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New north county group is formed to increase clout

Residents of unincorporated areas seek a stronger presence with the County Commission.

By CRISTINA SILVA
Published July 15, 2007

In a move expected to give some north county residents greater political leverage, homeowners in several unincorporated communities have banded together to form a unified voice.

Residents from more than 20 communities, including East Lake Woodlands, Lansbrook, Tarpon Woods, Cypress Run, Woodfield, Crescent Oaks and Anclote recently joined to create the Council of North County Neighborhoods.

The group, which is modeled after St. Petersburg's Council of Neighborhood Associations, has plans to become a regular presence at County Commission meetings.

Among its goals: foster a sense of community, provide a forum for member organizations, and act as a neighborhood advocate.

Pooling their support

The newly formed council illustrates a growing dissension among residents in unincorporated Pinellas, who have struggled to be taken seriously by their government representatives in recent battles involving flooding in Tarpon Woods and construction in Brooker Creek Preserve.

"The goal was to make a larger voice for people in the north community so that we were not just fighting the small battles like before, but if we had a large group of taxpayers, a large group of voters, we would have a greater voice," said Jim McDonald, a founder of the council and vice president of a Crescent Oaks homeowners association.

"Instead of 20 people that are upset about something happening, now there is 20,000 or 2,000 or whatever our support might be."

Roughly 280,000 people reside in unincorporated Pinellas County outside the area's 24 municipalities. The County Commission essentially serves as their local government.

For years, residents of unincorporated communities in Pinellas have cherished their independence, all the while demanding greater representation from the County Commission.

Most recently, residents in these areas protested when the county was considering adding athletic fields at Brooker Creek.

After that incident, McDonald and other residents realized they could wield greater political power as a group instead of as individual gadflies petitioning the county.

The group hopes to maintain a diplomatic relationship with the county, McDonald said.

'We are not hostile'

"What the county government needs to see is that the voters are actually paying attention," McDonald said. "We are not hostile. We just want to make them aware that there is a large voice of people that are listening and watching."

Homeowners associations and residents throughout the county will be invited to join, though the group will focus on the unincorporated areas just north of Safety Harbor to the Pasco-Pinellas county line.

The council does not represent every homeowners association in the area. The Lansbrook Master Association, for one, opted not to join. President Ed Vanscoy declined to comment Friday afternoon.

Local activists said they were looking forward to working with the organization to promote shared goals.

"We want to have good communication with them," said Walter Hoskins, chairman of the Friends of Brooker Creek Preserve. "We are happy that they are doing it. It gives those people in the unincorporated areas a voice they didn't have."

Cristina Silva can be reached at 727 893-8846 or csilva@sptimes.com.

[Last modified July 14, 2007, 21:41:32]