The Community Protection Act
An optional solution is the “Community
Protection Act”. It accomplishes the following:
- Gives the residents of a community the
right to protect their community against annexation.
-
Would put a stop to the
wasteful and time consuming friction over annexation.
-
County, City and
residents in unincorporated communities would be able to plan a
predictable future.
-
Gives people the option,
as circumstances change, to renew or dissolve their protection
-
It is a fair and
equitable solution because it creates the protection of a community by
referendum.
The “Community
Protection Act“ would be a viable option to settle the matter of
annexation by a city or cities by allowing the people, within any
established community in unincorporated Pinellas County, to have a
voice as to their right to exist as an intact community without the fear
of annexation using a binding referendum vote to establish the will of the
people.
Using
Lealman as an example, the current Lealman Fire District boundary line
would become the boundary of the Greater Lealman Area.
The Greater Lealman area would be divided into East and West
Lealman the boundary line of which would be negotiated and be part of the
terms of the inter-local agreement. Also by inter-local agreement, East
Lealman would become part of St. Petersburg’s annexable area and West
Lealman would become part of Pinellas Park’s annexable area. The
residents of Greater Lealman Area would then, by referendum, create the
Community Protection Act.
The Community
Protection Act would contain a 20 year increment renewable sunset
provision. This provision would guarantee protection from annexation for
as long as the voters of East or West Lealman, through a referendum every
20 years, opt to continue that area’s protection under the Act. If the
majority of those voting within either the East or West Lealman areas of
Greater Lealman vote to continue the Protection Act, that area would
automatically extend for an additional 20 years.
Upon sunset, should the
voters within East and/or West Lealman, vote “no” to continue the
terms of the Community Protection Act, the Act would be dissolved for that
area and the area would be open to annexation by the agreed upon city as set forth in inter-local
agreement. Once either East or West Lealman comes out from under the
protection of the Protection Act the area wishing to reject protection
would be subject to annexation without recourse for further protection.
Every 20 years the people of East and West Lealman Lealman’s would exercise
the power of their vote as to whether the “Community Protection Act”
should continue or be dissolved.
