Heritage Village Deal Accepted Judge Rules
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SPORTS, 9A THIS YEAR’S SPECIAL OLYMPICS The Wakulla Crawfordville’s Becky Arbogast plays for Tallahassee Jewels, a women’s tackle football team See Page 14A ews nOur 117th Year, 10th Issue Thursday, March 8, 2012 Published Weekly, Two Sections Read Daily Serving Wakulla County For More Than A Century 75 Cents Heritage Village deal accepted Judge rules The county allows Ben Boynton larger lots in against state in his Bloxham Plantation development, and he pension lawsuit donates 40 acres for a Heritage Village Park By WILLIAM SNOWDEN [email protected] By JENNIFER JENSEN [email protected] Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford released her long-awaited order on the legality of a measure In December, the Wakulla passed by the 2011 state legislature requiring all County Commission agreed state employees to contribute 3 percent to their to send revisions to a land retirement. use plan to the state for In an 11-page ruling issued on Tuesday, March review to help the Wakulla 6, Judge Fulford ruled against the state, fi nding County Historical Society cre- the measure unconstitutional and ordered the ate a place for the old, historic state to immediately stop the withholding and homes and buildings it has reimburse with interest the amount that had acquired. been taken out. This place will be called the The ruling only applies to public employees Heritage Village Park and will who were members of the Florida Public Retire- consist of 40 acres off Zion ment System as of June 30, 2011. Church Hill Road. Obviously sensitive to charges of “judicial The Heritage Village would activism” by Republican lawmakers even before be a community of about 10 the ruling was released, Fulford stated in her historic homes that have been FILE PHOTO order: “At the outset let me state clearly, the role donated by Wakulla County The Ross-Linzy House was dismantled in 2008 and is to be reassembled at the Heritage Village of the judiciary is to interpret the law before it; families, as well as the old Park, which would include historic houses from Wakulla County. not make new law.” But, she added, “This court Smith Creek school house cannot set aside its constitutional obligations be- One of the homes, the Ross would be destroyed. tion of his property that will and the old lunch room from cause a budget crisis exists in the State of Florida. and Amy Linzy home, was on The society has been look- be the future home of Blox- Crawfordville. The homes To do so would be in direct contravention of this the property where Wal-mart ing for property to move the ham Plantation. were built in the late 1800s court’s oath to follow the law.” is located. They acquired that homes to, and until last year, Boynton was looking to and the society wants to move Fulford noted that the state pension plan was home and had to move it so had been unsuccessful. create larger lots in the sub- and repair them before they created by the Legislature in 1974 that required no it wouldn’t be destroyed. An- After hearing a presentation division and wanted approval are destroyed or too far gone contribution from employees and which provided other home, the John Archie by members of the historical to go from one unit per acre, to be saved. for a cost of living adjustment. The Legislature McLaughlin home, had to be society at a county commis- to one unit per 2 acres. This “It’s a way to preserve declared the rights to the members of the pen- moved because a developer sion meeting, developer Ben would reduce the number of our heritage,” said Richard sion plan were contractural. Fulford points to a told the society that they had Boynton approached them units from 133 to 75. Harden, vice president of the 1981 Florida Supreme Court case that said the two weeks to move it or it about possibly donating a por- historical society. Continued on Page 12A Legislature was not precluded from “altering benefi ts which accrue for future state service,” but the judge noted that the ruling did not give the Legislature the power to “completely gut and Plans for community center take shape create a new form of pension plan.” Fulford found that the 2011 Legislature, faced Plans include constructing nent group to be diverse and with a budget shortfall, turned to state employees have business experience, as well a multi-use gym behind the and ignored the contractual rights given to them as grant writing and fundraising by the 1974 Legislature. current buildings. Th e gym experience. Fulford ruled that the imposition of a manda- floor would be a concrete These people, as well as the tory state employee contribution was unconstitu- slab county commission, will answer tional for members of FRS prior to July 1, 2011. to the community, said Gail The ruling is almost certain to be appealed. By JENNIFER JENSEN Campbell, a member of the tem- [email protected] porary advisory group. She said the people who serve Future plans for the Wakulla on this community center advi- County Community Center are sory group will determine if the OBITUARY moving forward and the creation center succeeds or fails. of an advisory group that would “It has such potential,” Camp- Tinsley W. Floyd help with those plans is in the bell said of the center. works. The permanent group would Currently, the county is dis- plan activities, programs and ser- INDEX cussing renovations plans for the vices; seek grant funding; obtain center, as well as entering into community input and involve- Public Notices ................................................................. Page 3A an agreement with Capital Area ment; and assist in developing The Opinion Page ........................................................... Page 4A YMCA to manage the facility and long term plans for the center. Church............................................................................. Page 6A establishing a permanent advi- The temporary group recom- Community ..................................................................... Page 7A sory group for the community mended the group consist of one School ............................................................................. Page 8A center. member selected by the Wakulla Sports ............................................................................. Page 9A A small, temporary advisory County School Board; one mem- Outdoors ...................................................................... Page 10A group was established to review ber selected by the Chamber of the renovation plans, help with Water Ways....................................................................Page 11A Commerce that has a business Sheriff’s Report ............................................................. Page 13A the memorandum of understand- or marketing background; one Green Scene ....................................................................Page 1B ing with the YMCA and offer member who has experience Week in Wakulla ..............................................................Page 2B suggestions for developing the in fundraising and resource de- permanent advisory group. Thinking Outside The Book ..............................................Page 5B velopment; one member from PREBLE-RISH The temporary group dis- the Senior Citizens Center; Plans for community center show an open gym behind Classifi eds ........................................................................Page 6B cussed the need for the perma- Continued on Page 12A the two existing buildings. Legal Notices ...................................................................Page 6B Youth coalition applies for a Hunger Grant for Wakulla By JENNIFER JENSEN intended to uncover the as- will assist with the man- and see if there is any way [email protected] sets, needs and the short- agement of the grant. for it to receive funding in falls of the county regard- The awarding of the the future. A community meeting ing social services and fi nd grant will not be an- At the community meet- that was held in February ways to bridge the gap. nounced until October. ing, it was also determined by the Wakulla County At the meeting, it was There was also discus- that there was a need for Coalition for Youth was determined that one of the sion about a community a shelter for women and major problems in Wakulla database for food pantries children, as well as rental County is food insecurity to keep track of customers assistance and adequate and addressing that need According to Feeding America there are 4,370 to ensure there isn’t any housing for low income seems to have fallen to people in Wakulla County – or 14.4 percent overlap between pantries. families. churches. Currently, there of residents – who live with food insecurity, A software program is There was also a de- are eight churches in the meaning they don’t know where their next meal being sent to the coalition cision to coordinate ex- county that operate food by Brunie Emmanuel, the pansion as need dictates pantries. is coming from. project manager for the to include volunteer fi re It became clear at the Fund for Gulf Communi- departments and possibly meeting how much help percent of Wakulla County Hunger Grant on behalf ties, which is an initiative use the community center the churches need and residents. of the food pantries. If under Catholic Charities as a distribution site for how it is everyone’s re- “They don’t know where awarded, the money would of Northwest Florida that food. sponsibility to help them, their next meal is coming be used to buy food only is working in seven other Campbell said the coali- said WCCY Executive Direc- from,” Campbell said. and would not pay for counties affected by the tion is continuing to look tor Gail Campbell. To provide enough food any administrative costs. BP oil spill. Emmanuel for pathways and resources Campbell said the pan- for these families, it would The money would only attended the community to fi ll the gaps. Campbell tries are trying to provide cost around $1.7 million a go to existing food pan- meeting to assist Wakulla recently met with Em- food to even more people year, according to Feeding tries, which would form County in meeting basic manuel again to see if any with even less resources.