Amendment Opposition
The Atlantic Beach City Commission considered a resolution Monday expressing opposition to Amendment 4, the "Hometown Democracy" amendment to the Florida Constitution. The amendment will appear on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. If passed it would require amendments to a local government’s comprehensive plan be approved by voters. The Atlantic Beach resolution calls the amendment counterproductive to quality community planning and says it "will have unintended consequences that will worsen the situation it is intended to cure." The resolution was tabled following discussion but could appear on a later agenda.
Land Development Regulations
Atlantic Beach had a first read of an ordinance Monday night that would make several updates to current land development regulations. Among the changes are returning to the 35-foot height limit in the central business district out of concern that the 25-foot height limit would inhibit future development within the Town Center. Prior to 2002 the height limit was 35-feet. The updates also include changes to the Wetland policy. The policy includes a "no-net-loss" policy that requires wetlands on a proposed development site to be mitigated on-site or elsewhere within the city. A 50-foot buffer must also stand between any new development and primary tributaries of the Intracoastal Waterway.Annual Police Report
The 2009 annual police report was presented at Monday’s meeting. The report showed robberies down 42 percent from 2008 along with a 33 percent decrease in burglaries and 45 percent decrease in auto thefts. The report showed a 72 percent increase in aggravated assaults in 2009, a 10 percent increase in larcenies and a 20 percent increase in rape cases.
Records request fees
The city has decided that charges for records requests will apply to requests that come from City Commissioners. Currently the city charges for public records that take more than 15 minutes to gather. The charge varies depending on the work involved and previously has only applied to members of the public. Commissioners have been able to get public records at no charge.
shane griffis/the recorder
