Playing footsie with Tuscany Ranch

Tell me if this is weird.

Before going there, a little setup.

Now, you know me as a government geek. I pay more attention to government stuff than a normal person should. Some people are bricklayers, some are musicians. I write about the government. Not the sexiest job in the world, but someone has to do it.

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Because government watching is pretty much all I do, I’ve learned to look for patterns. Everything has a rhythm to it, and something out of balance captures my attention.

That’s why I rail so much about Betz Farm. Putting aside the debate whether a thousand-home development on a busy two-lane road in an area prone to flooding makes sense, it’s the process that has me twisted up.

The County Commission OKs the developer’s project and gets a check for $6 million. Sounds like a partnership between developer and county that leaves citizens on the sidelines.

That sort of thing bothers me. It assumes to leapfrog the public process of approving a significant land-use request. Yes, the process still exists, but it seems rather silly with the County Commission waiting with a rubber stamp in one hand.

At least Betz Farm is out in the open. Follow me here.

The Florida House and Senate released their budgets in recent days. Citrus County did OK, not great. Our major requests were ignored (here's my Florida Politics story). Considering how badly we’ve done with governor vetoes the last few years, probably not best to get our hopes up anyway.

Well, the Senate budget includes $1.5 million to design the widening of County Road 491 between Pine Ridge Boulevard and U.S. 41. Great! Except…we didn’t ask for it. Well, we did. But we didn’t. Well, yeah, we did.

Welcome to my world.

From what I picked up Monday through conversations and this funding request form, the Tuscany Ranch lagoon developer approached the county about asking for state money for 491. (Don't look for Tuscany on the form. It's not there.)

Tuscany Ranch hasn’t had a complete public hearing yet. But the county wants Tuscany to donate right of way for the eventual widening, which is in the wee early planning stages, should the development be approved. The county is conducting a corridor study that should be available by the end of the year.

Tuscany Ranch is represented by The Southern Group, where former Commissioner Ruthie Schlabach now works as a lobbyist. 

Southern Group reps, including Ruthie, reached out to County Commission Chair Rebecca Bays about this idea of Tuscany requesting $3 million from the state in the county’s name.

The county, which considers the C.R. 491 corridor of utmost importance, will gladly take any help it can get. I totally understand. This project will cost tens of millions of dollars. If a developer wants to pony up, go for it.

Except…the developer isn’t doing anything here but asking the state for money on the county’s behalf.

The public would never be aware of this arrangement had not someone tipped me off to ask about it. The Senate form for the local funding request makes no mention of anyone but Citrus County asking for this money. Also, no mention of Tuscany or 5,000 new homes and a lagoon.

“The primary population served are the residents of Citrus County; approximately 170,000 and growing. However, as CR 491 is an arterial roadway and an evacuation route; the roadway is regionally connected to counties beyond our political subdivision limits,” the request reads.

It didn’t even come from our Sen. Blaise Ingoglia. Instead, Sen. Danny Burgess, a Zephyrhills Republican whose district covers parts of Pasco and Hillsborough counties, requested the funds. The request form is dated March 10, about a month after the County Commission publicly set its legislative priorities. 

None of this passes the smell test.

If some Citrus County commissioners have already concluded the Tuscany Ranch development plan is a done deal and are looking ahead to speed up road work to accompany it, that’s a flag. It suggests the public doesn’t have a say in policy.

The county asked the state for $3 million for the C.R. 491 project. That’s according to the public record. It did so on behalf of a developer who has a pending application for a significant-sized development. All that happened outside of public view, and after commissioners publicly set a legislative priority list that did not include the 491 project.

(One commissioner I spoke with had no idea what I was talking about. Take that for what it's worth.)

As usual, it comes down to public conversation. We need one. What exactly is being said between Tuscany Ranch reps and Citrus County regarding C.R. 491? If the Tuscany Ranch developers want to seek state funding on our behalf (though, honestly, that doesn’t make a bit of sense), shouldn't we wait until after the project is approved?

So, tell me: Is this weird?

Ponder that while enjoying this beautiful Tuesday, friends.

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