The Flagler County Commission on Monday approved Plantation Bay developer Mori Hosseini’s applications for building the latest phase of the community straddling Flagler and Volusia counties, but not before Hossini’s ICI Homes took a drubbing from residents and County Commissioner Dave Sullivan. The commissioner said ICI Homes is not doing enough to share in the county’s burdens of repairing Plantation Bay’s troubled water and sewer utilities. Hosseini sold the utility to the county in 2013. His representative told the commission ICI is sharing the burden through utility impact fees.
The commission approved ICI Home’s preliminary plat application for its latest expansion at Plantation Bay, but by a 3-2 vote, with Sullivan and Commissioner Charlie Ericksen in dissent. Commissioners Donald O’Brien, Greg Hansen and Joe Mullins approved.
Sullivan seized on wording in the application’s documentation to make his objections: “No final plat approval to occur until extension of potable water and sanitary sewer is installed and approved by the County as the utility provider,” went one of the conditions.
“I suspect that will happen, and you will check it to make sure that will happen,” Sullivan said, referring to the county administration. He said the county has “a decent plan” in place. “The problem is we still owe $6 million for the excessive amount of money we paid for the thing to start with, and that’s hanging over us. It’s not specifically for this particular project.”
“When Mr. [David] Haas from ICI commented here, he was very short-shrift, ‘well, don’t worry, the water is getting clean and we’ve got plenty of room,’” Sullivan continued. “I’m still concerned that ICI has never taken seriously providing some help. I know the $6 million we owe is out of his hands and it’s with the state. I do think we could use support from ICI to try to help in providing some alleviation of that $6 million that is still owed. I don’t think it concerns this specific item, but I’d just like to get on record that I don’t think ICI has been as helpful that they could have been over the years in helping us with the overall system.”
Finley said as Plantation Bay continues to grow, the county is getting impact fees on water and sewer to help offset the costs of improvements.
“But the original is gone,” Sullivan said of the purchasing amount.
The Plantation Bay Development of Regional Impact was originally approved for 6,000 homes, including the portion of Plantation bay that stretches into Volusia County. The DRI was revised to allow for 5,000 units. It’s been built in phases, or “units,” not necessarily in numerical order.
The 30-acre Unit 13 is in the center of Plantation Bay. Bay Drive is to the south, Sterling bridge is to the north. Unit 10, 1 and 12 have not yet been approved and will be submitted to the county later. The developer is proposing 132 single-family homes built as quadriplexes. “These are four units per building, so you have 33 buildings,” Adam Mengle, the county’s planning director, said. There will be 20 feet between each quadriplex building, front and back. The original density permitted at the site was for between 180 to 240 dwelling units. The proposed 132 units would result in a density of 4.46 units per acre.
“Water and sewer does have capacity for this development to occur, and it’s my understanding that Phase One wastewater improvements have been completed,” Jerry Finley of Finley Engineering Solutions said. Phase Two is in design. The water-treatment plant is also under construction.
A resident recalled how in 2013 the county paid Hosseini $5.5 million for what was then a water and sewer plant in disrepair. The utility had been an albatross on county government until recent and expensive plans to rebuild it–costs that have come in addition to purchasing costs six years ago. “Mori Hosseini should be footing the bill for every bit of it and should be refunding Flagler County for that $5.5 million,” a resident told commissioners, reflecting lingering resentment over a deal that soured residents’ trust in county government.
Jane Gentile-Youd, a Plantation bay resident and former county commission candidate, addressed transportation: “This 132-units, the third entrance must be opened prior to selling any of the units,” she said. “This bullcrap of closely tied means nothing. If we have a fire or a hurricane, we have two entrances for over 5,000 people. One hundred thirty two units is at least another 300 people. To say that we are working and that it will be closely tied is not good enough. You cannot approve this unless the third entrance is opened.” She was also critical of 20-foot driveways, saying the minimum should be 28 feet, or the absence of parks in the Flagler portion of Plantation Bay. “I don’t object to the number of units whatsoever, but it’s everything surrounding it,” she said, also citing the utility. She asked that the proposal be tabled.
“I don’t see any reason that there’s a problem in moving with this,” Commissioner Joe Mullins, whose district includes Plantation Bay, said. “I do see a very big desire from the community to see more growth. They don’t want to participate in personal vendettas, personal issues.”
See the background material for Plantation bay’s applications here.
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Quent says
I don’t know of one person who lives here that wants to see that kind of growth.
Dennis says
Flagler county government must have rocks for brains. Get strapped into millions for the albatross in a Plantation Bay, the Sears building, the sheriffs building in Bennell that is unusable, and the the bank they bought on Old Kings. Hey guys, I have some swamp property you might be interested in wasting a few millions on. Every one of you guys deserve to be fired.
palmcoaster says
What kinda Kool Aid is Mullins drinking….showing his true colors now? The community wanting to see more growth..? Where maybe some GA one, not here. What vendettas is he talking about… Vendettas are what the county does to residents uncovering wrong doing. FCBOCC doing worst every year all these housing projects and no sufficient infrastructure for poo treatment capacity and roads to alleviate traffic madness..
tulip says
another disaster in the making, not surprised.
Jane Gentile-Youd says
When I called Commissioner Sullivan to say ” Thank you for speaking at the commission meeting Monday about our still outstanding debt of over $6million for the purchase of the still not fixed ( decrepit in my words) water system and your voting NO to more new housing permits for ICI until the system is fixed and adding, “that it is a shame ICI has not done more to repay any portion of the still owed $6million.”
Dave Sullivan’s answer: ” I always vote what is RIGHT”. …… ……
2 years ago when the residents of Plantation Bay were faced with a potential zoning change abutting Plantation Bay to allow a mandatory all cash business to be open 24/7, with 24 hour lighting, to sell the then not yet approved locations for medical marijuana shops, he led the NO vote on the commission while the then current commissioner voted Yes to the zoning.
Yes, Dave Sullivan certainly has shown me that he votes his conscience, even if we don’t always agree, I know and hope you remember too at election time that if you vote for Dave Sullivan you can be assured that your commissioner will vote what is ‘right’ for us and not ‘best for him/her’.
Thank you once again Dave Sullivan for caring about the residents outside your district while our own commissioner, Joe Mullins called those against the approval having ‘vendettas’ when he voted yes in favor of ICI.”
Commissioner Sullivan has no vendetta with ICI, nor does Commissioner Ericksen who also voted against 132 new homes in Plantation Bay until the water and other issues are solved ,(nor does the undersigned who also just , like Commissioner Sullivan , wants to see things done RIGHT!) Kudos Commissioner Sullivan .. Uncle Ed Sullivan and Aunt Sylvia would be very proud of you too!
ASf says
How is it that Hosseini gets the “green-light” for everything he feels like doing?
Jane Gentile-Youd says
My personal unqualified opinion to ASF question on how Hosseini always gets green light: $$$$$$$$
Dedicated American says
Joe Mullins Who represents the residents of Plantation Bay certainly does not send out true facts. And he is the only one doing anything for “ YOU GUYS”! He tells some of the residents that he is working to get the water utility fixed, are you kidding me. That water utility was getting fix way before he got involved with his politics in this county. Do not listen to him anymore. Heidi Petito and County Administrator Jerry Cameron are working with U.S. Water to get the utility up and running correctly. U.S. Water originally back in 2015, before past county administrator Craig Coffey and the commissioners bought the broken down utility from ICI, Mori Housanni for five and a half million dollars, was told not to spend anymore than one million dollars for it. Are you all filling in the dots. And to date the county has spent a total of $25,226,431.00 and this is not including the four thousand dollars for the new cement tank. The big issue here is ICI is now opening a new subdivision consisting of another 300+ homes that will compromise the utility even more. ICI should be paying more than impact fees to the county. He should be paying for a NEW Water-Waste water facility. The residents should not be responsible for a Hugh increase in their water bills. A third entrance/exit on the Flagler County side should have been demanded before anymore building is done. These commissioners, it seems, have allegiance to ALL the developers. Go to the Supervisor of Elections website, and get all the campaign contributions donated to these three commissioners and that will be an eye opener to you all. Follow the money. Mullins has an agenda for economic development, bad for this county. The past Flagler County administrator David Haas now works for Mori Housanni ICI. People do you all have the picture? We have to get rid of all these commissioners, ESPECIALLY dishonest Joe Mullins. If you all want business in this county to continue, you all have to be involved and TRY to get HONEST people to take these dishonest commissioners out of office and ATTEND BOCC meetings.
tulip says
Dedicated American–your last sentence in your post is absolutely true and well meaning. However, people hear this kind of thought everytime something is wrong, but people don’t follow up and try to do something, such as being careful who you vote for and speaking up at commissioner meetings. Time goes by, people forget, until the next bad idea or mistake comes up, and it starts all over again.
As the populating keeps multiplying by leaps and bounds, places need to be built so people will have a place to live and, hopefully find decent jobs, so building and encroaching on green space will continue on and on, no matter what we say.
Fed Up says
Tulip it is time you and I start a movement and have meetings for the residents of Flagler County to hear just what these commissioners past and present have done. This is the only way we can overturn the horrific injustice being done to this county and by the way, it goes right up to Tallahassee. There is a lot more to Joe Mullins than people can see. Google him to see what Metro Media, Austin Rhodes has to say….
Disgusted in Plantation Bay says
Why am I paying for Security at Plantation Bay when all of the workers going to these new homes simply drive through a construction gate that is left open all day long? One of the guards told me many of them do not have driver’s licenses, get denied access, and go through the construction gate. She also told me it’s because one of the construction managers is the son in law of the Security Director, and is allowed to do whatever he wants, including working before and after hours. If anyone questions this they get fired.