Betz Farm is our line in the sand

Hi, everybody! We’re just going to jump right into Betz Farm today.

The particulars: The County Commission plans to sell 350 acres of prime public conservation land to a well-connected developer who proposes 900 homes. In exchange, the public will receive $6 million, which will immediately be sucked into some government program.

Got it? OK, let’s jam:

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— First off, this isn’t about the developer. James Dicks of DIX Developments is fairly straight up in his intentions. Let’s not blame a businessman for trying to take advantage of what’s handed to him.

— It’s also not about the new animal shelter. While the County Commission voted in May 2021 to use Betz Farm proceeds for the new shelter, the reality is much different.  County Administrator Steve Howard says there are no ties between the Betz Farm sale and the new animal shelter. 

(*Mike note: The blog originally said there was no vote. It was corrected after a JWC reader pointed out the error with a copy of the board minutes. I apologize that I missed that one.)

— And it’s not whether Dicks has a nice plan or not. I don’t care if he’s planning miniature Ferris wheels in every yard (though that would be cool). His plan is immaterial.

— No, this issue is much deeper. It’s about a County Commission that is precariously close to falling into a hole I’ve seen from so many prior boards. That place where the politicians think they’re smarter than the citizens.

Ask 20 people in the Publix parking lot, “Hey, do you think we should sell 350 acres of vacant public property to a developer who wants to build a thousand new homes?” and see the reaction. I mean…my goodness gracious. How much louder must citizens be that they want the brakes on growth? 

— The County Commission will NEVER have an opportunity like this again. There’s no “property rights” to debate when it’s public property, and the public is fed up with growth.

— This is a line in the sand moment. The board’s decision on Betz Farm, in either direction, will reverberate for years. 

— Fortunately, there is a way out of this mess. The board still has one final vote.

— The land contract is fairly clear: 350 acres to Bravo Land Group for $6 million. It was originally signed in November 2023, and deadlines were extended a few times. The last board action is April 2024, when the Commission approved an “addendum” that is unlike anything I've seen.

— It hinges the sale on County Commission approval FIRST of the DIX development plan. How the heck this isn’t a conflict of interest is beyond me. I thought the County Commission was like a judge in land-use cases. How objective can it be with someone waving $6 million for a “yes” vote? I mean, jeez-oh-pete.

— Oh yeah, about the property. I’ve written this a lot (by the way, I checked…74 JWC blogs on Betz Farm). Citrus County received it in 2003 from the Tamposi family for impact fee credits. 

— And there it sat. In 2017, the county decided to unload surplus property, and Betz Farm was included. Selling it to a developer made a lot of sense, and the county put it on the market.

— It languished until February 2022, when a certain toll road opened to S.R. 44, and life as we know it took a significant turn.

— Since then, the anti-growth noise has only grown. It’s louder than I’ve ever heard it. What made sense for Betz Farm in 2017 is no longer relevant.

— The noise is so loud that the County Commission is considering a sales tax referendum to buy conservation land. 

— And the board recently purchased Pirates Cove in Ozello. How we buy Pirates Cove to save it from development and then sell Betts Farm so it can be developed…I’m shaking my head just writing that sentence.

— At first blush, the addendum seems to suggest the County Commission and DIX are partners in this thing. The County Commission willingly entered into a contract that puts it on the hook to approve a development plan in order to sell the property.

— Except. It doesn’t specifically require a "yes" vote that to fulfill the contract. It says the county will “fully cooperate in the modification approval process.”

— “Process.”

— As in, cooperate with the PROCESS of bringing a land-use application to the County Commission for a vote. That’s why Commissioner Janet Barek’s idea to stop the process and back out of the deal would break the contract.

— So, the answer is not to mess with the contract. Let this thing run its course. The “process” does not require a positive final vote.

— Now. It’s a widely held, totally misunderstood, and misconstrued belief, even among elected people who should know better, that the County Commission needs a formal excuse to turn down a developer. That’s actually not at all true.

— They can say “no.” That’s it. The County Commission can decide during the public hearing that it's not in the public’s best interest to develop Betz Farm and vote accordingly. The process is thus fulfilled. The board will have honored the contract. That’s how this non-lawyer sees it. Dicks then can decide whether he wants to buy it anyway without the board's prior approval.

— As for where we are in the process, I can’t say for sure. The Chronicle’s stayed on top of those details. 

I realize we’ve gone long today. I appreciate you hanging around. Betz Farm isn’t on everyone’s front burner, so this was a little like therapy for me.

But I’m telling ya, I’ve seen so many mistakes over 39 years. Mistakes that still haunt us today. These mistakes occurred because County Commissions lacked vision and courage. 

Selling Betz Farm is a mistake. I truly believe it.

Have a great Tuesday, friends.

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