SOUTH TALLAHASSEE, FL — City of Tallahassee commissioners will not impose sanctions on developers responsible for completing an extension of Orange Avenue — at least not yet.
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During a public hearing Monday, commissioners voted to schedule another public hearing for Aug. 28th at 6:00 p.m. to issue notice to all property owners who could be holding up construction.
The hearing time was set to accommodate residents who want to speak on the issue.
Pressure to hold the primary developer — the St. Joe Company — accountable has been mounting for months, especially among residents in the Southwood neighborhood.
"I am growing very impatient with this process and with what has occurred. We should not be here. We should not have been in this at all," Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox said. "I agree that somebody needs to pay for this, and somebody they do need to be hit in the pocket. I am tired of kicking the can down the road and coming back and coming back."
Southwood resident Bob Wickham said the road's condition has been a long-standing problem.
"The road has been in disrepair for several years, with potholes. Someone comes out and patches it from time to time. But it's really never been really completed," Wickham said.
St. Joe's attorneys said the company has been unable to do any work because it has not been able to obtain a right-of-way from property owner NextGen Family Group LLC.
St. Joe has since filed a lawsuit.
During the hearing, both parties requested more time for a resolution.
"I think I am a common citizen. I want to find a solution to this. At the same time, we are being pressured by everything," a representative from NextGen said. "You know, kind of like NextGen is a rookie. We didn't even know until the last day of the filing."
The NextGen representative also said the company does not have an attorney.
The city staff's original proposed resolution would have only targeted NextGen Family Group LLC, as it is the owner of the specific parcel listed in that document.
The new motion keeps the door open to hold all parties responsible.
Wickham said the updated approach is a step in the right direction.
"It's really St. Joe's problem, and they appear to be headed towards including St. Joe in whatever the resolution is that they come to, which I think is a good thing. I'm sorry they delayed it, but I think they're headed in a good direction," Wickham said.
Commissioners Jack Porter and Jeremy Matlow dissented.
Matlow saying he wanted to address concerns about the stalled Biltmore Avenue project separately and move forward with the Orange Avenue project during Monday's hearing since violations had already been issued to both parties.
"I'm looking at the parcels owned by NextGen and the parcels owned by St. Joe that are adjacent and touch Orange Avenue," Matlow said. "I'm not interested in bringing notice of violations against hundreds of property owners. The people we're trying to bring into compliance and the people who are eager to develop and add more traffic to Orange Avenue are the parties we notified."
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