FAC News Clips - May 26, 2017 -

FAC News Clips – May 26, 2017

 

Local News

 

Florida News Line

St. Johns County offers free “Reach the Beach” shuttle service

St. Johns County is offering a free shuttle service to Mickler’s Beachfront Park and the St. Johns County Ocean and Fishing Pier from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the following weekends this summer: •Memorial Day: May 27–29 •Independence Day: July 1–4 •Labor Day: September 2–4 The Mickler’s Beachfront Park shuttle will transport beach visitors between Cornerstone Park, 1046 A1A North, and Mickler’s Beachfront Park, which provides direct access to the beach.

 

Additional Homestead Exemption

 

Tampa Bay Business Journal

A higher Homestead Exemption is a giant game of Jenga

News that the Florida Legislature approved a bill to let voters decide whether to raise the Homestead Exemption to $75,000 might seem like a cause for celebration among property owners staring down hefty annual tax bills. It could be welcome tax relief, especially for seniors and others still under water from the Great Recession. While a lower tax bill is tempting, pause the party. News that the Florida Legislature approved a bill to let voters decide whether to raise the Homestead Exemption to $75,000 might seem like a cause for celebration among property owners staring down hefty annual tax bills.

 

Beach Renourishment

 

Tampa Bay Times

Pinellas County receives $30 million for beach renourishment

CLEARWATER — While Pinellas beaches continually rank among the best in America, they need help to stay that way. The county has landed $30 million to complete renourishment projects at three popular beaches. The funding for the Pinellas County Shore Protection Project will go toward about 10.5 miles of work at Sand Key, Upham Beach and Treasure Island. The federal projects are administered by the Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

 

WUSF

Florida Matters: Beach Renourishment

It costs a lot of money to keep Florida’s beaches “postcard ready.” How much sand is on your favorite beach? In some cases, not quite enough. This past spring, Pinellas County State Senator Jack Latvala and Representative Kathleen Peters sponsored bills aimed at saving the state’s beaches from continued erosion. Coastal management legislation that would have, among other things, created a three-year work plan for prioritizing which renourishment projects to fund each year overwhelmingly passed the Senate but failed to make it through the House.

 

Home Rule

 

Leesburg Daily Commercial

Editorial: Quit bullying local government

Florida lawmakers had a raucous, angry session this year, with the House waging war on the Senate, both chambers taking turns thumbing their noses at Gov. Rick Scott and infighting among ambitious Republicans (nobody really cares if Democrats are infighting or not). But there’s one area lawmakers always seem to be able to find common ground — uniting to tell local governments what they can and can’t do.

 

Medical Marijuana

 

Palm Beach Post

Medical marijuana in Palm Beach County? Rules coming soon

Thinking legislators in Tallahassee would come up with some statewide guidelines on the sale of medical marijuana, Palm Beach County officials held off on writing their own ordinance. But this year’s session came and went, and no such statewide guideline emerged. So, the county is moving ahead on its own. “We are working on an ordinance,” Zoning Director John MacGillis told commissioners Thursday. No word yet on what will be in that ordinance, but MacGillis said a draft of it could be ready “this fall or even sooner.”

 

Personnel

 

Washington County News

County administrator resigns, building official hired

CHIPLEY — Washington County Administrator Hank Hamilton tendered his resignation to the Board of County Commissioners in the May 25 regular session. Hamilton, who had been with the county for a year, told the board he felt led by the Lord to open a marriage retreat at his home in the Vernon area and would need to focus all of his energies there. “I love Washington County; the citizens and the community has opened their arms to us,” said Hamilton.