In the summer of 2002, Robert Hutchinson and David Newport faced re-election bids for the County Commission. The entire commission had worked on the final 2002 comp plan that established an Urban Services Line to help control sprawl and added protection for wetlands

Developers and land speculators supported other candidates to run against the incumbents and the comp plan. Unprecedented amounts of money were given to the candidates running against Hutchinson (over $84,000)and Newport (over $104,000!). After the primaries, there were no environmentally sensitive candidates for voters to chose. The two who were running as Democrats both had said they would make changes in the comp plan.

Meanwhile, a group had challenged the comp plan. Ordinarily, they would have gone to court and have had to prove the plan violated state laws. But DCA had already found that the plan was totally within the law.

Commissioners Rodney Long, Cynthia Chestnut and Lee Pinkoson voted to instruct staff to enter into mediation and to "reach an agreement."

• Challengers:

  • Preserving Rural Property Values, Inc.
    • North Florida Farm Bureau Intervener for PRPV, Inc

• Interveners:

  • North Florida Farm Bureau Intervener for PRPV, Inc.
  • Dwight Adams
  • Sierra Club
  • Women For Wise Growth
  • Lee and December McSherry
  • Holly Jenson

Meetings were conducted in private, and at least one meeting was open only to the challengers. In fact, the mediator did not even have an address for one intervener who was not notified of several meetings. Staff presented the agreement to the county commission on March 20, 2003.

The Urban Services Line (USL) was expanded and now there is room for a huge proposed development (***Sun link below) which will create a traffic nightmare on Archer Rd, west of I-75. And because growth does not pay for itself, it will also take many millions of tax dollars to even begin to relieve the resulting congestion and build new schools. There is also a change in the Level of Service (LOS) for many roads. That means development can be approved in some areas where the old LOS would have restricted growth because of traffic.

The planned protection for wetlands and uplands has been reduced. There will be more danger of pollution of the aquifer, diminished flood control and severe loss of wildlife habitat.

All the parties were there, including DCA; County Staff; challengers; interveners; attorneys;and private citizens. Some had only 5 minutes to speak, while others had as much as 20 minutes. Citizens were each allowed 5 minutes, and there were many eloquent appeals to the commissioners to keep the 2002 comp plan as it had been approved. Commissioners Mike Byerly and Penny Wheat made every effort to get information and have the issue decided on its merits. However, Commissioners Rodney Long, Cynthia Chestnut and Lee Pinkoson, The Sun's "new majority," voted to accept the mediation sellout for development.