Not all campers are neat and clean! Will this be Tavares?
Update Aug28: City staff told me that the potholes were not their responsibility because, even though houses on Sunshine Ln. are in Tavares and pay city taxes, the street is maintained by the County. But the city called the County, and the potholes were fixed 2-days ago. At the August 27 meeting of the County Board, I gave input explaining there needs to be a "one stop" website or app for people to post road complaints, and then the County sorts out which agency is responsible and would get the complaint. Sean Parks liked the idea and asked staff to research locating an app to do that. Progress takes SHOWING up at government meetings and providing verbal input which is on the record.)
Update Aug 24: The Tavares City Council decided to NOT go forward with primitive camping in the Tavares Nature Park after listening to 30+ angry neighbors. You can see our entire video of the meeting HERE! The text also includes an overview of other meeting issues and results.
This is the original article BEFORE the August 21, 2019 City Council meeting:
The Tavares, FL City Council will be considering a proposal to allow "primitive camping" in the "Tavares Nature Park" bordering both city and county residential roads and Lake Dora. Some critics believe such a plan will attract homeless campers to the quiet residential neighborhood on canals connected to Lake Dora.
Note: This page will be updated when new information is available.
Agenda Item 12 (see link below) in the DETAILED agenda packet for the Wednesday, Aug. 21 Tavares City Council meeting, initiated by Councilmember Roy Stevenson, proposes approval of "primitive camping" without supervision in the Tavares Nature Park.
I live on Milwaukee Ave. where the park entrance and public bathrooms are located (Milwaukee Ave.) and most affected homes on that street are in unincorporated Lake County. See the map:
Will the Tavares City Council attract homeless by approving "primitive camping" in the Tavares Nature Park?
Even the staff notes that problems can occur like:
- the attraction of a homeless population, which was the reason why a similar plan was halted at Lake Griffin State Park in Leesburg.
- Most locations with primitive camping are STATE PARKS with onsite park rangers and fees for campfires. This Tavares proposal has no such plan to fund or assign a full time "Ranger" to monitor campers.
- The Lake Louisa Park Manager stated their biggest issue was primitive campers was the chopping down of trees for firewood.
- There was no discussion of the fire risk from unsupervised campers.
- There does not seem to be a rational plan to deal with the trash left by campers. Eustis has constant problems with trash, but I am told the Eustis police were told not to enforce litter laws.
- Complicating the issue is both Tavares city and Unincorporated County residences are on the Milwaukee Ave / Sunshine Lane. Tavares residents on Sunshine Lane are already angry at the city due to huge potholes on their road, while the County road (Milwaukee Ave.) is usually fixed quickly. Here is a picture of giant potholes in the Tavares City area that make locals angry.
Tavares residents are angry about large, unfixed potholes on Sunshine Ln.
- The need for bear lockers to prevent bears from stealing food. There are both bears and coyotes in that preserve, along with raccoons and squirrels (plus alligators). This is a picture of an actual bear on Milwaukee Ave. that came from the Tavares Nature Park behind him, along with the trash he dragged out of a trash can.
One of the local Tavares Nature Park bears.
- When it rains, areas within the Park are flooded, which may complicate use.
- This proposal should not be considered at all without a full-time park ranger to monitor the situation.
- Plus, has the Tavares Police Chief and the Sheriff been involved with a plan to provide security? Since the street and most homes fronting the Nature park are in the County, they will be calling the Sheriff vs the Tavares Police. Do both agencies have a plan to deal with homeless and other activities generated by allowing primitive camping?
Since the agenda item 12 has Option 1 to approve implementation, I would think that there should be a notification to the entire neighborhood about the planned policy by mail and posted signs. I LIVE on the street affected by this issue.
The other option is that the Tavares City Council should completely kill this BAD idea at the August 21 meeting.
Conclusion and Recommendation to Tavares City Council & Staff:
1. Councilman Roy Stevenson's proposal allowing unsupervised "primitive camping" in the Tavares Nature Park should be DENIED due to all the reasons above.
2. If any other choice is considered, the matter should be tabled until ALL the nearby City and County residents are notified TWO WEEKS before consideration by mail and with visible signs in the area about the proposal.
More pictures are below.
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Vance Jochim
352-638-3578
Tavares, FL
Lake County, FL Fiscal Watchdog blogger
FiscalRangers.com
YouTube: FiscalRangersFlorida channel
Twitter: FiscalRangers
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