Okaloosa County BOCC — July 15, 2014 — Action Item Printout — reading text

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST DATE: July 15, 2014 TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board FROM: John Hofstad SUBJECT: Shalimar Golf Cart Ordinance - Public Hearing DEPARTMENT: Public Works BCC DISTRICT: District 2 STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Staff is requesting that the BCC convene a Public Hearing on July 15, 2014 to hear arguments both for and against implementation of a new ordinance allowing the use of golf carts on County roads within the Lake Lorraine subdivision of Shalimar. BACKGROUND: Earlier this year, the District 2 Commissioner and County staff were approached by residents of the Lake Lorraine area of Shalimar inquiring about the use of golf carts on County roads in and around the Town of Shalimar. Many of the residents of the Lake Lorraine subdivision are retirees and/or patrons of the local Shalimar Pointe Country Club. Golf carts are a fixture in this area as a means of transportation for those that enjoy the golfing lifestyle. In addition, the Town of Shalimar authorizes the use of golf carts as a means of travel for those residents within their jurisdictional boundary. On May 13, 2014, the District 2 Commissioner, along with staff of Public Works, hosted a Town Hall meeting at the Shalimar Pointe Country Club to engage discussion regarding the use of golf carts on County maintained roads in the area. This meeting was well attended with over 50 area residents participating in the discussion. After an explanation from staff as to the requirements and general conditions for allowing golf cart use on County roads, the Commissioner called for a vote on the issue from those in attendance. The overwhelming majority of residents supported the initiative and asked that the County begin the implementation process. Only a small segment of those in attendance (<10%) did not support the proposal. With the support of the local community, staff began the process of crafting an ordinance which would allow the use of golf carts on County maintained roads in the Lake Lorraine area. The County’s legal counsel drafted the attached ordinance which establishes the requirements/restrictions for the safe operation of golf carts in the Lake Lorraine, Meigs Drive, and Dogwood Drive areas of unincorporated Shalimar. The proposed ordinance is similar to an ordinance previously adopted by the Board in January 2012 which authorized the use of golf carts on County Roads in the vicinity of Rocky Bayou Country Club in the Niceville area. In order to formally adopt the proposed ordinance, the BCC must first convene a Public Hearing to hear arguments both for and against implementation. This meeting was originally scheduled to convene on July 15, 2014 in Fort Walton Beach at, or shortly after, 9:00am. Unfortunately, specific statutory requirements for advertising the public hearing were not met and the meeting has to be rescheduled in order to meet these requirements. For this reason, staff is recommending pushing the public hearing back to the August 19th meeting in Fort Walton Beach with a proposed start time of 6:30pm, or shortly thereafter. OPTIONS: Approve/Disapprove rescheduling the Public Hearing to August 19, 2014 during the regularly scheduled BCC meeting to hear arguments both for and against implementation of a golf cart ordinance for the Lake Lorraine area of unincorporated Shalimar. RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff requests that the Board of County Commissioners reschedule a Public Hearing for August 19, 2014, on or shortly after 6:30pm, to hear arguments both for and against implementation of a golf cart ordinance for the Lake Lorraine area of unincorporated Shalimar. RECOMMENDED BY: APPROVED BY: Ernie Padgett, County Administrator