Mt. Plymouth and Sorrento are small communities in east Lake County that are adjacent to the Wekiva area, and less than 30 minutes from downtown Orlando. In the early 1900s, the area featured a large resort and was a getaway for some of the nation’s wealthiest citizens. Over the last decade, they have become a haven for Lake County’s extreme environmental movement.
The Extreme Environmental Stranglehold
The Mount Plymouth-Sorrento area is going through some real bad economic times. These promising communities are systematically being economically destroyed by a small group of extreme environmental activists who would rather see blight instead of growth and progress. This sounds harsh, but it is true. Especially if you look at the decay and deterioration that is going on in the area, and the number of projects this group has thwarted over the last five years.
These people seek to implement over-the-top restrictions to growth in the name of protecting the Wekiva River Basin. But in reality, most of it is being instituted to support extreme agendas. Like most things with the extreme environmental movement, good intentions, common sense and real science are the casualties, and ideology becomes doctrine.
As this environmental extremist kabob clinched tighter control of the Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento area through environmental fear mongering, the area began an economic death spiral, and legitimate, good quality, environmentally-friendly businesses were denied access. Developers and business interests put proposals on the table wherein they bent over backwards for the environmental movement’s concerns, but the answer was always the same: No. Clearly, this movement has gotten out of hand. It is no longer about the real issue of protecting the environment; rather, it is more about control and protecting a personal view or ideology.
But something happened that the extreme environmentalists in the Mount Plymouth-Sorrento area – or America – did not foresee: There was an economic meltdown in 2008. All of those years of “no,” coupled with the virtual collapse of the Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento economy, collided to create an economic disaster for the area. See, the dirty little secret is that the environmental movement is not funded by private dollars, but rather it relies on the government teat; even President Obama is now talking about the massive shrinkage of government. In short, the money is drying up quickly for the environmental movement, and they can no longer rely on the government taxpayer to fund their over-zealous mandates.
The Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento area, because of its kabob of environmental extremists, is boxed in one heck of a bad situation. There is absolutely no prospect of getting state or federal monies to fund economic revitalization. Since the market collapse of 2008, few developers are now willing to bend over backwards for any area, especially this one. The area is spiraling into blight and economic decay with no cavalries on the horizon to save it, but you know what? The extreme environmental movement is still fighting any efforts to improve the area.
Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento CRA
Late last August, District 4 County Commissioner Leslie Campione met with Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento citizens, and in a message (click for message) released by Commissioner Campione, she reported a consensus of the group wants to go forward with the creation of a Community Redevelopment Area (CRA).
Elected officials can establish a CRA, which is usually a very specific area that is normally in special need due to blight or deterioration. Once the CRA has been established, the local elected officials will turn its administration over to an advisory group of citizens and business owners from the affected area. The funding for a CRA comes from tax increment financing, which is a funding process that establishes the current taxable valuable of the properties within the CRA. These values are frozen to ensure the taxing authority retains its funding. Then, as improvements are made to the area and property values increase, the amount of money collected above the frozen value is given back to the CRA advisory board so it can be used to improve the CRA district.
Here is what you need to know about the proposed Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento CRA:
- This is not a tax increase. It is a bet that, as the area improves, land values will go up. All extra monies collected when property values rise will go back to the Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento CRA for community improvements. The people of Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento will have direct representation for their tax dollars collected.
- With current property values down so dramatically, now is a wonderful time to establish a CRA to ensure maximum return to the people of the Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento area.
- If the Lake County Commission approves the Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento CRA, the frozen date would be 2013, but county staff estimates it will be 2017 before enough increased-value tax dollars can be collected to make a significant contribution to the CRA. By law, a CRA is established for a certain time period not to exceed 40 years. This CRA is a long-term plan which can be used as a carrot to attract investment and revitalization.
- The proposed Mt. Plymouth- Sorrento CRA (click to view) encompasses areas along SR 46 and residential areas – which are feeling the ill effects of the old golf course. The CRA is targeted to the areas which desperately need improvement to stop the blight and decay expansion.
For the people who live, own property, and try to work in the Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento area, this CRA is a great idea to reverse the economic decay which is gripping that area.
Commissioner Campione Speaks Out
District 4 Commissioner Leslie Campione understands the importance of the Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento CRA as demonstrated by her statement below:
The Wekiva Parkway will either be the death nail of the Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento community with the diversion of approximately 75% of the traffic that passes through this area daily, or it will have a tremendous positive effect. The purpose of creating a CRA is to get ahead of these impacts and steer them in a positive direction by preserving the unique character of the area by using standards that can be established in a CRA, upgrading housing conditions and promoting infrastructure improvements in the commercial district and adjoining residential area such as curbs, sidewalks, signage and street lights.
The Wekiva Protection Act adopted in 1989 by the State Legislature resulted in a variety of development limitations in this area, but because the Wekiva Parkway will make this area much more accessible to Metro-Orlando, there will be new transportation challenges as traffic patterns change and older neighborhoods attract more attention. A CRA is a vehicle which allows the County to methodically address these new pressures and the particular needs that result from these pressures (e.g. street lights, sidewalks, signage, etc.).
Many Seek Improvement
Unlike what has been said and written by those in the extreme environmental and no-growth movement, it appears the majority of the people of the area are supporting the idea of a CRA because something must be done. It is utter insanity not to take action to reverse the economic decay. Each day the weeds grow taller, the crime increases, the old golf course is destroyed by unauthorized four-wheeler use, and the property values plummet. Time is growing short for the survivability of the area.
The zealots of the extreme environmental movement appear willing to accept the economic destruction of Mt. Plymouth and Sorrento over any reasoned and managed growth ideas. You may hear the anti-growth/environmental crowd say this CRA is a ploy by developers to seize control, and that improving the downtown areas – along with other areas in the CRA – is going to change the character of the community. There is no character in economic blight, and the Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento area is just like every other part of America; they should be fighting for every business opportunity they can find. This economic mess gripping this country is far from being over.
Currently, the Lake County Growth Management Staff is reviewing the proposed Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento CRA, and the Lake County Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to review the findings on January 24, 2012. We recommend the commission approves the Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento CRA because something must be done to change the economic course of this area. The process of establishing this CRA must begin quickly because, by all accounts, it will be at least four years before any significant monies are available. While incorporation of that area should be the ultimate goal, it’s time to get real; a lot of small communities in the state of Florida are facing the real threat of un-incorporation because they cannot garner the tax revenues to stay viable. A major economic turndown is not the time to incorporate the Mount Plymouth-Sorrento area.
Bipartisan Support for CRA
Both Democrats and Republicans in the area are lining up to support the Mt. Plymouth-Sorrento CRA. A source close to the East Lake Chamber of Commerce says a resolution is being processed which supports the CRA. Interestingly, former Democrat District 4 Commission Candidate Bill Smalley has been one of the leaders pushing the CRA, and when contacted by us offered his observations and comments:
I do support the creation of either a CRA or the Incorporation of the area. Misleading is the opinion written recently claiming the East Lake Citizens are not behind this effort and that they should instead look to incorporation.
With a CRA and the involvement of the entire community, we could see improvements to this area that are urgently needed. The recent description given of “Tree Lined Lanes” hides and misleads the fact there are numerous vacant, dilapidated structures, many of which should have been condemned years ago. Create a true Main Street that the citizens and visitors can be proud of one that you would want to come to explore, have lunch and take in the richness of the local environment. It could, if we want it, become a “Gateway to the Wekiva,” a destination.
The creation of a CRA provides the needed infusion of dollars, without taking away any current dollars from the coffers of the County. It uses the increase in value from improvements made, which drives any future incremental dollars back into the community with a consensus by appointed overseers from the community deciding how and when the dollars are spent without incurring debt.
When contacted by our group on this issue, T.J. Fish, Executive Director of the Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization stated the following:
My recent vocal support of a plan for the Mount Plymouth/Sorrento community is based on the impending fact that as much as 75 percent of the traffic currently passing those businesses will be gone when a complete SR 429 opens. I support a plan, whether it be in the form of a CRA plan or other. The community needs a plan.
The Mount Plymouth/Sorrento CRA is the plan they need.
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