Fate of Lealman 'city' in hands of its residents

A study has shown it's feasible. A meeting Wednesday will launch the process to see if neighbors want it.

By ANNE LINDBERG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 4, 2002

LEALMAN -- Community activists have come far in a year.

Last August, they were booted out of a Kenneth City council meeting when elected officials there declined to talk about merging the town and Lealman. Activists were desperate to protect Lealman's borders against repeated annexations.

Last month, the county completed a study saying it is monetarily possible for Lealman to become a city. In fact, Lealman "city" might be better off financially than Kenneth City.

Now the activists need to see if their neighbors in Lealman want their own city. That process will begin Wednesday night.

"This is either going to make some sense to the people or it's not," said Ray Neri, president of the Lealman Community Association. "We're going to try to be as impartial as we can."

If future taxpayers of Lealman "city" appear to like the idea, the ultimate step would be a referendum of the area's voters.

The feasibility study "was all about getting the facts, getting the data, letting folks know what their options are," Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch said.

The study examined how much it would cost for someone to live in Lealman "city," depending on the services offered. Not surprisingly, the more services a Lealman "city" offers, the more it would cost -- up to 50 percent more if Lealman copied Oldsmar's example.

At the other end of the scale, if Lealman modeled itself after Seminole, property taxes could drop -- about $1 a year less on a home with a taxable value of $50,000.

If Lealman patterned itself after Kenneth City, annual property taxes for the same homeowner would decrease by $29.

Businesses would not fare so well because franchise fees would be imposed to pay for some services. In a worst-case scenario, depending on which fees are imposed, businesses could pay eight times as much as they are paying now or $174 more a year.

"Bottom line: It's feasible, but there's still a couple of question marks," Welch said.

One question regards the potential borders of Lealman "city."

The Lealman area stretches from about Interstate 275 west to Park Street. It's generally bounded on the north by 62nd Avenue and on the south by 38th Avenue N. But Kenneth City and Pinellas Park touch each other in the middle, dividing greater Lealman into east and west.

That could be a problem if greater Lealman wants to form a municipality because state law appears to forbid bifurcated cities.

That may not be as much of an obstacle as it first appears, said Lynn Tipton of the Florida League of Cities.

"The Legislature can do anything it wants," Tipton said. "If they choose to allow a bifurcated city, they could."

In fact, Tipton said, the Legislature treats the statute governing municipal incorporations as a guideline. That law also forbids cities from forming within 2 miles of each other, but the Legislature has disregarded that several times.

In Palm Beach County, for example, several cities are separated from each other only by adjoining walls. And when Pelican Bay in Lee County wanted to incorporate, some protested that it was within 2 miles of another city. The Legislature waived that requirement, she said, and let the citizens vote.

Four cities -- Pinellas Park, Seminole, St. Petersburg and Kenneth City -- are within 2 miles of some part of Lealman.

If you're interested

The results of a study to determine if it's financially possible for Lealman to form a city will be discussed Wednesday during a Lealman Community Association meeting. Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch and county budget director Mark Woodard will explain the study and answer questions. The 7 p.m. meeting will be at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6827 (note the new location), 4145 34th St. N. Directions: Turn east on 40th Avenue N (at the Pepsi plant) and take an immediate right. The VFW is one block down. For directions, information, or to set up a time for a presentation about the study, call Ray Neri, Lealman Community Association president, 527-5352. For a copy of the feasibility study, call the Pinellas County Planning Department, 464-8200.

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