12-02-2009, 12:22 PM
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New Landscaping Restrictions Coming To Lake Co. FL
New Landscaping Restrictions Coming To Lake Co. - Central Florida News 13
Quote:
Reported By Heather Sorentrue
MOUNT DORA -- In an effort to conserve water in Lake County, there are now new rules on what kind of landscaping you can use around new homes and other developments.
Keith Truenow owns a 500-acre farm where he grows several different types of sod, including St Augustine grass.
He is bracing for a hit to his business after county commissioners passed an ordinance restricting how much new homeowners and developers can use St. Augustine.
“It will have a profound effect on all of us,” Truenow said. “The new homeowner and cost to them and also loss of revenue for us.”
County commissioners voted to restrict the use of sod for new developments to 60 percent, and are mandating the remaining 40 percent of landscaping be Bahia grass or Florida native plants that require less water.
“What we're doing now is different, and I think that as Floridians we’ve got to get use to a different type of landscaping, and it does come back to water issues,” said Lake County Commissioner Elaine Renick.
Developers argue the new ordinance will tack on thousands of dollars to the construction costs of both commercial projects and new homes. It’s costs they said will get passed on to homeowners.
“It's going to raise the cost of housing which eliminates every time we raise the price on housing, we eliminate a certain percentage of the public from being able to afford to buy a home,” said George Hansford from the Lake & Sumter Home Builders Association.
County commissioners argue they can't put their heads in the sand any longer when facing a water shortage.
Renick said new homeowners could actually save money in the long run on their water bills.
She said under the new ordinance if developers put in Florida-friendly landscaping, they don't even have to install sprinkler systems.
“It's changing how we do development in the future, and that's unpopular with some people,” Renick said.
Truenow counts himself among them. He believes the county is infringing on property rights and should have tried to get the public to buy into the landscaping changes before mandating them.
The county's new landscaping ordinance goes into effect in 60 days.
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