Governor signs bill that protects town charter

Florida Gov. Rick Scott fixed a major glitch in the town of Longboat Key’s Charter with one stroke of his pen June 20, in Tallahassee.

Town Attorney Maggie Mooney-Portale informed the Longboat Key Town Commission in a June 20 email that Senate Bill 374 was signed into law, preserving a referendum protection in the Charter that the Legislature unintentionally altered more than a year ago.

The Charter was in limbo with regard to future density increases because the Legislature approved at a session last year a two-page bill that eliminated the referendum process statewide and also nixed any referendum performed on or after June 1, 2011.

For Longboat Key, that meant a referendum that was approved by the island’s registered voters Nov. 6, 2012 wasn’t valid. The referendum allowed two properties to convert from commercial to residential use, allowing for a maximum of six dwelling units per acre.

So, the referendum approval process the town used for more than 25 years, along with the November 2012 referendum approval for those two properties, was null and void.

Town staff, lobbyist Dave Ramba, Sen. Nancy Detert and Rep. Jim Boyd spent more than eight months working to get the modified bill through the House and Senate floors, ensuring it made its way to Scott’s desk free of any modifications.

“The Town Commission should be commended for its commitment to protecting the town’s Charter and the referendum requirement that has been one of the backbones of this community since the 1980s,” wrote Mooney-Portales to the commission in a June 20 email.

Vice Mayor Jack Duncan called the effort by everyone involved “a job well done” and made a point to thank two town leaders in a June 20 email.

“As a citizen of Longboat Key, I feel we all owe Town Manger Dave Bullock and Mayor Jim Brown a debt of gratitude, as they were both so instrumental in garnering support and sponsorship for this critical legislation,” Duncan said.

Density Limitations
Longboat Key is the only municipality in the state that has a charter that is density-minded restrictive only to referendums.

The Town Charter states: “Present density limitations provided in the existing Comprehensive Plan, as adopted on March 12, 1984, shall not be increased without the referendum approval of the electors of Longboat Key.”

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected]