Hernando Today
Tighter Landscaping Rules Approved
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Published: January 16, 2008
BROOKSVILLE - More water will be conserved and natural vegetation preserved under a stricter county landscaping ordinance approved Tuesday.
That's the hope for the revisions that county staff say strike a compromise between environmentalists who wanted even tighter restrictions and builders who worry that such rules will cripple their industry.
"We looked at this as being an evolutionary process and not a revolutionary process to throw our existing ordinance out," Grant Tolbert, the county's development director, told the board.
Though at least one county commissioner agreed with the environmentalists who argued that high-water use turf such as St. Augustine grass should be banned completely for new development, the board unanimously approved the ordinance.
Among other changes, the revised policy decreases to 50 percent the amount of landscaped area in new residential developments that can be dedicated to "thirsty" grass varieties. The existing ordinance allows 75 percent.
The new rule also limits to 50 percent the amount of high-water use grass on a given lot that can have automatic irrigation.
"I believe the approach taken by staff - a gradual approach to shift away from thirsty lawns - is probably the most prudent ... from a conservation and economic standpoint," Commissioner Dave Russell said.
County Commissioner Diane Rowden disagreed, arguing that now is the time to ban such grasses altogether.
The turf puts an unnecessary strain on the region's water supply, and its need for high amounts of fertilizer contributes to the pollution of water bodies, including Weeki Wachee Springs, Rowden said.
"We've created this monster in Hernando County that we have to keep watering, that we have to keep feeding," Rowden said. "We have an opportunity to make a bold statement."
Chairman Chris Kingsley admitted he was trying to decide "whether this goes far enough." Before voting to approve the measure, he urged the county to be proactive and not wait years to revisit the ordinance again.
St. Augustine grass is not necessarily "the big bad wolf" it's made out to be, Tolbert said. Just as important is the education of residents to prevent them from over-watering.
The revised ordinance also:
- Encourages the use of Florida Friendly Landscape principles, which suggest using native plant species and drought-resistant landscaping.
- Requires new subdivisions and new commercial development to leave 5 or 7 percent of a parcel in its natural state, depending on the size of the development. The ordinance had required developers to leave 3 percent of a parcel in its natural state.
- Requires landowners of property zoned for agriculture to apply for an exemption to the landscape ordinance. Once that exemption is granted, the property is limited to agricultural uses for five years.
That measure is a way, Tolbert said, to "put some teeth in the ordinance" and prohibit developers from purchasing agricultural land, getting the exemption and then immediately building on the property.
- Requires the use of shallow wells, lakes or reclaimed water for automatic irrigation on property larger than two acres.
- Reduces the amount of exceptions that allow for the removal of specimen trees.
The new ordinance is the result of more than a half dozen meetings between county staff, environmentalists and developers. Each side praised the county for the inclusive process, but used Tuesday's meeting as a final chance to bend the ear of policymakers before the vote.
Janey Baldwin, a civic activist and member of the Withlacoochee River Basin Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, said the county has a chance to head off the kind of water shortage disasters already seen throughout the country and in other parts of Florida by banning turf grass.
"What are we waiting for?" Baldwin asked the board. "To turn on the faucet and nothing comes out? Let's take the bull by the horns."
Joe Murphy, conservation chairman of the Hernando Audubon Society, called the ordinance "a step in the right direction" but told the commission "it could and should go farther."
Murphy said Audubon agreed with a ban on turf grass but proposed a compromise to reduce the allowed amount to 30 percent.
In a state of more than 18 million people, "We have to redefine what is sustainable," Murphy said.
However, Realtor Gary Schraut said that "the issue of water conservation should not totally dominate the landscape ordinance." He warned that the measure could wind up hurting an already slumping real estate market and impose undue cost burdens on landowners and developers.
Mark Hutchinson, conservation chairman of the Florida Native Plant Society, countered that a ban on turf grass would not "cost anybody anything. It's going to save them money."
Bob Eaton, a member of the Hernando Builders Association's government affairs committee, told the board that new residents have a right to a lifestyle that includes the type of grass and landscaping they install.
"If you get overzealous with regulation, you're going to have nothing but dead yards and weeds," Eaton said.
Dudley Hampton Jr., president of HBA, said the association agrees with 95 percent of the ordinance and even acknowledged that thirsty grass's days are numbered.
"If we're proactive, continue to plan it out and develop a long-term strategy," Hampton said, "we can get to the point of no turf grasses."
Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( pete34613 ) on January 17, 2008 at 10:01 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I have St. Augustine and I only water once a week like I am supposed to. My lawn looks great. People who water their St Augustine grass more do not allow the root structure to grow deep enough therefore needing more water. It is somehat drought tolerant if you train it. People need to be educated on how to properly manage their lawn for best results while being conservative of natures precious resource water. No ordinance is going to fix stupidity.
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