Florida Hometown Democracy/Amendment 4 vs. St. Pete Beach - Part 1: Welcome to the Jungle

One of the biggest "hot button" issues in the Florida Hometown Amendment 4 debate is whether St. Pete Beach's contentious and litigious experience (some would say ordeal) with giving citizens a referendum vote on land use decisions is a fair and accurate example of why Amendment 4/Florida Hometown Democracy is a bad idea and should not be passed in November.

The No on 4 campaign argues that the "St. Pete Beach Experience" is a shining example of the evils of Hometown Democracy/Amendment 4 (see, for example, here, here), while the Yes on 4 campaign argues that the No on 4 folks are lying and that St. Pete Beach has absolutely nothing to do with Hometown Democracy (see, for example, here, here and here).  The St. Pete Beach situation has been covered in countless editorials, newspaper and TV news stories (often based on an incomplete, inaccurate understanding of the facts). It has also the subject of law review articles, and  Politifact even weighed in on the controversy, concluding that the SPB/A4 analogy is "Half True", but this was based on a strict factcheck of No on 4's overbroad and flawed claim that ALL of the St. Pete Beach lawsuits were relevant to the statewide Amendment 4 issue.

With all of this conflicting information floating around, what is the average Florida voter to believe?

As a resident of St. Pete Beach, I have lived with (and am still living through) the St. Pete Beach "experience". Having read many of the news articles, examined many of the pleadings, attended/observed public meetings and court hearings and spoken with residents, reporters, public officials and campaign operatives, I have come to believe that the BOTH the Yes on 4 campaign and the No on 4 campaign have massaged the facts/truth about the St. Pete Beach experience, and that both sides need to be held accountable for the claims that they make and the "facts" that they seek Florida voters to believe regarding Amendment 4.

In short, the "St. Pete Beach/Amendment 4" issue is a factual jungle, and there is a serious risk that Florida voters will get hopelessly lost in the dense tangle of factual and legal complexities that obscure the true relevance of SPB in the Amendment 4 debate.

 

I have created this blogpost as a sort of "Homepage" for what will be an ongoing examination of this issue.  This particular post will be a "dynamic" page, one that I will edit and update regularly with links to other blogposts that discuss a particular fact, issue, news story or other component part of this complex issue.

In the interests of full disclosure, I will say at this juncture that my examination of the facts has let me to believe that St. Pete Beach is in fact a good example of some serious problems with Hometown Democracy that may also impact other Floridians if Amendment 4 passes in November.  However, my examination of this issue is ongoing, and my goal isn't to tell folks HOW to vote, but rather to it is to help Floridians hack through the dense underbrush of this jungle and help them make up their own minds one way or the other will a clearer view of the truth.

 Links to other Posts:

Florida Hometown Democracy/Amendment 4 vs. St Pete Beach:

   Part 1:  Welcome to the Jungle  (This Post)

   Part 2:  Court Ruling Undermines Hometown Democracy Arguments (in progress)

Vandalism Damage to Upham Beach Geotextile T-Groins: Photographic Evidence

I must confess that I was surprised to see an article by David DeCamp about the Upham Beach Geotextile T-Groins in the April 18th edition of the St. Petersburg Times.   

It didn't necessarily surprise me that the Upham Beach Stabilization Project would be in the news, because St. Pete Beach property owners are enthusiastically supportive of the project and the local surfing community (led by the Suncoast Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation) has mounted strong and active resistance to the project, and the resulting controversy has received a lot of press coverage over the past few years. 

What surprised me is that Mr. DeCamp's story raises questions as to whether the Upham Beach geotubes have been damaged by vandalism, and whether the geotubes have been successful in preventing erosion of the sand on Upham Beach.  While reasonable minds can differ about whether County, State and/or Federal funds should be used for projects like this, I believe the reports and findings of the County's engineers, combined with common sense and simple observation clearly establish that:  

1. the Upham Beach geotubes were very successful at preventing the erosion of Upham Beach's sand before they were damaged,
2. the erosion of Upham Beach dramatically increased when the geotubes were damaged and were no longer able to perform as designed, and 
3. while there is no conclusive evidence of WHO caused the damage to the Upham geotubes, available photographic evidence clearly establishes that the geotubes suffered damage that could only have been caused by human hands, which leads to the reasonable (if not inexorable) conclusion that this damage, in combination with the natural force of stormsurge, contributed to the collapse and failure of the northern Upham geotubes.    
 

There are a lot of statements/claims in the DeCamp story that need to be checked or clarified, but in this post I'm going to focus on the issue of vandalism damage:  whether the Upham geotubes were vandalized and the extent to which such damage has impaired the erosion-prevention performance of the Upham geotubes.

In his story, DeCamp writes:

"Morroni and other advocates blame vandals in 2008 for damage to the T-groins, though there is no conclusive evidence for that, said Andy Squires, the county's deputy director of environmental management.  Critics at the Surfrider Foundation suggest the damage was caused by storms and wear and tear."

The vandalism damage to the Upham T-Groins was well documented with photographic evidence during presentations made to the St. Pete Beach City Commission in 2008, at a time when Dr. Nicole Elko was Pinellas County's Coastal Coordinator in charge of the project.  A simple Google search of "Upham Geotube" yields Channel 10 news coverage documenting vandalism to the Upham geotubes with Dr. Nicole Elko confirming and describing the vandalism damage to the Upham Geotubes as well as explaining how the damage played a role in the collapse of the tubes.  The same Google search reveals St. Petersburg Times news coverage in 2005 documenting vandalism damage to the Upham Geotubes.


Mr. Squires has only recently undertaken Dr. Elko's former duties and probably had not seen the photographic evidence, hence his quote.  While his comment is true to the extent that there is no conclusive evidence of WHO may have damaged the geotubes, the photographic record shows linear, rectangular holes and slash-like perforations in the tough, durable geotextile material that clearly were not caused by "storms" or "wear and tear" as alleged by the Surfrider Foundation, and the only reasonable conclusion is that the geotubes were damaged by intentional, determined human action, i.e., vandalism.

The following are some of the photographs that were presented in 2008 to evidence the vandalism damage to the Upham T-Groins: 

Here is a photo of  a rectangular hole that was cut in the seaward end of the stem of T1, the northernmost geotube:

 Here is a photograph of lacerations that were observed in the seaward end of the stem of T1.  Geotextile fabric is exceptionally tough material, and these gashes could not have been caused by natural causes or "wear and tear".

Now for some photographs that illustrate the devastating effect that this man-made damage has on the Upham geotubes.  Posted below are a series of photographs that show how quickly a vandalized geotube collapses when subjected to the force and strain of storm-surge.  These photographs show how the damaged geotube pictured above suffered complete collapse in less than 24 hours when it was subjected to the forces of Storm/Hurricane Ike in 2008:

The story told by these photographs is vividly clear:  the holes and slashes that were cut in the end of the geotube compromised the ability of the geotubes to maintain their structural integrity when they were impacted by the force of the waves and stormsurge of hurricane Ike.

OK, so this post is already getting a bit long, so I'll follow up later with a discussion of the effectiveness of the geotube design as an erosion control measure and some of the other points raised in the DeCamp story.  For now, I'll simply say that it is wrong to suggest that the Upham Geotubes have failed to function as designed as an erosion control measure:  I believe these photographs show that there is clear evidence that their structural integrity has been intentionally compromised by human action in a manner fundamentally inconsistent and incompatible with their engineering design, and this evidence is more than sufficient to rebut any claims or suggestions that the Upham geotubes were compromised merely by wear and tear.
 

Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council Opposes Amendment 4/Hometown Democracy

On April 12, 2010 the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council adopted a resolution opposing Florida Constitutional Amendment 4 (also known as "Hometown Democracy") after hearing presentations by both supporters and opponents of Amendment 4.

During TBPRC's meeting on March 8, the Council heard presentations in opposition to Amendment 4 from Ron Weaver (an attorney with the law firm of Stearns, Weaver, Miller, Weissler, Alhdeff & Sitterson) and Ward Frisolowski (former mayor of the city of St. Pete Beach).  During the April 12 meeting, a presentation was made in support of Amendment 4 by Robert Weintraub (see photo), Chair of the Florida Sierra Club's Growth Management Committee and an officer of the Nassau County Group of the Sierra Club.  Mr. Weaver also voiced a brief rebuttal to some of Mr. Weintraub's arguments.

The Council's resolution opposing Amendment 4 listed in detail its opinion that a variety of negative consequences would result from the passage of Amendment 4, and emphasized the Council's opinion of the importance of citizen participation in the current local government planning and approval process.  

Starlight Tower Honors St. Pete Beach Commissioner Christopher Leonard

On April 10, 2010, the Starlight Tower Association honored outgoing St. Pete Beach Commissioner Christopher Leonard with a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of his years of service on the St. Pete Beach city commission. Located on the north end of Upham Beach, the Starlight Tower building has suffered the effects of chronic beach erosion and storm damage for decades, and Commissioner Leonard's dedication to beach preservation and storm protection for the city's upland properties earned him the respect and admiration of Starlight Tower's owners and residents. In addition to Commissioner Leonard's support of the many City/County/State beach preservation projects that have come before the City Commission over the past years, particular recognition was made of Commissioner Leonard's frequent personal visits to the Starlight Tower building to view first-hand the status of beach restoration, the progression of Upham Beach's erosion problems and the impact of such problems on upland property owners.

The Certificate of Appreciation presented to Commissioner Leonard read as follows:

"This Certificate is hereby presented to Christopher Leonard by the owners and residents of Starlight Tower in recognition and appreciation of his exceptional service as Commissioner of the City of St Pete Beach, Florida. The People of Starlight Tower express their particular appreciation of Commissioner Leonard's careful attention to their concerns about Beach Preservation and Storm Protection, and of his unwavering dedication to the protection of their lives, their homes, and the enduring beauty of their community."

Arts and Crafts Fair on Corey Ave, St. Pete Beach

It's a beautiful weekend in St. Pete Beach!

The 7th Annual St. Pete Beach Corey Avenue Arts and Crafts Festival is being held from 10 am to 5 pm Sat and Sun.

This wonderful arts and crafts fair features over 100 artisans with a wide range of colorful and beautiful wares on display on Corey Avenue between Gulf Drive and Boca Ciega Way. Live music, great food and great weather are also helping this event to be a success.

Volunteers Needed for 2010 St. Pete Beach Sea Oats Planting Event!

On March 30, the Beach Stewardship Committee of St. Pete Beach began planning the City's 2010 Sea Oats Planting Event. Last year's event was a stunning success: Over 200 volunteers came from St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Tampa and St. Petersburg and planted over 10,000 sea oats seedlings in the dunes of Pass a Grille. The sea oats program is part of the City’s program to use both natural and structural solutions to prevent beach erosion and provide sustainable protection to upland homes and businesses from storm damage.

This year, the City hopes to exceed the success of last year! However, we need the help of volunteers in order to meet our goals. We currently need volunteers to serve as Team Leaders on the day of the event (currently tentatively scheduled for July 17, 2010 at 6:30 am, subject to change depending on weather).

Team Leaders will receive training in effective sea oats planting techniques and will then guide groups of 10 to 20 volunteers in sea oats planting on the day of the event.

The 2010 St.Pete Beach Sea Oats Planting Event is tentatively scheduled for June 19, 2010, starting at 6:30 a.m. (subject to change depending on weather patterns for optimal seedling survival after planting).

If you are interested in serving as a in serving as a team leader, please call Steve Hallock at 727 363-9224 and register for the event.

Pinellas Commissioners Hire Consultant for Upham Beach Renourishment/Geotube Repair Project

The Upham Beach Renourishment and Geotube Repair Project moved one step closer to completion today when the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners approved the employment of Coastal Planning and Engineering, Inc. as the County's consultant to facilitate the project's bidding process. The County will rely on CPE to prepare the bid specs that will be used to select the dredging contractors who will renourish Upham Beach in June-July of this year, as well as the contractor(s) who will repair the beach's damaged Geo-textile T-Groins.

The Upham Beach geotubes are large sand-filled fabric structures that were installed by the County in 2005 as an innovative experiment to reduce Upham Beach's chronic beach erosion problem. While local property owners have been very pleased with the erosion prevention and storm protection provided by the Geotubes, the area's surfing community has opposed the project. The Suncoast Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has questioned the cost and effectiveness of the structures, and has voiced strong objections to the impact of the geotubes on Upham Beach's surfing conditions.

Andrew Squires, (Assistant Director of Environmental Management) provided the following response to Surfrider's questions and objections in correspondence prior to today's meeting:

"The University of South Florida’s (USF’s) monitoring work has shown that 38% more sand was held at Upham Beach two years following nourishment with the geotube structures installed compared to two years following nourishment without structures installed (USF Report to Pinellas County, May 2009). Aside from these monitoring data, the geotubes have clearly helped maintain a wider beach with the exception of the area where the tubes have been damaged, which is why they need to be repaired. Furthermore, no negative downdrift impacts have been observed by the installation of the temporary groin field. The groin field has successfully held some sand while still releasing sand to downdrift beaches thereby preventing negative downdrift impacts."

The renourishment project is projected to begin in June, 2010, and the repair of the geotubes is projected to commence after the renourishment is completed.

Welcome to my St. Pete Beach Blog!

Welcome to my new blog! Now for the obligatory blah blah about why I’m blogging and what I hope to accomplish. Please bear with me, since I’m new to blogging and I’m figuring this out as I go.

As a resident of St. Pete Beach who has become increasingly involved in and concerned about a variety of local and state-wide issues that affect my city, I’ve decided to start up this blog as a way of sharing my thoughts, opinions and perspectives about those issues in the hopes that someone may find them to be helpful. In doing so, I express my aknowledgement and thanks to the other individuals and institutions who are already providing coverage of St. Pete Beach’s issues, including the St. Pete Times, the Gabber, the Paradise News, and the St. Pete Beach Insider. I’ve started this blog not in the belief that I can do a better job, but rather because I often find myself viewing the events and issues from a different perspective than those sources, and if there are even a few people who see something they wouldn’t otherwise see and who find this blog helpful then I’ll consider it a success.

The issues that will probably be my initial focus are:

1. Amendment 4/Hometown Democracy.

The election is months away, but campaign operatives in both camps are already debating fiercely whether St. Pete Beach’s experience with its own Hometown Democracy-style land use regulations is a fair example of the alleged flaws in Amendment 4. As a SPB resident I’ve been looking at this issue with keen interest and have some thoughts and observations that I’d like to share about the issue and about the claims being made by the campaigns. I’m not associated with either campaign, and the purpose of my comments won’t be to tell folks how to vote, but rather to share my critique of the claims, arguments and analysis presented by the campaigns, particularly regarding when St. Pete Beach is the topic of conversation.

2. Beach Preservation.

The beaches of St. Pete Beach are its most precious resource. They have drawn both residents and tourists alike to our city for nearly a century. Unfortunately, the city’s beaches are also among the most critically eroded beaches in the state of Florida, and disputes often arise between the city’s residents, businesses and other stakeholders about what measures should be taken to preserve and protect our beaches. I’ve worked first as a concerned citizen, and now as the Chairman of the city’s Beach Stewardship Committee to ensure that the city’s efforts to protect and preserve its beaches are effective and balanced. It’s not always easy, and the various stakeholder groups can have strong views. I’ll try using this blog to share my thoughts on the issues and events, and to let folks know when the city needs help from the community in our various beach preservation efforts. Of course, my posts on this blog are only my personal views and are not made in my capacity as a member of the SPB BSC.

3. Warm Fuzzies.

St. Pete Beach is a wonderful place to live, visit and work, but sometimes you’d be hard pressed to know this by reading the stories in local paper. It’s true that folks can get wrapped up on the drama and etc of local issues/politics, and Lord knows there’s been no small measure of that in our city during the past few years. So every now and then I’ll try to post about the good thing’s I’m seeing in our town.

So bear with me as I give this blogging thing a try, and feel free to let me know if you have any comments, thoughts or suggestions!