Martin County Commissioner Sarah Heard
District 4 Newsletter - December 19, 2024 |
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Dear Friends,
2024 has been filled with daunting challanges, none more destructive than the tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton. Emergencies bring out the best in Martin County residents, who became life and livelihood savers in the aftermath. I am so grateful for the kindness and care and generosity shown to our hardest hit neighbors. We will be with you every step until your neighborhoods are restored.
On December 11, the Guardians of Martin County hosted a packed presentation on growth management at the Wolf Center of Indian River State College. 1000 Friends of Florida, a non-profit smart growth advocacy organization evaluated our Comprehensive Plan's policies, our population trends and our land development regulations and determined that within the boundaries of our existing Urban Services Boundaries, with no increases in size or densities, we have enough vacant land to grow at our historic rates until at least 2040.
That is very good news. This means that we can fiscally conservatively plan a predictable future here.
The former majority Martin County Commission granted exceptions to the requirements of our Comprehensive Plan to allow a massive new city (Newfield) and a handful of golf course suburbs (Atlantic Fields, Apogee, The Ranch and Rolling Sands)and industrial parks (AgTEC and Martin Commerce Park) in our western lands with no plans for the provision of urban services there.
Now, our fire rescue department wants our taxpayers to pay to build 3 new fires stations to serve the needs of these future developments.
New development must pay for itself.
As the end of the year approaches, so does the holiday season that marks the year's passing. Whatever holiday you celebrate, you have my sincere and best wishes for a joyful festivity and a happy and healthy new year.
Merry Christmas!
Sarah Heard |
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| Board Summary from 11/19/2024 |
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This meeting was our annual reorganizational meeting, where we elect a new chairperson and vice chairperson, assign commission appointments, adopt a commission meeting calendar and approve the upcoming year's holiday schedule.
This meeting welcomed our two new County Commissioners, Eileen Vargas and Blake Capps, where Chief Judge Steven Levin inaugurated them into office.
Heard was elected Chairperson and Ciampi was elected vice chairperson.
CNST-1 was an item to approve contracts that meet the board threshold over $500,000.
B.1. was the Twin Rivers Park Shoreline stabilization. This project will stabilize a 300 foot section of shoreline along the southern perimeter of Twin Rivers Park in Rocky Point. The project will combine a revetment and two breakwaters to provide connectivity between the adjacent breakwater system to the north and revetment at the neighboring private property to the south, which will reduce erosion, mitigate future flood impacts and maintain recreational shoreline access.
The contract for $669,095 was approved unanimously. |
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| Board Summary from 12/10/2024 |
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PHQJ-2 was a quasi-judicial public hearing to consider approval of the major site plan for Wawa at Kanner Highway and Locks Road.
This was a proposal to approve construction of a 5537 square foot convenience store including 12 fueling stations on a 2.29 acre undeveloped parcel located at the southwest corner of SW Locks Road and SW Kanner Highway in Stuart.
The proposed use of the property is permitted in the existing General Commercial zoning district and General Commercial future land use designation. The applicant is proceeding under straight zoning, requesting no special conditions.
The subject parcel's assigned zoning and land use are an anomaly in the area. All of the surrounding uses to the north and west of the parcel are single family residential. This is a well established residential neighborhood. However, this parcel has carried the general commercial land use designation since 1967. |
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Over 1100 residents signed petitions opposing the Wawa at this location. Traffic, school safety, incompatibility, toxic gases, and the overabundance of gas stations nearby (over 5 in less than 1/2 mile) were some of the most objectionable complaints.
One type of public hearing that our Board routinely hears is called legislative. Comprehensive Plan amendments are this type, in which commissioners have broad discretion in making decisions.
Another common type of public hearing we resolve is that of a quasi-judicial public hearing, where we sit as impartial judges, where we hear sworn testimony and facts that we must rely upon to guide us to our decision. Major final site plans and zoning changes are two common types of quasi-judicial public hearings that come before us.
This application complied with all of our laws and land development regulations. The facts in this case were not debatable. No one could dispute that this parcel has a legal land use designation of general commercial use for over 50 years and that the landowners and applicants had a right to build this allowed use on this parcel.
Capps, Heard, Hetherington and Vargas agreed that the application was legally defensible and voted to approve. Ciampi opposed.
DEPT-4 was a request by Heard to initiate a Comprehensive Plan amendment to revise the rural lifestyles amendment.
Among the proposed changes are removal of the ability to attach a rural lifestyle community adjacent to any freestanding urban services district or secondary urban services district. Also, currently up to 54 golf "cottages" (with each up to 12 bedrooms) can be built to accompany each 18 hole golf course, but these "cottages" do not count toward the development's maximum gross density. A change is proposed to count them toward maximum density. Further requirements must be made to insure that urban services like fire stations are paid for by the rural lifestyle developments.
DEPT-5 was a future fire station analysis. This agenda item was a holdover from direction given by the former Board majority. This item was requested by the Fire-Rescue Staff.
The Fire Rescue Staff requests 3 new fire stations.
- a new fire station near the off ramp from I-95 onto SR-714 (SW Martin Highway) to serve the Newfield community, AgTECH (a 1700 acre free standing industrial pod approved by the Board majority in 2010. It is still vacant) and Martin Commons (the 167 acre parcel the former Board majority changed the land use and zoning on their very last meeting. The land use was agricultural. The owner of both the Ag TEC parcel and the Martin Commons property is the same entity)
- a new fire station in Indiantown, located at property along CR-609 SW Allapattah Road) to serve the new growth of Terra Lago, the Development of Regional Impact development, with over 4000 new homes.
- a new fire station west of the Tropical Farms community. Two sites were suggested. One is co-located on the parcel Martin County purchased for the construction of our new much needed Public Works Department. There isn't sufficient land there to locate a new fire station. Another site suggestion is also along CR-711 (SW Pratt Whitney Road), near the new rural lifestyles developments of Discovery's Atlantic Fields, Apogee, The Ranch and Rolling Sands are being built and close to where the new mixed use 4,000 home Storie development is proposed (formerly Harmony).
There is no funding available for any of these proposed new fire stations. |
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| We have different types of reefs here in Martin County, and you can find the northern-most section of the Florida Coral Reef off our coast. Just off the beaches and under the surface lies a magical world that we are connected to more than we know. Come join us on this morning beach walk to learn about the different underwater ecosystems you can find here in Martin County. Join us on Saturday, January 4, 2025 · 9 - 10:30am EST, Santa Lucea Beach, 55 Northeast Macarthur Boulevard Stuart, Florida |
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Board of County Commissioners Upcoming Meetings
Commission Chambers - 1st Floor
2401 SE Monterey Rd, Stuart, FL 34996
January 14, 2025
January 28, 2025
February 11, 2025
MCTV Television Information - MCTV Links and Info
Martin County YouTube Chanel: YouTube Channel Click Here |
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| This document may be reproduced upon request in an alternative format by contacting the County ADA Coordinator (772) 320-3131, the County Administration Office (772) 288-5400, Florida Relay 711, or by completing our accessibility feedback form at www.martin.fl.us/accessibility-feedback. |
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