The Issue Whether Resolution No. P54-97 of the Monroe County Planning Commission should be affirmed, reversed or modified.
Findings Of Fact There are no issues of material fact in dispute. Respondent, Department of Children and Families (Department), pursuant to section 394.9151, Florida Statutes (2018),1/ has contracted with a private entity, Wellpath, LLC (Wellpath), to use and operate a facility, Florida Civil Commitment Center (FCCC), to comply with the requirements of chapter 394, part V (entitled “Involuntary Civil Commitment of Sexually Violent Predators”). Petitioners are persons subject to chapter 394, part V, and are confined in the FCCC. Petitioners allege that the FCCC Resident Handbook and internal memorandum are unpromulgated rules which are imposed on FCCC residents, and that the same are an improper exercise of delegated legislative authority as de facto agency rules that have not been adopted pursuant to the rulemaking procedures of section 120.54(1)(a), Florida Statutes.
The Issue The issue in this case is whether Comprehensive Plan Amendment 2002-02, adopted by the Town of Jupiter (Town) as Ordinance 62-02, is "in compliance" as defined in Section 163.3184(1)(b), Florida Statutes.1
Findings Of Fact The Parties Petitioner, Anna Current, resides at property on the Jupiter River in the Town of Jupiter at 711 Ryan Road, Jupiter, Florida 33477. The Town of Jupiter (Town) is a municipality of the State of Florida whose address is 210 Military Trail, Jupiter, Florida. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is the state land planning agency with the duty to review comprehensive plan amendments pursuant to Sections 163.3164(20) and 163.3184. The Amendment Amendment 2002-02 (Amendment), which was adopted by the Town's Ordinance 62-02, consists of four text amendments, one amendment to the Transportation Map Series, and one amendment to the future land use map (FLUM) element. The first text amendment amends the Transportation Element by adding Policy 2.2.6. Policy 2.2.6 requires updates to the Town's Bicycle Transportation Master Plan. The second text amendment amends the text of the Conservation Element. Specifically, it amends Policy 1.2.5 to reference the June 2000 as opposed to the December 1985 version of the "Loxahatchee River National Wild and Scenic River Management Plan." The third text amendment adds two new policies to the Intergovernmental Coordination Element of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. These policies reference and adopt certain parameters for the Western Corridor Interlocal Agreement, an interlocal agreement between the Town, Palm Beach County and Martin County. The fourth text amendment amends certain tables related to Level of Service and Capacity Standards in the Public School Facilities Element. The fifth change adds Figures 10 and 10a and amends Figures 5, 6 and 7 of the Transportation Map Series. The sixth and final section of the Amendment changes the Future Land Use Map for the Town of Jupiter. Specifically, it redesignates 12.3 acres in Jupiter Community Park from the recreation land use category to the conservation land use category. The Adoption Process On August 13, 2002, the Town's Planning and Zoning Commission, acting as the local planning agency (LPA), held a public hearing and recommended that the Jupiter Town Council approve seven separate comprehensive plan amendments. These amendments consisted of five text amendments, an amendment to the Transportation Map Series (with modifications), and a Future Land Use Map (FLUM) amendment. Petitioner testified that this LPA public hearing was not advertised in advance. The Town's witness, David Kemp, who is the Town's Principal Long Range Planner, did not dispute Petitioner's testimony; instead, he testified that he did not recall whether this LPA public hearing was advertised. There was documentary evidence that, on July 7, 2003, the Town Planner sent an e-mail message to the Town's Clerk informing her that, with regard to Petitioner's request for "proof of publication" of the advertisement for the LPA meeting on August 13, 2002, the Town Planner's staff had reviewed all relevant files and was unable to locate the requested public records. There also was documentary evidence that the Town's Records and Archives Manager notified the Town's Clerk by e- mail on April 29, 2003, that Petitioner had requested a copy of the "proof of publication" of the advertisement for the LPA public hearing on August 13, 2002, and had been informed that no advertisement was necessary since it was a regular meeting of the LPA. The minutes of the LPA's meeting on August 13, 2002, show that the six component parts being considered as part of the proposed Amendment 2002-02 were on the LPA's regular meeting consent agenda. The minutes indicate that two of the components were "pulled" from the consent agenda. The minutes also indicate that no one in attendance at the meeting spoke on the proposed amendments. The minutes do not reflect that the LPA or any of its members invited public participation before a vote was taken on the six components of the proposed amendments. Neither the Town nor DCA introduced evidence of an advertisement for the LPA's meeting on August 13, 2002, notwithstanding their listing of proof of publication of the advertisement as a joint exhibit of the DCA and the Town in their Joint Prehearing Statement, and Petitioner's stipulation to its admissibility. The minutes of the LPA meeting on August 13, 2002, reflect that Petitioner was not present during the consent agenda portion of the meeting. They indicate that she appeared later for the regular agenda portion of the meeting and spoke in favor of a site plan/special exception/PUD application being considered during that portion of the meeting. On Tuesday, September 3, and Tuesday, September 17, 2002, the Jupiter Town Council held public hearings and approved the transmittal of Ordinance 62-02, consisting of all seven of the proposed plan amendments recommended by the LPA, to DCA. The transmittal public hearing was held on a weekday at least seven days after the advertisement for the public hearing, which appeared in the Palm Beach Post, a newspaper of general circulation in the Town, on August 25, 2002. The advertisement included the title of the proposed Ordinance 62- 02, in bold: AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN . . . AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 57-89, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF THE TOWN . . . ; AMENDING THE TEXT OF THE CONSERVATION, FUTURE LAND USE, INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION, AND PUBLIC SCHOOL FACILITIES ELEMENTS; AMENDING THE TEXT AND MAP SERIES OF THE TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT; PROVIDING FOR AN AMENDMENT TO THE FUTURE LAND USE ELEMENT TO CHANGE THE LAND USE DESIGNATION OF A 12.3 ACRE PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE TOWN'S COMMUNITY PARK AT 3377 CHURCH STREET FROM A RECREATION DESIGNATION TO A CONSERVATION DESIGNATION; . . . . The advertisement also included a map showing the location of the 12.3-acre property. At the transmittal hearing, the public was invited to comment, and three individuals offered public comments. On September 26, 2002, DCA received the proposed amendments. Although the Town requested that DCA not review the Amendment or issue an Objections, Recommendations, and Comments Report (ORC report), Petitioner requested a review and ORC report, and DCA determined that a review and ORC report were necessary, even if not requested by Petitioner. DCA conducted a review of the proposed amendments for consistency with the requirements of Chapter 163, Part II, Florida Statutes, Florida Administrative Code Rule 9J-5, the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council Strategic Policy Plan, and Chapter 187, Florida Statutes (the State Comprehensive Plan), and issued an ORC report to the Town of Jupiter on November 27, 2002. The ORC report raised only one objection, specifically to a text amendment that would allow for increased densities in the Coastal High Hazard Area. The Town Council held a public hearing on December 17, 2002, at which six of the seven proposed changes contemplated by the transmitted proposed amendments were adopted. (The Town did not adopt the amendment to which DCA has objected in the ORC report.) This adoption hearing was held on a weekday at least five days after the advertisement for the public hearing appeared in the Palm Beach Post, a newspaper of general circulation in the Town. The advertising appeared on December 10, 2002. The advertisement included, in bold, the same title of the proposed Ordinance 62-02 as the transmittal hearing advertisement, except that reference to the text change to the Future Land Use Element was omitted. The advertisement also included a map showing the location of the 12.3-acre property (as well as other properties affected by other ordinances being advertised at the same time). At the adoption hearing, Petitioner offered written comments. There were no other comments or objections. Petitioner attempted to prove that the Town failed to meet a statutory requirement to provide sign-forms for comprehensive plan amendment hearings. She proved that no sign-in forms were provided for the LPA hearing on August 13, 2002. She did not prove that no sign-in forms were provided for the transmittal hearings in September 2002 or for the adoption hearing in December 2002. On December 23, 2002, DCA received the Town’s adopted Amendment 2002-02 for review. DCA conducted a review of adopted Amendment 2002-02 for consistency with the requirements of Chapter 163, Part II, Florida Statutes, Rule 9J-5, the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council Strategic Policy Plan, and Chapter 187, Florida Statutes (the State Comprehensive Plan). Amendment 2002-02 was found to be "in compliance." DCA's witness, Senior Planner, Dr. Joseph Addae- Mensa, testified that DCA's review of an adopted plan amendment includes verification that the local government held the required advertised transmittal and adoption hearings. According to his testimony, this ordinarily is accomplished by a simple review to ascertain that the local government included the usual statement in its submission to DCA to the effect that the required advertised public hearings had been held. In this case, the Town's submission included such a statement, and DCA's review went no further. Town's Public Participation and Advertising Requirements Petitioner asserts that the Town's adoption of Resolution No. 58-87 on December 1, 1987, specified additional or more stringent public participation and notice procedures for the consideration and recommendation of comprehensive plans and amendments by the Town's LPA and for the adoption of such plans by the Town's governing body. However, Section 1 of the Resolution stated: The Town of Jupiter hereby adopts the following procedures [for the LPA and Town Council] to implement . . . [minimum] criteria as established by [DCA] . . . pending the enactment of permanent provisions by Ordinance, provided, however, that any failure by the Town to fully comply with the technical requirements hereof shall not be cause to invalidate the adoption of any Amendments to the Jupiter Comprehensive Plan which otherwise meet the requirements of law . . . . In addition, on March 3, 1998, the Town's new home-rule charter became effective. It provided in Article VI that "procedures for the adoption of ordinances and resolutions for the Town of Jupiter shall be as made and provided by the Florida Statutes, as may be hereafter amended and revised" and that the Town Council "may provide, by appropriate action, requirements for the adoption of ordinances and resolutions which are more stringent than those set forth in the Florida Statutes." There was no evidence of any subsequent "appropriate action" to establish procedures that are "more stringent . . . than those set forth in the Florida Statutes." Resolution 58-87 was neither repealed nor re-enacted after the effective date of the home-rule charter. However, it appears that the home-rule charter should be viewed as repealing or superseding Resolution 58-87. In any event, for purposes of this proceeding, as indicated, Resolution 58-87 did not add any compliance review criteria to the "requirements of law." Data and Analysis for the Conservation Element Petitioner attempted to challenge the text amendment to the Conservation Element of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. The Amended Petition states: "The restrictions placed on the Loxahatchee River Buffer were hastily prepared, flawed, and dubious in value. It was submitted without valid data and analysis." It was determined at the hearing that Petitioner actually mistakenly was seeking to challenge either a subsequent FLUM amendment considered by the Town Council in July, 2003, or land development regulations that were considered by the Town Council in February, 2003. These are not the changes to the Conservation Element of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan adopted in Amendment 2002-02. The amendment at issue here merely changed a reference from the December 1985 version of the "Loxahatchee River National Wild and Scenic River Management Plan" to the June 2000 plan. Submitted with the Amendment was data and analysis in the form of a staff report describing the procedural process used to adopt the amendment to the Conservation Element, staff analysis, and a narrative explanation of why this essentially housekeeping item was needed. Petitioner presented no evidence at hearing that this minor change to the Conservation Element was submitted without adequate valid data and analysis. Data and Analysis for the Transportation Element Petitioner challenged the modification of Transportation Map Series figures 5, 6 and 7, and on the basis that they were supported by old data from 1999. DCA did not raise this as an objection in their ORC report. The Florida Department of Transportation ("FDOT") did raise the issue of old data as an objection in its comment letter to DCA dated October 21, 2002. After receipt of the comment letter, however, Town Staff contacted FDOT regarding the objection. Town Staff explained that the Town was completing a transportation study related to the Indiantown Road Corridor and indicated the Town's commitment to incorporating the data and analysis contained in the final transportation study into the Transportation Element in a subsequent round of comprehensive plan amendments. At the final hearing, David Kemp, Principle Long Range Planner for the Town, testified that the Transportation Map Series amendments were to reflect only the possible alignment of a future roadway, that the Town had utilized the most current data based on the interlocal agreement and the alignments shown in the interlocal agreement, and that the Town had resolved the FDOT's concerns regarding the data. Submitted with the Amendment was data and analysis in the form of a staff report describing the procedural process used to adopt the amendment to the Transportation Element and Map Series, staff analysis which responded to FDOT's objections, and a narrative explanation describing the changes and why they were needed. Petitioner did not prove beyond fair debate that the Transportation Map Series amendment was not supported by data and analysis. Other Substantive Issues Other issues Petitioner may have raised in her challenge to the compliance determination in this case either were dropped or were unfounded, some having been mistakenly directed to Town action other than the Amendment at issue in this case.
Recommendation Based upon the foregoing Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, it is RECOMMENDED that DCA enter a final order finding the Town's Amendment 2002-02 to be "in compliance." DONE AND ENTERED this 24th day of October, 2003, in Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida. S __________________________________ J. LAWRENCE JOHNSTON Administrative Law Judge Division of Administrative Hearings The DeSoto Building 1230 Apalachee Parkway Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3060 (850) 488-9675 SUNCOM 278-9675 Fax Filing (850) 921-6847 www.doah.state.fl.us Filed with the Clerk of the Division of Administrative Hearings this 24th day of October, 2002.
