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City may join annexation fight

Several cities are pursuing lawsuits over county efforts to curb annexations. The St. Petersburg City Council has joined the chorus.

By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published August 5, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG - The St. Petersburg City Council has approved a potential lawsuit against Pinellas County over proposed changes in annexation rules, lending its weight Thursday to a growing feud between the county and most of its municipalities.

At least 20 of the county's 24 cities are preparing for what appears to be an inevitable political and legal showdown with the county over their right to annex slices of unincorporated areas.

The county wants to put amendments to its charter on the November ballot that would make such annexations more difficult.

Meeting Wednesday, a group of county mayors agreed to fight the annexation rule changes and other proposed charter amendments. The mayors agreed to form a political action committee and said their cities could contribute at least $100,000 to the political fight.

Several cities, like St. Petersburg, are considering whether to sue to keep the referendums off the November ballot.

Cities say the questions weren't properly added to the ballot, nor are they clear for potential voters.

The changes to the charter usurp cities' powers, St. Petersburg City Council members said in approving a potential lawsuit Thursday. The council also agreed to fund voter education initiatives should the questions be a part of the November election, though it did not specify how much the city would spend.

The amendments would require that for some types of annexations, cities would have to get approval from 67 percent of property owners in the area rather than the current 51 percent.

"We have to protect our residents," said St. Petersburg council chairman Bill Foster. "When things stink, they stink. We have to call them out on it."

Several cities, including Indian Rocks Beach, South Pasadena, Belleair, Belleair Beach and Tarpon Springs, have already passed legislation authorizing a lawsuit, said chief assistant city attorney Mark Winn. Other cities are still considering filing suit.

If approved, some referendums also would need the approval of the Florida Legislature. No suit has yet been filed.

"St. Petersburg is not trying to bully this issue," said council member John Bryan, who sat on the county Charter Review Commission board and objected to more of the proposed changes. "This is all the cities jumping on this bandwagon. We're not the ones pounding the drum."

[Last modified August 5, 2006, 07:30:11]