Right to enjoy your property

June 23, 2024

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all are doing well. Well, we were all praying for rain and we’re getting it. Hopefully just enough to satisfy our needs… Your turnout at our commission meetings has been amazing, thank you all for supporting your community. Participation is essential to the health and well-being of our city and it’s having an impact.

Good Neighbors

Long time Oak Hill citizen Cheryl White used to live at 214 South U.S. Highway 1, in Oak Hill. The house she lived in was built around 1959 by the Edwards family. Her property is currently right next door to City Hall and has been subjected to severe flooding which over time has rendered her home uninhabitable. She hasn’t been able to live in her house for nearly two years now.

Her property and City hall used to be separated by a home and property that was owned by the A.B. Garrett family. Sometime in the mid to late 1980’s, The City of Oak Hill bought the Garrett property, tore down the house, and expanded the parking lot. According to Ms. White, the frequency of flooding increased after the parking lot expansion.

Ms. White recalls that sometime between 2011 and 2014, the city built a large maintenance building on the site of the old Garrett property near the property line that separates City Hall from her property. Ms. White recalls that after the construction of the Maintenance facility, flooding frequency and severity greatly increased. Stormwater began to flood her home’s interior and infiltrate her septic system rendering it unusable.

She reached out to city staff seeking relief and spoke at a couple of City Commission meetings about the problem to no avail. Ms. White even went so far as to file a code violation form against the City of Oak Hill. Click here to see the form she filed. Despite jumping through all the “hoops” the city presented, the flooding continued.

In an effort to stop using Ms. White’s property as a retention pond and to divert the flow of stormwater away from her property the city laid utility poles along the property line. This apparent acknowledgment that a problem existed, was a halfhearted attempt to alleviate it. The water simply ran under the poles. Click here to view some video Ms. White took right after a severe thunderstorm had passed.

Oak Hill ordinance 24-578 says “Except as provided below, no development shall be approved without a potable water distribution system, a sanitary sewage collection system, and a stormwater conveyance system designed and constructed in accordance with the provisions of this section, the state department of environmental protection requirements, manufacturers’ recommended guidelines as may be applicable, and the city’s comprehensive plan. Such systems shall be designed by a state-registered engineer.” 24-578 (3) (b) deals specifically with Stormwater conveyance systems. Click here to view the ordinance.

In 2018 Ms. White signed up with a state program called Rebuild Florida. Click here to visit their website. After hurricane Irma, Rebuild Florida had a truck parked at city hall and was offering assistance to citizens who incurred losses due to the storm. She walked over to see what they had to offer her. Despite six years and multitude of red tape, Rebuild Florida is currently in the process of building Ms. White a brand-new home on her property. What a wonderful thing for her; she is ecstatic and eternally grateful to the state for their generous assistance.

She’s scheduled to be back in her home sometime after July, but still has concerns. Rebuild Florida designed her new home to be a couple feet higher than her previous one, but she realizes that the city has done nothing to provide her relief from the river of stormwater that rushes in from their parking lot during periods of heavy rainfall. Sometimes the stormwater run-off sits in her yard for days.

You see, Ms. White is a disabled person who has difficulty walking. After a heavy rain, the standing water in her yard makes it impossible for her to use her property for simple things like getting to her car or letting her dogs out for exercise or to do their business. Amazingly, Rebuild Florida is scheduled to replace her existing septic system but Ms. White wonders how long it will take for the flooding to overwhelm the new one.

Every citizen should be able to use and enjoy their property as they see fit (within the boundaries of the law) without interference from their neighbors. Ms. White’s new home is cause for celebration and is something we can all be proud of. It’s always nice to see tax dollars used to provide those in need with relief. Now the question remains, will the City of Oak Hill step up, do the right thing, and complete the circle?

Candidates for Mayor and City Commissioners

It looks like this election season is shaping up to be real game changer for our city. The Mayor’s race includes the Challenger, Ricky Taylor, and the 12-year incumbent Douglas Gibson. Two Commission seats are up for grabs, one unchallenged. Carrie Warning ran unopposed and has secured seat #2. Mark Drollinger and Steve McGee are running for seat #4. It’s shaping up to be a good race. As I get more information on the candidates, I will pass it along to you all. Get out and vote this November. It’s the chance you’ve all been waiting for.

City Charter Review

The proposed amendments to our city charter are complete and have been included in a draft ordinance in the form of questions to be included on the November election ballot. Click here to view the draft ordinance.

Oak Hill Community Garden

The Oak Hill Community Garden continues to grow (pun intended) and expand. Citizen response to a request for donations to buy picnic tables for the garden has been impressive. They gave money to have their name inscribed on a placard that will be attached to the picnic tables. Doners are expected to be delivered on Monday June 24, 2024. The cost of tables are being subsidized by a grant from Lowes that includes free assembly and delivery. The placards have been ordered and should be installed by Wednesday. Please stop by and enjoy this wonderful facility.

To find out more about the Oak Hill Community Garden contact Dana Greatrex (386) 405-8261 and click here to visit their website.

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Our City Commissioner’s meeting is Monday, June 24, 2024 at city hall. The time is 6:00 PM. Click here for the agenda pack.

Please come and let your voice be heard. Your presence and participation are how we hold our commission to account.

As always, it’s my pleasure to serve you, I appreciate your support. Please let me know what I can do to help. I’m here to represent you…

Thanks again,