Community Development District 7 supervisors are defending their decision not to sign onto a new agreement that would have created a second Project Wide Advisory Committee south of State Road 44.
CDD 7 supervisors are holding firm in their position that they will not be forced into signing a new 20-year agreement with the Sumter Landing Community Development District Board of Supervisors.
CDD 7 Board Chairman Jerry Vicenti walked out of a PWAC meeting Monday morning when he was pressured by PWAC Chairman Don Wiley and fellow PWAC member Peter Moeller to call for a vote on his board with regard to the agreement.
Vicenti wasn’t ready to relive that episode during Thursday morning’s CDD 7 board meeting.
“I had a whole written-out statement. But I am going to let it go,” Vicenti said.
Former CDD 7 Supervisor Ron Ruggeri, who was very outspoken during the years he served on PWAC, offered his support for the current board’s refusal to knuckle under.
“This board needs to stand strong,” Ruggeri said.
CDD 7 legal counsel Michael Eckert reviewed some of the sticking points of the PWAC II agreement that would have broken off Community Development Districts 12 and 13 to form PWAC south of State Road 44.
Eckert said that the SLCDD board would not budge on the idea of having an independent engineer inspect infrastructure before it is turned over from the Developer to the resident-funded PWAC. Nor would SLCDD agree to offering a warranty on such infrastructure. The Morse Boulevard Bridge embankment is slated for a repair project that will cost more than $1 million to be paid for by the residents. There was no warranty or independent inspection when that piece of infrastructure was turned over for the residents to fund and support.
Eckert added that the negotiations have been hampered by SLCDD being less than forthcoming.
“It’s all been one way. It’s not a negotiation. We would love to have a negotiation. Not just where one party ignores email from another,” said CDD 7 Supervisor Steve Lapp.
