Newsletter of the Nokomis Area Civic Association
Vol. 10, No. 2, April 2005

Next NACA General Meeting
Tuesday, April 19, 7 pm, Nokomis Community Center
All Are Welcome!  Bring Your Friends and Neighbors!

"Nora Patterson, County Commissioner"
Veteran Sarasota County Commissioner and former Sarasota Mayor Nora Patterson will address important issues of both local and county-wide concern.

COUNTY COMMISSIONER NORA PATTERSON TO SPEAK AT APRIL MEETING
Don Lewis, NACA County Government Liaison
We are fortunate to have Nora Patterson as our guest speaker on Tuesday, April 19, in view of her 14 years' combined experience as Sarasota City Commissioner and County Commissioner.
She was elected Sarasota City Commissioner in April of 1991.  In 1993, she became Vice Mayor, and, following that, for the next two years, was Mayor.
During Nora's tenure, the first stage of the major Sarasota downtown beautification plan was completed and the Ritz-Carlton was brought in, initiating the beginning of the major downtown reinvestment we have observed.  During that period, the Sarasota City and County Fire Departments were consolidated, resulting in savings that allowed significant property-tax reductions.
In November of 1998, having been elected to the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners, she resigned as City Commissioner and became a County Commissioner.  During her subsequent seven years as a County Commissioner, she and her colleagues have initiated a major program to make possible dredging projects in unincorporated areas of the County, acquired the CSX Transportation rail line for the Rails to Trails project, made application for the opening of Midnight Pass, and made major progress for bringing water lines to underserved areas of unincorporated Sarasota County, such as Osprey and Nokomis.  They have also initiated a change in perspective on land development toward the concept of "mixed use," which will hopefully result in affordable housing in the Nokomis area.
Nora will address the areas that will affect Nokomis, as well as her assessment on what the Commissioners should focus on throughout the County in the next fiscal year.  She will answer any of your questions, including whether she intends to run for a third term or move on to other challenges.
If you have any interest in what's going on in the County, this is one you want to attend.

PRESIDENT'S CORNER
John Ask, NACA President

Dear Nokomis Neighbors:
We are fortunate to live in an area that many individuals view as paradise, and they want to be here!  We enjoy a mild climate, live by beautiful beaches and golf courses, and are surrounded by much of nature's best.  True, our many visitors and newcomers contribute to our traffic and infrastructure challenges; they also contribute to our economy and increasing property values.
Regarding new growth, presently the Florida House of Representatives is considering Bill 1173, regarding the establishment of State control over impact-fee calculation at our local level.  Presently, impact fees contribute much of the revenue to pay for growth.  I am asking to you be vocal in opposing this bill for the following reasons:
1. This bill represents an expansion of state powers at the expense of local government and home rule. 
2. The language of the bill suggests complex calculations to determine impact fees that may cause substantial new state and local bureaucracies be created to administer. 
3. The state does not have experience with impact fees; local government does.  This bill creates a state bureaucracy to calculate and govern impact fees; why is this needed? 
4. Impact-fee revenue will shrink locally if this bill becomes law.  Additionally, there will most likely be greater local expense to administer.  Local shortfalls will need to be made up by all taxpayers, or traffic and infrastructure problems will increase. 
In my view, the passage of House Bill 1173 will result in a local tax hike to current residents, and be a step backwards in addressing the challenges of accommodating new growth.
Our member of the Florida House of Representatives is Nancy Detert, her email address is nancy.detert@myfloridahouse.gov.  Her local contact infor- mation is 200 Capri Isles Blvd., Ste. F, Venice, FL 34292-2335, Phone 941-480-3057.

HURRICANE CHARLEY RELIEF FUND
Don Lewis, NACA County Government Liaison
To help victims of Hurricane Charley who were in dire need (and many still are) to recover from the significant damages they've sustained, NACA contributed $1000 from its treasury and offered the opportunity for the 38 homeowners' associations in our network to contribute as well.
Thirteen have responded with an additional $2,500.  The total of $3,500 has been sent to the Southwest Florida Community Foundation of Ft. Myers, which is working to help those in particular need.  The thirteen are Sorrento East Villas 5 HOA, Mission Estates, Sorrento East Villa Section 6, Terra Cove HOA, Nokomis Oaks HOA, Shore Oaks HOA, Lake Village Mobile Home HOA, Nokomis Harbor HOA, Calusa Lakes Master HOA, Sorrento East Master HOA, Sorrento Inlets HOA, Waterside Acres, and Nokomis East HOA.
NACA would like to take this opportunity to thank the thirteen HOAs who responded, and I have written a letter to Paul Flynn, CEO of the SWFC Foundation in Ft. Myers, to inform him of your response and generosity.

CURRENT STATUS OF THE "RAISE THE BRIDGES" AND RAILROAD TRESTLE ISSUES
Don Lewis, NACA County Government Liaison
The project of widening US 41 will be put out for bid in mid-June, and construction is expected to start this coming October.  The FDOT estimates the total contract time to be about 600 days, so the entire project should be completed by August or September of 2007.
According to the current plan, two crews will be involved in widening the Dona Bay bridge and the Shakett Creek bridge (Roberts Bay) north of Dona Bay.  Each of the new bridges will be six lanes wide.  The new Dona Bay bridge will be raised to 12 feet, nearly double the height of the existing bridges.  The new six-lane Shakett Creek bridge (Roberts Bay) will be raised an additional 2.5 feet by using a new FDOT design allowing this increase in vertical height with no other changes necessary.
Major decisions relative to the RR trestle just east of the Shakett Creek bridge have also been made.  In late December, Sarasota County paid $11.75 million to buy the 12.4-mile corridor between Clark Rd. and Venice from CSX Transportation to build the Rails to Trails linear park, which has been in the planning stage for over a dozen years, for bikers, hikers, and joggers.
The plan originally was to have the State (FDOT) reimburse Sarasota County the $11.75 million for an agreement that would allow 70 feet of the 100-foot-wide corridor to be used for "future multi-modal purposes," which include the establishment of future light-rail commuter service along the 70-foot-wide corridor.
Sarasota County wants to proceed with the plans to begin the Rails to Trail project down the middle of the corridor and over the trestle down to Venice.  FDOT wanted ownership of this mid-corridor strip so they could have control should an alternate use, such as rail service, come up in the future.
Bottom line: On March 15, the Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners unanimously accepted County Administrator Jim Ley's recommendation to break off talks with FDOT, proceed with the Rails to Trails project, and seek grants from foundations and agencies that support converting old railroad lines to recreational uses.
Although it is true that under the federal rail/banking law a railroad operator could reestablish service along the old corridor, it would have to strike a deal with CSX, reimburse the County for all of its Rails to Trails costs, and buy the land from the County at FULL MARKET VALUE.  According to the County, in the entire nation, only a handful of miles have been taken back from the thousands that have been converted.  So it is extremely unlikely this will happen.
So it's three cheers to Jim Ley and the County Commissioners for having the foresight to bite the bullet so we can control our own destiny and get moving with the Rails to Trails project that we predict will be the envy of the nation when it's completed.

NOKOMIS REVITALIZATION NEWS
Bruce Dillon, NACA Revitalization Officer & Nokomis Revitalization Committee Chair, bkdillon@verizon.net

VISION
When the dust settles and the flashing barricades and cones are gone from US 41 and Colonia Lane, what will the commercial corridors of Nokomis look like?  Will the shuttered gas station still welcome residents at the gateway to our neighborhoods west of the Trail?  Will there be a dentist's office, an accountant's office and a coffee shop in a mixed-use center where some of the local work force and retirees live above the commerce within bicycling distance of the beach or one of our outstanding Nokomis parks?
Mixed-use centers as described above are possible and even encouraged in the land-use regulations described during the recent presentation by Sarasota County Planning Director Anne McClung to the Nokomis Center Revitalization Advisory Committee (NCRAC) and a group of interested citizens.
Re-development of our village's commercial properties will surely occur with the completion of the area road projects.  Now is the time for the community to set the standard they would like to see.  Recently approved projects in Osprey have demonstrated the degree of success that is possible when the development community has the buy-in of the village citizens.

POCONO TRAILS PRESERVE
Although recent articles in two area newspapers reported the location of the Pocono Trails Preserve to be in Venice, rest assured this passive-use nature park remains firmly anchored in Nokomis.  The fence project nears completion, and work on the trails continues.  When completed, the preserve will include a picnic area, parking, an overlook of Dona Bay, and a canoe landing.

ARTS AND OFFICE OVERLAY DISTRICT
Also discussed at the March 23 NCRAC meeting was whether to amend the size of the Arts and Office Overlay District included in the plan.  The district would act as a buffer between the commercially zoned property along the east side of US 41 from Shakett Creek to Curry Creek and the adjacent neighborhood.  The overlay district provides for low-intensity commercial use of a portion of each residential property included.  Rules governing overlay districts countywide are currently under review.  The Revitalization Committee is soliciting input from affected property owners and area citizens.  The Advisory Committee was appointed by the Board of County Commissioners to provide local input on the implementation of the Nokomis Center Revitalization Plan adopted by the County in 2001.

WATERWAYS REPORT
Patrick McCarthy, NACA Waterways
We are lucky to live in a community that still appreciates the benefits of the public's access to our waterways.
A search of the Sarasota County website shows a total of 18 PUBLIC boat ramps owned and maintained by the residents of Sarasota County.  We really have it good compared to some of the other counties on our coastline.  This is due in part to the foresight of our past leaders and the dedication of our present ones.  We now face many changes to the waterfront in our community.  The "redevelopment" of public marinas and restaurants to condos with private dockage is a threat to our culture, our heritage, and our economy.  Where will a visitor go to charter a fishing trip?  Or to rent a boat for a day on the water?  Or take a Parasail ride?  Where will the owners of large vessels take them for haul-out and maintenance?  Where will folks go for a dinner on the waterfront?  These are some of the issues facing the community at large, not just those of us who own boats.
Some communities are severely restricting where and how you can park your trailered boat on your own property.  More and more public lands and waterways are being closed or restricted for the public's use.  Just to our north a couple of years ago, boaters where kicked off a large sandbar.  After months of negotiations and meetings, LIMITED access has been allowed by the state D.E.P.  The same thing happened at Charlotte County's Dog Islands.  It is easy to lose something you take for granted, but difficult to get it back once gone.
See you on the water!

NACA MEMBERSHIP GOAL...2000 in 2005
Tom Bartholomay, NACA Secretary & Membership Chair
In the first three months of 2005, we've increased membership by 96, a 6% increase, giving us a total of 1704.  Our goal of 2000 is within our reach.  With 37 associations in Nokomis, an increase of only 8 each would reach the 2000 goal.  All we need are 296 additional members.  Some associations are already at 100%, and we applaud their efforts.  If they can do it, others can.
A suggestion is to tie the solicitation of the association and NACA membership dues together and discuss NACA membership at your association meetings.  Call if you want a NACA board member to come to an association meeting.  We'd be glad to come!  Just give me a call at 484-7396 or call any of the board listed in THE VOICE.
NACA has proven that it can make a difference for the Nokomis community.  The more members we have, the more effective NACA will be.  We have nine months to reach our goal of 2000; only 296 needed.  TOGETHER WE CAN DO IT!

SARASOTA SCHOOL BOARD SUPERINTENDENT DR. GARY NORRIS SPOKE AT JAN. MEETING
Nokomis residents interested in the present and future of education who attended the Jan. 19th NACA General Meeting enjoyed a stellar presentation.
Dr. Norris said he thought that--as with most things in our society--what is driving the wide-sweeping changes we're now experiencing in our public schools is the economy, in the form of changing demands placed on the labor force.  Over the last 60 years, the percentages have stayed fairly constant at about 20% for the "professions" (doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers, journalists, etc.).  But the ratios for skilled and unskilled industrial labor have changed dramatically.
In the '50's, 60% of the work force was in blue-collar industries doing repetitive labor, which didn't require a lot of high-tech skills.  Now those kinds of jobs employ a mere 15% of the labor force.  Instead of a worker manually operating a fancy lathe, you're more likely to find him operating a fancy computer that controls machinery that does all the back-breaking grunt work more efficiently and accurately.  Nearly every occupation requires literacy and technical skills nowadays.
If that's the case, how do we adapt our schools so we're not turning out kids for a '50's work force, instead of the 2010 work force?  The upper 20% destined for the top professions still need four or more years of college.  But the 60% don't necessarily need full-blown bachelor degrees; instead, they need a solid high-school preparation for one- or two-year technical schools.
Dr. Norris explained that enormous strides have been made in understanding that different people learn best in different ways.  For some, group learning is much more effective that solo learning.  Other concepts involve more hands-on, active learning (the precise opposite of a lecturer standing there and delivering); "construct knowledge" (finding the students' interest areas and building on them); focusing on "learning HOW to learn" as opposed to rote memorization; applied hands-on instruction (making the subject matter more relevant and providing connections to the "real world"); and the greater inner motivation from the satisfaction gained from "problem solving" versus the less-compelling external motivation of "Mom and Dad want me to do well so I can go to college."
This merely touches on a few highlights of Dr. Norris's excellent presentation.  Don't miss out on any more of our future speakers!

COMMISSIONER PAUL MERCIER SPEAKS
County Commissioner Paul Mercier spoke to an enthusiastic audience at the NACA Homeowner Association Presidents' Roundtable Meeting March 15 that about wouldn't let him stop.
Though he is from District 1 in North County, he is elected by county-wide vote and feels his responsibility to all citizens of Sarasota County very keenly.
Some of the future "visioning" by the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners (BCC) is in the form of the "2050 Plan."  There is pressure on all commissioners to allow more development east of I-75.  Fortunately, there are only a small handful of landowners who control almost all the land and stand in the way of this kind of rampant development growth.
The BCC is attempting to solve some of the infrastructure problems associated with the County's 1.7% annual population growth by attempting to give incentives to increasing density in compact areas such as Nokomis.  Compact "villages" are better than sprawl, because we don't have the infrastructure services (roads, buses, police/fire/EMT, water/sewer, schools, shopping, etc.) in place to keep everybody happy with low-density sprawl.
Mr. Mercier said we are a "donor" state when it comes to transportation.  For every dollar the state of Florida has to send to Washington, we get about 88¢ back.  Alaska, New York, and Utah are some of the states that get much more back; Alaska, for example, gets 500% of its contribution back.  Someone has to pay for that and right now we're one of the someone's.  Whereas the reality is that more people are moving down here, bringing money down here, and expecting services--but the federal funds are not following them.
The Veterans Administration is an example.  Florida has the second-largest population of veterans entitled to and requiring services, but the money is not being cut from up North and diverted here to cover these needs.  Mr. Mercier said we need to try to pressure the representatives in Congress that we need a fair share of that money here.
Sorry!  A ton more of interest, but no more room.  Attend meetings!

NACA Board of Directors

John Ask, President 486-0012
B. J. Brown, Treasurer 488-8204
Tom Bartholomay, Secretary & Membership Chair 484-7396
Norm Stewart, Association Liaison Officer 966-9054
Don Lewis, Government Liaison Officer 485-6737
Eddie Toomer, Transportation 716-3202 cell
Bruce Dillon, Revitalization 485-9366
Patrick McCarthy, Waterways 488-3784
Al Bell, At Large 484-0190