Signs popped up on Anna Maria beaches July 8 asking people to “Tell Mayor Dan to do the right thing!”
A full-page ad in The Islander’s July 14 issue urged people to “Tell our local officials to do the right thing!”
The signs and ad directed people online to preserveami.com, where an Anna Maria couple, Wendy and Robert B. Jordan IV — warn against the prospect of home construction on lots seaward of the existing line of beachfront homes — including their residence on Elm Avenue in Anna Maria.
The website also directs visitors to a petition at change.org, where the authors plead: “Tell Florida’s DEP secretary to do the right thing!”
“The right thing,” according to Wendy Jordan, is for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s interim secretary Shawn Hamilton to rescind a recent ruling that may impact the Jordans’ property.
Beachfront
The Jordans purchased their home in April and soon learned Fedora Campbell owned the undeveloped lot seaward of their home and that Campbell allegedly possessed architectural plans for a home at the site.
Wendy Jordan said she was shocked by the prospect of a home seaward of her beachfront home on Elm Avenue. Her residence was constructed by a previous owner in a wedge shape to conform to municipal setbacks and requirements to protect the dunes and sea oats at the Gulf-facing property.
Jordan’s driveway is only feet from the end of the road, the right of way and the beach access.
Wendy Jordan wants to know how someone with property between hers and the Gulf would be allowed to build a structure?
The seller of Jordan’s home had initiated a lawsuit against Campbell and the DEP before marketing the $4 million home, claiming the DEP should not have greenlighted Campbell’s building plan, which set a precedent that could lead to the overbuilding of beachfront property and destruction of dunes, sea oats and marine life habitats for turtles and shorebirds.
A July 16 email to The Islander from DEP press secretary Alexandra Kuchta said, “The department will issue a final order in this case on or before July 22.”
The ruling
In a June 7 ruling, administrative law Judge Francine Ffolkes found Campbell “entitled to a coastal construction control line permit to construct a single-family residence and associated structures seaward of the CCCL,” according to the court document.
Campbell submitted prior an environmental impact study and a letter of no objection from the Anna Maria building department to the DEP before the favorable ruling.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy said the city’s issuance of the letter of no objection was pro forma — in accordance with state code.
The letter did not indicate the city’s approval of a structure, Murphy said July 13. The letter was an early step that triggers a lengthy application process.
Before Campbell can build on the property, she needs permits from the city, which Murphy said require her to detail access points for emergency vehicles and utilities and the plan would need to be approved by city commissioners.
As of July 15, Campbell had not provided such a plan to the city and city officials had not received a copy of Ffolkes’ order, Murphy said.
Jordan said she is not aware of the process for Campbell to obtain a city building permit. Instead, she maintains Hamilton should reverse the DEP approval, which would, in turn, cease the city building process.
Meanwhile, Anna Maria resident Micheal Coleman, a business owner and partner in the development of the Pine Avenue Restoration project, said he attended meetings several years ago when the city passed laws that made lots like Campbell’s unbuildable.
But Coleman’s concern isn’t what’s behind the statement on the Preserve AMI signs, it’s that the signs were placed in the dunes Jordan aims to protect.
Coleman saw Jordan’s signs July 11 and was incensed that people would think it OK to stake out signs in the dunes.
“People who live here know you don’t do that,” Coleman said July 15.
Code enforcement manager Debbie Haynes said the city learned Jordan had staked banners in the sand July 8 but removed them after receiving a warning.
The banners were removed and one was affixed to Jordan’s house, which Haynes said resulted in another violation and a $250 fine.
Jordan had been cited July 9 for violating the city code regarding the size of the signs.
She removed the banner and added “stick signs” that comply with the code, but as of July 15 had not paid the fine which, if unpaid in 15 days, would be added to an August hearing for code violations.
Commissioner complaint
Meanwhile, Commissioner Deanie Sebring told The Islander she was surprised to learn her attempts to find out more about the issue were broadcast on social media as if she endorsed the petition.
While at the beach during the Fourth of July weekend, Sebring noticed a plane trailing a banner with the preserveami.com website and wondered what it was about, she told The Islander July 16.
When Sebring visited the website and followed the link to the petition for more information, she said she was prompted to enter her information to gain access.
Sebring said she did not sign the online petition or endorse it, but the site captured her information and posted to her social media profiles on her behalf, including on Next Door.
By July 18, 846 people had signed the petition.
What next?
Jordan said she sent letters to Gov. Ron DeSantis and other officials seeking intervention and was scheduled to meet with Murphy July 21.
But Murphy maintains the DEP decision is a single step in a journey toward final approval from the city.
“It either fits into the existing building code or it doesn’t and that’s what we don’t know until we see the details,” Murphy said.
Jordan claims she made a deal with Campbell to purchase the vacant lot for $2 million, but Campbell reneged before the closing.
The Islander did not reach Campbell for comment.
Jordan said the signs in front of her home will stay until she sees results.