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War of words between Brooksville and county flare over annexation

 
County Commission Chairman Jim Adkins wants an apology.
County Commission Chairman Jim Adkins wants an apology.
Published May 19, 2016

BROOKSVILLE — County Commission Chairman Jim Adkins last week fired the latest shot in the county's ongoing war of words with the city, reminding city leaders that they and their newfound focus on downtown revitalization need county help.

Adkins said at last week's commission meeting that he would consider a discussion of whether the county should contribute $51,000 per year for the next three years to the city's Florida Main Street program only if the City Council "robustly apologizes" for passing a recent resolution blasting the county.

That city resolution followed a county legal filing accusing the city of intending to discriminate against the largely African-American community of south Brooksville.

The sharp rhetoric stems from recent annexations that county leaders say were done improperly. The county filed a legal complaint early this year, then amended it to detail all the reasons the county believes the annexations were improper. One of those arguments: By encircling but not annexing portions of south Brooksville, the city was continuing its historical discrimination against the neighborhood.

The allegation stung some local business and community leaders, and in March the County Commission decided on a gentler handling of the annexation controversy. It invited the city to negotiate an inter-local service boundary amendment that would allow cooperative discussions about where to draw the lines.

That didn't happen.

Instead, the city staff prepared a resolution to answer the county's arguments.

The resolution notes that "City Council remains befuddled, shocked, amazed and very disappointed in the County Commission and its legal staff. …

"Those individuals in the county government who conceived this attack on the city, wrote this attack on the city and approved this unwarranted attack on the city, should no longer remain in any governmental position."

The resolution notes that "the city is hard pressed to enter into negotiations with a party that has exhibited malice rather than good faith" in past discussions about city expansion.

In the resolution, the city does agree to negotiate with the county — but only if the county first meets a series of demands including dismissing the lawsuit and apologizing to the city and its citizens. Also, the resolutions stated, the city would have sole and absolute power over the content of the apology and how and when the apology will be published.

The county must also give the city a detailed accounting of the taxes and assessments collected from city taxpayers and the corresponding expenditures of those dollars, the resolution says; and the county must fire all employees who had anything to do with the allegations of racism on the city's part.

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Those conditions really bothered Adkins, he said after the commission meeting. He supports the city's revitalization and he'd like to help, he said, but he was disappointed about its resolution. "I just wanted to let them know how I felt about it," he said.

During the commission meeting, Commissioner Wayne Dukes took the city's side, noting that he, like the other commissioners, had an individual meeting with the city's economic development head, Duane Chichester, and the past business development leader, Dennis Wilfong.

Dukes noted that they brought the request for the funding to commissioners on behalf of the Brooksville Vision Foundation and not the city itself, which will also be a partner in the program and pay the $51,000 per year for three years. Dukes said that the commission needed to agree to a letter promising support, which the Vision Foundation needs by July.

Commissioners agreed to the letter but made no commitment about the funding.

Dukes said he would support the county's contribution. But after the meeting, Commission Nick Nicholson said, "I have some trepidation going forward with this because of what the city has said to the county and its employees. ... I'm certainly uncomfortable."

Commissioner Diane Rowden was also not ready to commit to writing the $51,000 annual expenditures into the county budget.

"My message to Duane and Dennis was that I had to sit down and talk to our budget director and see how this will fit into the county's plan," she said. Rowden noted that the Florida Blueberry Festival seems to be making money these days, so perhaps the county could redirect the $60,000 it has set aside for the festival to the Main Street Program next year.

She, like the others, was also incensed with the city's resolution.

"I don't see what the purpose was," she said. "This is the tail wagging the dog. We've just been following up on our case and then we see so much animosity that city has for us."

Contact Barbara Behrendt at bbehrendt@tampabay.com or (352) 848-1434.