A Pine Ridge divided does not stand

The green shirts doomed the black shirts.

See, there are several ways for citizens to defeat a developer’s plan. Organization, proper information, widespread involvement, and showing up when needed.

The biggest is uniformity. If neighbors are not unified against development, county commissioners have one fewer reason to reject it.

---

And that’s exactly what happened Tuesday night.

When James Dicks first brought his plan for an 85-home gated community on the Pine Ridge Golf Course in January 2024, commissioners unanimously rejected it. They had been inundated with pleas from Pine Ridge residents who considered a change in the community’s master plan a sin to their way of life.

Eighteen months later, another County Commission public hearing, another overflow room. Only two significant changes in the development: 80 homes instead of 85, and no gated community.

A bigger change: The community is no longer united. Dicks picked up a bunch of supporters for Pine Ridge Reserve. A parade of green-shirt residents espoused virtues of the development so much, I closed my eyes and thought I’m hearing from a DIX Development marketing brochure.

The black shirts saw things differently. They claim Dicks is using sleight of hand to convince people that developing the golf course is the best thing ever to hit Pine Ridge.

While the green shirts appeared to be reading directly from the DIX pr team, the black shirts had a train of 3-minute speeches, each connected to the next one. Unfortunately, it was pretty much a constant stream of criticism against Dicks. That approach rarely works. Here’s why:

• Totally unrelated to a land-use decision.
• Commissioners cannot stand it when residents make land use personal. It’s a policy decision. Either the project is compatible or it’s not. We didn’t hear much about that. It’s a steady stream of Dicks the Demon.

The evening ended at around 11:20 p.m. with a 3-2 vote in favor of Pine Ridge Reserve. Commissioners Janet Barek and Diana Finegan voted no.

Here’s what else happened Tuesday (no links due to the late hour posting):

— Barek apologized for remarks she made during a recent agenda briefing:

“If I have offended anyone, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. Please accept my apologies. Thank you.”

— Commissioner Holly Davis’ idea to have an independent review of the interaction between commissioners and top staffers went nowhere.

Commissioner Jeff Kinnard offered a more direct approach.

“If you want to treat the staff well, leave them alone,” he said.

— In a related item, the board appears headed toward a rule that would disallow contact between commissioners and any staffer who isn’t the administrator or attorney. The idea being that commissioners directly hire only these two people, they shouldn’t be meddling with others.

Commissioners Davis and Diana Finegan were opposed. Both said commissioners should be able to ask questions of staffers without going through the administrator.

— Pirates Cove is still alive. Commissioners agreed to reject the owner’s latest offer, which is higher than her first offer, and stick with their $1.2 million offer. Kinnard said a corporate sponsor is ready to offer up financial support once the owner accepts an offer. As it stands now, the county is obligating $900,000, with $300,000 coming from the private sector.

— Unanimous consensus to negotiate a lease with the Southwest Florida Water Management District to run the Chassahowitzka River Campground. 

Rep. JJ Grow, who brokered discussions after Swiftmud announced plans to close the campground on Oct. 1 and potentially sell it, said the arrangement has great potential.

“This site is more than just a campground. It’s a vital part of our community’s heritage,” he said. “It’s wild, it’s beautiful, and it’s accessible.”

— Commissioners started their day with a 9 a.m. workshop. The day ended 20 minutes before midnight. Commissioners deserve a lot of credit for the time and devotion needed to do this job right. It is not easy.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, friends.

Join the discussion on our Facebook page.

Support the blog by subscribing to JWC Inner Circle for 99 cents/month.

Individual donations are appreciated through Venmo, PayPal, or Patreon.
​