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Hillsborough Hearing On Canal Dredging Postponed

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 4, 2008

RUSKIN - Waterfront homeowners eager to unclog the hemmed-in canals that block their path to Tampa Bay will have to wait a bit longer.

The public hearing on an ordinance that would help property owners set up and finance a coastal canal dredging program won't go before the Hillsborough County Commission until at least mid-January.

The public hearing had originally been scheduled for Dec. 17.

"With the holidays, we didn't want some to say they couldn't make it because it was a bad time," said Martin Montalvo, project manager for Hillsborough County.

Thousands of property owners living on canals that lead to Tampa Bay can't reach their favorite fishing and boating grounds because their canals are silted in.

Stopping short of agreeing to pay for the dredging, county engineers came up with a plan that requires property owners to take the lead, collecting signatures from affected land owners who will agree to finance the dredging. A Municipal Service Taxing Unit would be set up to assess the cost of the dredging.

At least 60 percent of affected landowners would have to agree to pay the assessment for it to move forward. And if the signature initiative fails twice, the effort can't be tried again for at least 18 months, Montalvo said.

It would cost an estimated $15.2 million to dredge 70 coastal canals, according to engineering estimates.

In Apollo Beach South, the owner of waterfront property with at least 50 linear feet would pay $164 annually for 10 years.

Because there are fewer property owners to pay and more silt to be removed, people living off the Alafia River, however, would get hit much harder. The owner of the same size property would pay $1,513.50 every year for 10 years.

Bob Minthorn, who lives off the Alafia, said he believes it unlikely his neighbors will go for that.

"The economy is down the toilet," Minthorn said. "Who could afford it?"

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 865-1566.

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