Vote may reshape district board

Three of five Tampa Palms Community Development District supervisor positions might be opening up.

By MELANIE AVE

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 7, 2000

TAMPA PALMS -- The make-up of the Tampa Palms Community Development District could change dramatically with three of the five supervisor positions might be up for grabs in the fall election.

Candidates must file with the Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections office between noon July 17 through noon July 21 and pay a $96 fee to appear on the Nov. 7 ballot. Three seats now held by Mark Fitzpatrick, Julie Wolfe and Ed Copeland will be open.

Terms are four years.

Fitzpatrick, who is chairman, said he has not decided whether to seek re-election. Wolfe said she is not running because she wants to devote more time to her children. Copeland, who was appointed last year to fill a vacancy, said he will be a candidate.

To qualify, candidates must be registered voters and live in the Tampa Palms housing development.

The CDD is a taxing authority that meets monthly and oversees an annual operating budget of $1.4-million. Its supervisors receive $2,400 annually and decide how to care for the common areas in Tampa Palms such as streets, lights and flower beds.

The CDD has been under fire since a former supervisor sued the board last year, alleging the board violated open government laws. The taxing authority lost the first round of the lawsuit when a judge said the board had indeed violated the Florida Sunshine Law when it held four private meetings between 1996 and 1999.

The CDD is trying to negotiate a settlement with plaintiff Bob Doran and his attorneys. If a settlement is not reached, a hearing will be held July 31.

Fitzpatrick said the lawsuit, while consuming a lot of time, has not discouraged him from running again. But he said it has made him decide not to seek a higher office.

He said he is trying to decide how to balance his re-election bid with his responsibilities to his family of four, and his job as a senior loan consultant with Washington Mutual Bank.

"The time it takes now to do my job, I have that time," said Fitzpatrick, 36. "The time it takes to campaign for re-election may be more than I'm willing to give. I don't want to throw my name into ring and campaign halfheartedly."

Fitzpatrick said his decision to run also may depend on other candidates.

"If I thought there were good qualified people with a community-first mind set, I would probably step down," he said. "But I'm not hearing of a lot of folks interested in serving."

Copeland, a 51-year-old engineer with HDR Engineering, said he, like others who serve on the taxing authority, believes he has a lot to offer the CDD.

"I just want to continue what we started," he said. "I just think we're all trying to make it function better."

Melanie Ave can be reached at (813) 226-3473 or melanie@sptimes.com.

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