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Community activists had hoped Sen. Jim Sebesta would be able to help in their fight to stop annexations.
By ANNE LINDBERG
© St. Petersburg Times, published November 7, 2001
LEALMAN -- State Sen. Jim Sebesta came to a September community meeting where most of the estimated 90 people cheered and agreed that Lealman needed to take the next step toward becoming a city.
Impressed by the enthusiasm, Sebesta called it a "wonderful exercise in democracy" and said he'd never seen so many people come to that type meeting. He even contributed $20 to a "city kitty" to help Lealman activists raise the estimated $25,000 for a study to see if creating a municipality makes fiscal sense.
Sebesta, R-St. Petersburg, sympathized with the need to raise that much money "just to ask the question." He told neighbors he understood how difficult it would be to determine if Lealman could support itself while adjacent cities continued to annex properties. The continued annexations constantly change the tax base, making it difficult, if not impossible, to estimate how much money the city of Lealman would have.
Lealman activists believed they had the senator's unqualified support.
Soon after, they asked the state legislative delegation to pass a bill prohibiting annexations within the Lealman Fire District for two years. That would give them enough time to do the study and see if residents wanted to form a city. With Sebesta's support, they thought the bill would be a slam dunk.
But they were stunned late last week to discover that Sebesta may not support such a proposal. The legislator has doubts, ranging from the amount of community support for cityhood to the length of time it would take to pass a local bill. Since such a bill would not become law until probably July, he said, annexations would continue at least until then.
Some in Lealman believe Sebesta is reneging on a promise.
"Sebesta floored me," said Ray Neri, president of the Lealman Community Association, the group that has spearheaded the drive to cityhood for the unincorporated area.
Neri said he saw the senator's position as a reversal of his previous stance.
Sebesta, however, denied that he has changed his position.
"I never said that I would sponsor the bill," Sebesta said. "I don't think it's the right approach."
The senator said he agreed only to contact the state Department of Community Affairs to see if funds could be given to Lealman for the feasibility study. Sebesta said he had done that.
"The answer is no," he said.
He suggested that Lealman activists need to figure out how long it will take to raise the $25,000 for the study. Once they do that, they should go to Pinellas Park, Seminole, St. Petersburg and Kenneth City and ask that they not annex into Lealman for that time period. If the money has not been raised in that time, then the cities could renew annexing into the Lealman area.
Neri said the Lealman Community Association has written to Pinellas Park Mayor Bill Mischler to ask that they not annex into the area for two years. That would give activists time to raise money for the study, have it done and, if cityhood proved to be a good idea, to let Lealman residents vote on the issue and make the final decision.
Mischler never acknowledged receiving the letter, Neri said. And just last month, the Pinellas Park City Council told its staff to accept annexations from Lealman.
"Our rights are not protected," Neri said. "We are subject to the will of cities who don't have anything to do with us. (But) by their very actions, they impact us."
Sebesta said he did not believe that Neri's experience with Pinellas Park was an indication that his idea was bad or would fail.
"They haven't done it the right way," he said. Neri's proposal for a two-year moratorium was "too long, too indefinite."
Sebesta said he'll be watching Neri's group for the next two weeks to see what members do. Their actions will determine how Sebesta proceeds on Nov. 15 when the moratorium proposal is scheduled to come before the Pinellas Legislative Delegation. That's when Sebesta will have to decide where he stands.
The Lealman Community Association will discuss the best strategies to prevent annexations into the area at a 7 p.m. meeting tonight at the Disabled American Veterans, 4801 37th St. N. For information, call association president Ray Neri at 527-5352, or go to the group's Web site at web.tampabay.rr.com/wni2001/. The meeting is open to the public.