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Tierra Verde Residents Define Their Identity

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By STEVEN GIRARDI

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 12, 2008

TIERRA VERDE - Jack Parker concedes he and his island neighbors would rather not be in this fight.

But as St. Petersburg moves to annex a piece of their island community, opening the door to plans for a high-rise resort, Parker and the Tierra Verde Community Association are gathering forces.

Their strategy: incorporate Tierra Verde as an independent town, the 25th municipality in Pinellas. Only three other counties among Florida's 67 counties have more - Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward. Hillsborough, four times the area of Pinellas, has just three.

"We would rather stay the way we are - part of the unincorporated county," Parker said. "Until the annexation started last December, we thought we were OK."

Tierra Verde, on the road to Fort DeSoto Park, is a place where people are likely to have as many boats as cars. Its 2,500 homes are an even mix of condominiums and single-family homes. The average home is valued at more than $600,000 and one is now listed at $10 million.

"It's just a really neat area, that's for sure," said real estate agent Barbara Zaccaria, who has lived on the island for 24 years and sells homes there. "The only sure way of protecting our community is to incorporate."

Population Size Requires Exception

That's a common sentiment in Pinellas County.

With about 3,000 people, Tierra Verde falls below the state threshold for municipalities. Florida communities in counties of 50,000 or more must have at least 5,000 people to incorporate, though that can be waived with support from local legislators.

The exception has been granted 17 times in Pinellas, with 10 municipalities recording fewer than 5,000 people and seven fewer than 3,000. Belleair Shore has only 78 people, and for years held council meetings at a member's home.

Lawmakers whose support is essential express no concern that the community is too small or Pinellas too crammed with cities.

Still, state Sen. Dennis Jones, a Treasure Island Republican, said some lawmakers might worry "when you divide the county into a smaller piece again," and about the level of service Tierra Verde could deliver.

"And you have to see how supportive the county is, because it is a player in this, too," Jones said. "My position right now is, watch and wait."

Pinellas County Administrator Fred Marquis said the county would continue to provide services to Tierra Verde, but Pinellas is staying neutral on incorporation.

"It's a community decision," he said. "Especially when you know the reasons for it - to make sure they don't get annexed by St. Petersburg."

That's what motivates state Rep. Jim Frishe, whose district includes Tierra Verde, as the community fights to preserve what he calls "a unique neighborhood."

"It's basically that they want to be left alone, and the city of St. Petersburg wants a part of them," Frishe said. "So this is their defense."

Annexation Problems

In December, at the request of business owners including the Ballast Point Group, St. Petersburg tried to annex the northern tip of Tierra Verde, near the Pinellas Bayway bridge, that includes the former Tierra Verde Resort Marina and the Tierra Verde High & Dry marina. The Ballast Point Group manages the marina property.

Residents say they think the attraction for St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker and other city leaders is a boost in tax revenue from development there. St. Petersburg's codes would allow buildings three times higher than the 50-foot limit in place on the island.

"If I'm Mayor Baker, I'm going to jump on this," said Tierra Verde community association administrator Frank Lauro.

The city halted the effort in the midst of a flap over whether people living on boats in the marina are eligible to vote in an election on incorporation. The county Supervisor of Elections Office filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice, which is investigating.

The city made one more run at the island, but again backed off after Pinellas Planning Director Brian Smith objected, saying the annexation did not comply with state statues.

Smith, in a May 2 letter to the city, said the island is not contiguous to St. Petersburg and reaching across the Intracoastal Waterway would create an isolated community.

St. Petersburg has put the annexation on hold as legal questions are addressed, said Assistant City Attorney Mark Winn.

'They Know What They Have To Do'

But island residents are not waiting.

Jack Parker, a retired engineer with family roots in Tierra Verde, was made chairman of the seven-person team leading the incorporation movement. The group is mailing straw ballots to registered voters.

"The residents are very solidified," Parker said. "I think everybody will agree we should continue with this."

The team would incorporate as a town with a paid city manager and five elected officials - four council members and a mayor. It would hire an attorney part time and contract with Pinellas County to continue providing basic services and sheriff's deputies.

The poll is one step toward placing the issue on the ballot as a referendum, possibly in November 2009. Next would be seeking approval from the Legislature - a challenging process, said Frishe, a St. Petersburg Republican.

Similar efforts have failed for lack of support, including one last year by Palm Harbor.

Still, Frishe said, Tierra Verde has the leadership and financial base to create a stable town. "They know what they have to do and, quite frankly, they have some very smart people there."

Frishe said he would be willing to introduce legislation.

Jones said he will support the move as long as residents agree and can show the town would support itself.

"How are you going to have a city without higher taxes? You're going to have to have a place to meet for the city commission," Jones said. "Those are the kind of things I'd like to see worked out before we move forward."

Parker said the island, even with no business or industry, could survive on residential property taxes. He said 14 of the county's municipalities generate less property tax revenue than Tierra Verde does.

The island has $1 billion in taxable property value, according to the Pinellas County Property Appraiser's Office.

A consultant's study in 2005 said Tierra Verde would collect about $2.5 million a year in municipal taxes and spend about $2 million to operate.

For all the talk of high finance, the town's goals so far are simple: Preserve a tropical, small-scale, neighborhood feel, and fend off high-density, sun-blocking development.

"We're a residential community," Parker said, "and we want to stay that way."

Reporter Steven Girardi can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or sgirardi@tampatrib.com.

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