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A meeting on Tuesday will explore ideas for improving the community while retaining its idyllic nature.
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 4, 2002
FLORAL CITY -- A community known for its historic homes and century-old oaks will gather next week to talk about its future.
The county will hold a public workshop at 5 p.m. Tuesday for Floral City residents to discuss alternatives for widening U.S. 41 through town, and possibly other community improvements.
The gathering, a rescheduled workshop from Jan. 25, will be held at the Floral City Lions Club.
The state Department of Transportation has no plan to widen that stretch of U.S. 41 at this time. Its proposal to widen the highway near Orange Avenue was withdrawn several years ago after some residents said it would destroy some of the community's cherished trees and small-town feel.
Transportation officials will not make any presentations at the workshop Tuesday, although DOT district planning manager Bob Clifford will be there to hear residents' comments.
"It's a visioning process, what Floral City envisions," DOT spokeswoman Marian Pscion said. "We're just going to sit there and listen."
County Commission Chairman Jim Fowler said the workshop will also deal with community goals and ways to achieve them.
Ideas include creating a Municipal Services Benefit Unit, a local taxing district that could pay for sidewalks, streetlights and other projects.
Based on ideas from other workshops and local surveys, the Floral City Heritage Council has developed an "action plan" of suggested projects.
Ultimately, residents envision a Floral City "where our two-lane tree-shaded roadways, natural waterways and rural historic architecture are not compromised while our quality of life is improved," according to a letter the heritage council sent the county.
"We already have a list of goals and plans for that community," Fowler said. "We thought it might be helpful to explain to that community how these goals might be accomplished with the help of state and local government."