Despite concerns raised by Ancient Islands Sierra and other critics of the move, the Polk County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to allow nearly 500 new residences in the Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern.
The issue was raised by County Commissioner Neil Combee on behalf of some fellow Green Swamp property owners, who said they were facing problems as a result of historic surveying errors.
Specifically, although a section of land is supposed to contain 640 acres, some contain less, which affects the true area of lots that are typically described as a portion of a portion of a section.
The fix will be accomplished by fudging the density requirements by allowing property owners to claim county right of way adjacent to their property when that’s enough to give them the full 10 or 20 acres they need to get a building permit, said county planner Erik Peterson.
Marian Ryan, conservation chair for Ancient Islands Group of Florida Sierra, testified that this violates the densities laid out in the1992 Green Swamp Task Force report that was part of an effort to resolve disputes between Polk County and the Florida Department of Community Affairs, which at the time was in charge of overseeing both the Areas of Critical State Concern and enforcement of Florida’s landmark 1985 growth management law.
The disputes, which continued for years, made Polk County the last major Florida county to have an approved growth plan. Approval of development regulations to implement the plan also lagged by several years.
The Florida Department of Community Affairs was abolished by former Gov. Rick Scott and today all growth and critical areas reviews are assigned to an office with the Florida Department of Commerce.
Ryan said department staff members were unresponsive to her inquiries.
Peterson, who presented the case Tuesday, said he was able to contact department officials and to convince them that the change would be inconsequential.
Ryan countered that this was simply another step in a long-running effort by Polk County officials to weaken state-imposed restrictions on development in the Green Swamp, which they have opposed to some extent ever since they were enacted in the 1970s.