Northpinellas: 2 of 3 annexation votes pass

While voters in two neighborhoods -- Townhomes of Lake Seminole and Sandy Woods -- approved joining the city, one area -- Carriage Bay -- rejected annexation.

The annexations take effect Feb. 2.

"I think the administration did a good job," council member Paul Trexler said moments after the results were announced at the City Council's regular meeting.

Council member Pete Bengston shook his head in disbelief when the tallies were read. "I would have bet that the one we lost, we would have won," said Bengston, who worked as a part-time annexation coordinator for the city before he was appointed to the council.

Despite the mixed result, the annexation is the second largest in Seminole's history. The vote boosts the city's population by about 1,480 residents and adds 78 acres to its land.

In the Sandy Woods area, three subdivisions north of 102nd Avenue and west of the Pinellas Trail, 55 percent of voters said they wanted to be annexed. The neighborhood of 198 single-family homes is just west of Thurston Groves, a former citrus grove annexed last June that is being cleared for 86 homes.

In the Townhomes of Lake Seminole, a 212-unit condominium complex off Seminole Boulevard, 62 percent of those who went to the polls voted for annexation. The area also includes some commercial property on Seminole Boulevard.

In the Carriage Bay area, west of Long Bayou and east of Bay Lake Drive N, 54 percent of voters rejected annexation. The area includes a subdivision of 75 upscale, single-family homes and the KOA campground. State law prohibits another annexation vote there for at least two years.

Mayor Dottie Reeder said she was surprised with the Carriage Bay results because residents there had been asking about annexation for the past three years.

"I know there are going to be some disappointed people there," Reeder said. "They were one of the most vocal (groups) asking to come into the city."

City Manager Frank Edmunds said the city will explore its petition process for annexation. In the case of Carriage Bay, he said, petitions showed a much stronger support for annexation than did the referendum results.

"On the other side, we're pleased with the other two areas' referendums and welcome those residents into the community," Edmunds said.

One of those residents is Chris Jackson, 44, who helped coordinate annexation efforts in the Sandy Woods subdivision.

"I'm very pleased," said Jackson, who has lived in her home for 23 years. "I just feel like it's the best thing as far as being part of a community. I feel like we'll get so much more out of being part of Seminole."

Jackson said higher property values and the city's $6.1-million recreation center were two selling points for her.

Steven Gotfried agreed.

Gotfried, 33, lives in Seminole Grove Estates, part of the Sandy Woods area. "Being a part of Seminole or unincorporated county," he said. "What's going to be more valuable if I need to sell my house?"

But Gary Wolff, a resident of the Carriage Bay neighborhood, voted against annexation. He said he didn't buy the city's claims that it would be less expensive to live in Seminole than in the county.

"All the extra franchise fees you have to pay," said Wolff, who is the former chief of Lealman Fire Rescue. "When you start adding everything up, it really isn't cheaper."

Mitch Bobowski, the city's general services director, said no further referendums have been scheduled. He said about 25 individual voluntary annexations, which didn't require votes, took place in 2000.

The city's largest annexation occurred in June, when a referendum brought 2,410 acres and 3,113 registered voters into the city. That annexation doubled the city's land mass and increased the taxable value of city property by about 60 percent.

-- Staff writer Maureen Byrne can be reached at 445-4163 or at href=mailto:byrne@sptimes.com>byrne@sptimes.com.

* * *

Dec. 14, 1989: Seminole suffers a major defeat, annexing only one area of four that had been proposed for annexation in a referendum. The vote brought only 600 of 4,000 people into the city. Then-Mayor Holland Mangum said he would not annex any new areas unless he was sure residents of the area involved are behind it.

Jume 13, 2000: After more than 10 years without a referendum for annexation, residents in three areas -- Seminole Lake Country Club Estates, Woodbridge, and Gardens -- overwhelmingly vote to come into the city. The annexation brought almost 3,000 registered voters and about 4,000 residents into the city. About 1,100 acres were added to the city, nearly doubling Seminole's land.

Jan. 23, 2001: Residents in two neighborhoods -- Sandy Woods and Townhomes of Lake Seminole, agreed to the annexation. Residents of Carriage Bay rejected the plan. The net gain for the city: 78 acres, 762 registered voters and about 1,480 residents.