Largo won't hold a referendum where it's controversial, the city manager says. Some now feel they're shut out.
By LORRI HELFAND
Published July 14, 2003
LARGO - A couple of annexation mishaps have convinced the city that it should change its approach.
City Manager Steve Stanton said he wants to make sure that people in a community will show up at the polls before he puts the issue to a vote. Otherwise, he would prefer to annex communities adjacent to Largo "inch by inch, foot by foot, property by property.
"Our approach is that there are not going to be these types of referendums unless we have an absolute opinion that they are going to pass," Stanton said.
In order to pass, annexation referendums must receive 51 percent of the vote in the affected community.
Four out of five annexation referendums have failed, Stanton said. In two recent cases, one attempt failed because of miscommunication and another because Largo couldn't get the votes to make it happen.
But just as Largo moves to change its game plan, residents of one unincorporated community who want to be part of the city say they feel as though they're caught in the middle. Residents from about half of the roughly 50 homes in the Oak Park subdivision have signed petitions for annexation.
In the neighborhood of mostly ranch houses with two-car garages and manicured lawns, some people wanted to annex for city services, such as trash pickup. Others like the idea of code enforcement to keep their neighborhood tidy. And others just want to be part of something.
Several people in the neighborhood can't understand why their community can't be part of Largo if more than half the people want to be.
"We're kind of like orphans," Pat Kosiba said. "I think it's pretty stupid that we're one cul-de-sac, that we're not in Largo and we're not in Clearwater."
She said she wanted to join Largo because she wanted city police protection and felt the city services would help her and her neighbors take care of their homes and keep the property values up. But now she's confused.
"I really don't know where we stand and I'm tired of fighting," Kosiba said.
Karl Kuenn and his partner James Latiolais Jr. said they wanted to be part of Largo to pay a lower property tax rate and for city services, such as garbage collection.
They signed a petition to join Largo, but the more time that passes, the more they see advantages of being in unincorporated Pinellas, Kuenn said.
Kuenn said he doesn't mind that some of his neighbors park their boats or repair trucks on their lawns, something that's not allowed in Largo.
"There are some benefits to being unincorporated. You're not bound by Largo rules," Kuenn said.
But only a referendum could pull in neighbors who don't want to be part of Largo. Stanton said he would prefer that people who want to be part of the city persuade their neighbors to join Largo rather than the city fight a losing battle in a referendum.
The city has accepted some annexation petitions from Oak Park residents, said Mike Staffopoulos, community development director. A few more could be annexed in a piecemeal fashion, but others who want to be part of Largo can't be annexed without a referendum because their properties are not adjacent to city land, he said.
Stanton said he doesn't want Oak Park to become another Wren's Way, one of several failed referendum attempts.
The annexation of the Wren's Way subdivision, which is north of 126th Avenue and east of Starkey Road, failed at the polls in January even after most of the residents signed annexation agreements with the city.
County officials distributed letters the day before the election casting doubt on some of the city's claims, Stanton said. Some who had signed agreements didn't get to the polls and others voted against what they had already agreed to.
Stanton said Largo is challenged at the polls by the misconceptions people have about the city.
People mistakenly think they'll lose service from the Fire Department or that they their property values will plummet because their ZIP code will change, even though ZIP code designation has nothing to do with annexation, Stanton said.
The annexation of Cove Cay gated community on U.S. 19 didn't go to a vote because the City Commission pulled the issue off the ballot. A planner wasn't able to get an annexation agreement from the Cove Cay Country Club. The club's owners had misconceptions about Largo, which contributed to the failed annexation attempt, Stanton said.
Despite the failed referendum, Wren's Way will probably be part of Largo soon, Stanton said. It's now adjacent to the city, and Largo is scheduling an annexation. Years ago, the developer signed an agreement that said Largo would provide sewer service if the subdivision annexed once their borders met.
