Sides prep for incorporation debate

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Supporters and detractors of the incorporation of Lakewood Ranch alike are readying to state their cases publicly.

Members of the Friends of Lakewood Ranch, the group publicly opposing the concept, and members of the Incorporation Study Group, the group advocating for incorporation, have agreed to a public debate on the issue.

No date has yet been set.

“We’re ready to go, anytime,” Incorporation Study Group member Keith Davey said. “We’ve been having public meetings for a year.”

Bob Stepleman, a member of the Friends of Lakewood Ranch’s executive committee, said he anticipates setting the debate sometime in April or May — a date closer to when the Incorporation Study Committee is slated to conduct a straw poll on the issue.

“I’m looking forward to a debate in the future with appropriate rules, and we’re looking forward to continued discussions with the residents of Lakewood Ranch,” he said.

Both groups are working to educate the community about their respective positions and reasons for them, and both argue fiercely they are working in the best interest of the community.

The Friends of Lakewood Ranch group will host an open forum at 7 p.m., Feb. 28, at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. Two members, Friends’ Executive Committee Chairman Gary Berns and Dr. Bob Stepleman, will make presentations about various aspects of incorporation — and why they do not support the concept — before taking questions from the audience.

Group members say a feasibility study conducted by Dr. Hank Fishkind on behalf of the Incorporation Study Committee is so flawed that it cannot be used as a basis for moving forward. They also object to key provisions in the city charter and the process by which it is being developed, and fear incorporation would raise taxes and lessen local control, among other concerns.

“(Under this proposal), the current people in Lakewood Ranch are treated like second-class citizens,” Stepleman said. “We hope to educate people. They have been unintentionally misled.”

Incorporation Study Committee members disagree, and say they can support every claim they have made.
“There’s a lot of misinformation that’s out there,” Davey said. “Everything we’ve provided to the residents has a document to back it up. We can only judge based on professionals in the field. We haven’t seen anything offered by a professional that says this is not a valid study.”

The Incorporation Study Committee, which has been holding community meetings with residents over the past year, hosted its latest forum Feb. 16 at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

Friends of Lakewood Ranch Incorporation Forum
WHEN: 7 p.m., Feb. 28
WHERE: Lakewood Ranch Town Hall, 8175 Lakewood Ranch Blvd.
ON THE WEB: Information presented by the Friends of Lakewood Ranch can be found online at www.lwrdv.com/friends. You also may e-mail [email protected].

Incorporation Study Committee
Information about the proposed city charter, feasibility study and other aspects of incorporation are available at www.lwrincorporation.com. Interested volunteers or those wishing to participate in the process can email [email protected].