Sunday, September 18, 2005

Quotes

"They're facing the same dilemma that anybody else would be because of the growth in Lehigh," said county Public Works Director Jim Lavender. "Everybody knows it's just a ticking time bomb."

“Growth continues in areas not served by central water and sewer,” Lavender said, and the county continues to lead Florida — and the country — in the number of septic tank permits issued.

"That's not what we want," Lavender said. "Hopefully nobody will become ill, but you can't continue to put your septic tank and your well on the same lot forever."

Commissioner Tammy Hall said "We have to sit back and take a realistic look at the future. Lee County's No. 1 in septic tanks right now and we have to do something."


The entire above quotes can out the Bonita Banner printed on Aug 8th 2005

More Questions??????

Lehigh Acres Watchdog, Inc

After stating an investigation on FGUA and the past involvement of other utilities operators in Lehigh, we find something quite interesting that current Vice President / Director of Technical Services Division of Government Services Group and Director of Operations of FGUA Mr. Charles Sweat was the Vice President Lehigh Utilities and later Vice President of Southern States Utilities, Inc before Florida Water Services purchased the system.

Then my question would be, why hasn’t these issues capacity and future growth been address before and resolved??

Lehigh Acres Watchdog uncovered a document which has Charles Sweat signature on it which talks about a 5.2 million dollar escrow account earmarked for use to construct major water and sewer utility facilities in want is now refer as Woodridge Preserve (Official Record Book 2551 Page 833) Was the water and sewer installed in 1994?

In 2001, in the same development Woodridge Preserve -- First Home Builders of Florida paid Florida Water Services $476,646.88 in Connection, Plant Capacity & Line Extension Fees (Official Record Book 3556 Page 995)

In March 2005, First Home Builders of Florida sold Woodridge Preserve to TIP Land Holding II, LLC --- And now today, FGUA has issued assessment bonds totaling $7,538,000 million dollars for 414 lots – which equals to $1,639.71 per assessed lot on its tax bill each year for the next 20 years --- is this fair --- you tell me??????


Robert Anderson
President
Lehigh Acres Watchdog, Inc
239 369 6223

Saturday, September 17, 2005

STOP FGUA



FGUA has issued 25 million dollars of more debt for the citizens of Lehigh Acres
&
7.5 million dollars of special assessment bonds for Woodridge Preserve


In FGUA 2006 approved budget has the following items

New Mirror Lakes Water Treatment Plant 2.5 Million dollars
Reuse Pipeline Expansion 2 Million dollars
Wastewater Collection System Improvements 1 Million dollars
Homestead Force Main Installation 844 Thousand dollars
&
6.6 Million dollars for a Deep Well Injection Plant

BUT THE WORSE OF IT ALL IS
Mr. Robert Sheets &
Government Services Group

Receives per contract a 3 to 4.5 % management fee on all projects

This means Government Services Group
for the fiscal year 2006 will receive

$ 985,000 of your bonded money

Also Government Services Group Bonding Company will
receive a 3% fee for issuing the bonds for the 2005
which equals to –

On the 25 million 2005 revenue bonds – GSG received $750,000
On the 7.5 million 2005 special assessment bonds -- GSG received $225,000

GSG and their other companies will receive 1.96 Million dollars in fees alone this year WHY?????

These fees above does not include yearly operations contract amount that Government Services Group charges FGUA

Saturday, September 03, 2005

The Effluent from FGUA is getting deeper

The Effluent from FGUA is getting deeper
An Op-Ed by Jim Fleming

I don't know which is worse, the treated effluent that is being dumped into Lehigh's canals, or the other "treated effluent" that is emanating from Florida Government Utilities Authority's public relations department, but they both stink.

Last week FGUA's systems manager, Robert Sheets, released a repetitive and flowery deodorizer that was disguised as an editorial in the News-Press and the local newspapers.

In his cover-up, Mr. Sheets focused the readers' attention on two themes that I would like to vigorously refute:

1. "A small group of people have tried to advance the idea that FGUA has created and plans to impose new fees and charges for water and sewer services in Lehigh Acres."

The "small group" that Mr. Sheets is referring to consists of myself, Mike Welch, Robert Anderson, Frank LaRosa, Frank Lohlein, David Adams, the local media, the entire board of the East County Water Control District, the entire board of the Lehigh Acres Community Planning Corporation (with the exception of FGUA Board designee, Charlie DeFelice), and the vast majority of the informed citizens of Lehigh Acres.

With clever misdirection, and half truths, what Mr. Sheets really said was that FGUA isn't planning to raise rates for the existing, unfortunate FGUA customers who are already paying the highest water and sewer rates in the state of Florida.

No, we are apparently being spared at the expense of all the other property owners in Lehigh Acres. To Mr. Sheets and the FGUA spin doctors, the planned $17,500 assessments for Lehigh Acres residents who are not current customers are not "fees," so we shouldn't keep calling them that. Shame on us. And shame on you Mr. Sheets, a fee, by any other name, is still a fee.


2. "New growth should pay for itself,"

Allow me to again interpret what Mr. Sheets is really saying. FGUA wants property owners who are not hooked up to their system to pay huge assessments whether they like it or not, or whether they need it or not. When he answered the question of why FGUA was doing this, his terse reply was: "Because we can."

Growth paying for growth is a noble sounding ideal, and you've heard me say that myself hundreds of times in forums and my editorials. But that's not what Mr. Sheets means.

Even if you've owned your home or your vacant homesite in Lehigh Acres for over 40 years, and even if you don't want the service, you'll pay for it, or FGUA will slap a lien on your property.

Mr. Sheets, how does assessing a home that has been here for decades fall under your definition of "New growth paying for itself?"

The fact is FGUA is targeting areas for expansion where the population and the homes are among the oldest and most established in Lehigh Acres.

These aren't newcomers Mr. Sheets, and you know it. Many of these people are on fixed incomes and simply cannot afford your oppressive and expensive expansion plans.

What is disturbing about your organization, Mr. Sheets, is that you are not leveling with us. That's why government and the citizens of Citrus County are ready to run you out of town on a rail, and that same sentiment is building here.

Here in Lee County you keep certifying that you have the plant capacity for all these new residential subdivisions that the county is approving. But the fact is you're so far over capacity that you're dumping effluent into our canals.

You are part of the problem in Lehigh Acres, Mr. Sheets, not part of the solution.

Armed with FGUA's phony assurances about having enough water and sewer capacity, the county government is rezoning more of our precious open land for high density residential developments, and you're helping them do it.

What the Lee County planners don't know, or won't admit, is that your 2.5 million gallon a day facility in Lehigh is actually trying to process 3.5 million gallons of wastewater a day in the summer months, largely because of massive overdevelopment and rainwater infiltration. That's right, my wife and I, and your other customers are paying you outrageous rates to treat rainwater!

Your answer to the problem is to obfuscate the issues and dump the excess treated effluent into our canals without telling us. That illegal dumping is prohibited, of course, and you're about to be fined heavily for it. The trouble is, you'll just pass those fines along to us in the form of more "fees."

Yes, Mr. Sheets, "Community support has to be based on the facts." Try giving us the real facts for a change.

And if you were really trying to gain community support, why did you allow a broken potable waterline in Lehigh to run for 10 weeks without fixing it? Why did you send a water and sewer bill of $235 to a widow, who lives in a one bedroom apartment without checking it? And why do you keep insisting that there are only a few malcontents in Lehigh Acres who are stirring up all the trouble?

Trust me, Mr. Sheets, just like the people in other communities that you "serve," the citizens of this community speak with one voice when we tell you that we have no faith in you, your company, your promises or your assurances. And we will not be forced to swallow your "fees" or "assessments," or whatever you choose to call them, without a fight.

Sincerely,

Jim Fleming,
Vice Chairman of the East County Water Control District
Founding Chairman of the Lehigh Acres Community Planning Corporation
Founding Co-Chairman of the Lehigh Acres Community Redevelopment Agency
Lehigh Acres, Florida