese, Peter Peters and Mitzi Peters and review of those showed another $10,500 billed to only entrance and exit to the new Na- when he then demonstrated the City by two of the firms involved in the case ture’s Cove, now under development. just how strong their pri- for work done from July 2018 to Nov. 7, 2018. The county has decided to make the vate property claim was by Neither does it include the expense to the developer stick to the original plat and ordering the City of Gulf property owners, although a part of their legal include a northern stub for an exit and Breeze to cover a portion of debt will be covered by the City of Gulf Breeze entrance off Hwy. 98. We are making a their legal bills. (the taxpayers), per Simon’s judgment last year. difference.” So say Florida First Dis- In the Nov. 1 hearing that included 15-min- Hartigan said after the last county trict Court of Appeal judges ute oral arguments from attorneys for both sides, meeting held at Tiger Point Community James Wolf, Thomas Win- the First District appellate judges looked at three Center last month, county commission- okur and Harvey Jay. Dannheisser “bundled” appeals put forth by the City of Gulf ers asked their county engineer, Roger Their decision was hand- Breeze after Simon’s 2017 rulings in the case: Blaylock, to go look up the original ed down Wednesday, Nov. 28, in the matter • The City hoped to avoid paying court fees plat for Nature’s Cove. That request known locally as “Catawba.” The court allots 15 and costs amounting to $265,000 that Simon had came after Hartigan included in her days for a response. Current indication from the said was owed to the property owners because PowerPoint presentation a copy of the City is that the matter is, finally, at rest. they were forced to defend their property rights original plat that showed a northern en- The long-running, multi-appealed beach ac- in court; trance/exit. The Soundside group had cess case, which has been fought out in the lo- • The City hoped to have the court’s denial of been lobbying commissioners not to cal court system between the City of Gulf Breeze a claim of prescriptive easement overturned; make only one entrance and exit from and two different sets of landowners over the • The City hoped to have overturned, as well, last four decades, ended in yet another victory Nature’s Cove — which is slated to be Glenda Caudle | Gulf Breeze News the decision that denied its claim of an interest in onto Soundside at what local residents After years of legal wrangling, amassing nearly $1 recently for those seeking to protect their private the property. have labeled “Deadman’s Curve.” million in legal fees, the appellate court affirmed property rights. On the other side of the issue The appellate judges turned thumbs down on the lower courts’ decisions that the property were the City of Gulf Breeze and some resi- belongs to the homeowners and is not a public dents who have concerns about beach access See Property Page 4A See Group Page 3A » beach access as the city contended. » After School Program is safe setting for ‘tweens’ cialize, get involved in athletics, BY GLENDA CAUDLE Gulf Breeze News© 2018 play games, delve into art or take [email protected] on some STEAM challenges, it’s a real magnet for students in the They’re not teens old enough to 6th-8th grade range. Particularly drive themselves or have friends when treats are involved. who can shuttle them from ad- That’s why about 130 kids of venture to adventure. But they’ve the 600 enrolled can be counted on made the transition from elemen- to show up most weekdays at Gulf tary school to middle school, and Breeze Community Center for the they want to celebrate that mile- After School Program. On Fridays A cross on the property of Forest Park United Methodist Church stands in the stone with an identity of their center of what has become a refuge of last resort for desperate people who – better known as Pizza Day! – the pitched their tents here. The city says they must vacate the site by Dec. 10. own. numbers rise to the 180-200 range, When that opportunity comes Sydney DePalma (center, seated) is the director of the Gulf Breeze After School wrapped in opportunities to so- See After Page 8A » program. Misery piles up after Hurricane Michael Stormwater drains pass recent test Building at the Fairpoint Campus, York BY LISA NEWELL tained serious damage in the 2014 with a plan to prevent a recurrence of was tapped by Alabama-West Florida BY GLENDA CAUDLE Gulf Breeze News© 2018 Gulf Breeze News© 2018 flood. the damage caused by the flood and [email protected] Annual Conference of the UMC as [email protected] Across town at City Hall, the level has tossed his hat into the ring to serve Hurricane Michael Recovery Director. was a bit less at around 4 inches, with on the Council, where he can be even The crisis of Hurricane Michael is What he is seeing is hard to imagine It was yet another battle between 7.3 inches at the treatment plant. closer to going on the offensive against far from over in Panama City and sur- on American soil. the evil genie hordes of the stormwa- Since the last “great war” in 2014, the stormwater genies. rounding areas, as Shawn York can at- A makeshift “tent city” blossomed ter realm and Gulf Breeze resident and Hebert has gone into full battle mode. Although he was not a single-issue test. after the Forest Park United Method- newly elected City Councilman Randy He has served on the post-flood-estab- candidate in the recent election, where The executive pastor of Gulf Breeze ist Church allowed its contractors to Hebert over the weekend. lished stormwater task force, has ap- he ran without opposition for the seat United Methodist Church who leads pitch four tents on the property while The genies sent almost seven inches peared at virtually every City Council being vacated by Council member and worship at Flounder’s on Pensacola they are doing repairs. There is a lack of rain to the city’s East Basin, where meeting for the last year and a half to Beach and the relaxed “Gathering Hebert lives and where his home sus- encourage members to move forward See Pumps Page 4A » Point” family worship at the Youth See Humanitarian Page 2A » Arrest Report . 3A FRI 12/7 SAT 12/8 SUN 12/9 Calendar .........3A & 5A Mailing Statement Classifieds/Legals .......6C on Opinion Page PARTLY SHOWERS PARTLY WEEKEND CLOUDY CLOUDY Crossword Puzzle.......3B THREE SECTIONS, Movies ................5A 22 PAGES Weather-plus hi 60/lo 54 hi 68/lo 54 hi 57/lo 41 Opinion . 6A VOL. 18, NO. 49 rain: 0% rain: 90% rain: 20% Sports .............. 1-8C DECEMBER 6, 2018 2A December 6, 2018 GULF BREEZE NEWS gulfbreezenews.com Shawn York | Special to the News The fortunate few have travel trailers to sleep in during the recent cold nights in Panama City. The landscape shows the damage to the area’s trees. Only nine portable toilets exist on the site for nearly 700 people. Humanitarian Submitted photo crisis evolving for Sharing the spirit of the holidays hurricane victims » Continued from Page 1A to afford The Gulf Breeze High Junior Optimist Club partnered with a place to the Gulf Breeze Optimist Club to collect a trailer full of toys stay. for the annual Toys for Tots drive. of hotel accommodations in the Due to the parade’s being cancelled, the groups loaded region, and those that are un- “ M i n - the collections from the local schools and businesses onto a damaged are in short supply. istry isn’t trailer for delivery to the US Marine Corps. Once the tents appeared on always just Those who participated in the toy drive include Gulf Breeze p r e a c h - High School, Gulf Breeze Middle School, Gulf Breeze the property, approximately 100 Elementary School, Oriole Beach Elementary School, tents moved in, then more and ing on Woodlawn Beach Middle School, First Bank on 98, St.