March 2006

 www.CharlotteCountyFL.com

Grand Opening - The Building Construction Services Department is looking forward to moving into their new quarters at the former Murdock Library Building at 18500 Murdock Circle, Port Charlotte.  A grand celebration will be held on Thursday, April 6, 2006, 10:00 a.m. and the public is invited to tour the new offices.  This move will enable the department to provide enhanced and expanded customer services as well as install updated technology and filing systems.  In preparation for the move, the department's regular services will be unavailable on April 3 and 4 as the furnishings and files at the former location are dismantled and packed for the move.  The department's phone service, 941.743.1201, will continue operating during the relocation and the Englewood offices, located at 6868 San Casa Drive will be open from 8 am to 5pm with limited services.  Customers can use the convenient online permitting at www.CharlotteCountyFl.com.  Inspections will continue as normal and dispatch will be fully operational.  We regret the inconvenience to our customers, but we are certain you will appreciate the enhanced services the Building Construction Services Department will offer in their new location.

Ground Breaking on our newest Charlotte County park took place on March 13 as participants enjoyed Florida folk songs and feasted on swamp cabbage, a traditional local delicacy.  The Bayshore Live Oak Park is a seven acre historical linear park that will feature a riverwalk, picnic area, pavilions, walking trails, boardwalks and historical artifacts.  The park is located on Bayshore Road in Charlotte Harbor adjacent to the County Historical Center and is expected to be completed in 2007. In the meantime, the public can enjoy magnificent sunsets from the park property which follows the shoreline along Charlotte Harbor.

Babcock Ranch on April Agenda - On April 4, 1:00 p.m. the Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners will be asked to approve a Development Agreement and Interlocal Agreements between Kitson & Partners, Lee County Board of County Commissioners and the Florida Department of Community Affairs.  In addition, the Board will be asked to approve a Large Scale Plan Amendment of the Comprehensive Plan. The development agreement has been posted (Agreement) and further details will be available online next week on the Commission Agenda page of the County website.

The Babcock Ranch project consists of development and non-development within approximately 81,499 acres in Charlotte County and approximately 9,862 acres in Lee County.  The total development within both Charlotte and Lee counties will consist of approximately 19,500 residential units and approximately 6,000,000 square feet of non-residential uses.  

Water Conservation is being Encouraged in Charlotte County as an unusually dry March ends and we enter into our traditionally dry months of April and May.  Charlotte County Utilities (CCU) is asking all residents to comply with watering restrictions and to refrain from using drinking water for irrigation and landscaping. Compliance with the one day per week watering schedule will ensure that you have drinking water available for your family, your pets and home consumption.  Charlotte County practices year-round water restrictions as follows:

• Addresses ending in an even number, or letters A through M can water on Tuesday ONLY.
• Addresses ending in an odd number, or letters N through Z can water on Sunday ONLY
• Locations where no address can be determined can water on Sunday ONLY.
• No watering is allowed between the hours of 10:00 am and 4:00 pm ON ANY DAY.

To protect our customers who are adhering to the restrictions, CCU will enforce all current watering policies and is prepared to issue warnings and citations for repeat violations.

Feeling thirsty? For a truly refreshing and award-winning beverage, look beyond the cans and bottles in your refrigerator and set your sights on your kitchen faucet. Charlotte County Utilities made its mark in Tallahassee last week when it placed third in a statewide Drinking Water Taste Test, surpassing hundreds of public and private utilities throughout the state of Florida.

The taste test was sponsored by the Florida Section of the American Water Works Association as part of National Drinking Water Day, March 22, which honors water providers nationwide and their role in providing citizens with safe and healthy drinking water. As part of the 2006 State Legislative Session, the Tallahassee event is also intended to raise awareness of water issues among state lawmakers and the public.

Charlotte County secured its place in the statewide competition at a regional taste test held February 22. CCU was awarded the title of best tasting drinking water in Region X, which represents water utilities in Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Murdock Village Oral Presentations Rescheduled - Developers wishing to partner with the County on the Murdock Village Development project will be giving oral presentations to the County's Professional Services Committee in April, instead of March as original announced.  Presentations will take place over two days as follows:

• Falcon Tranwell Webb, April 13, 2006, 8:30 a.m.

• Forest City Land Group, April 13, 2006, 1:30 p.m.

• Kitson & Partners, April 14, 2006, 8:30 a.m.

• Stock Development, April 14, 2006, 1:30 p.m.

The meetings will be open to the public and will take place in the Commission Meeting Room in the Murdock Administrative Complex.  The meeting can also be viewed on CCTV-20, or accessed live on-line at www.CharlotteCountyFL.com.

Easy Contractor Search - The newest feature on the County website is Contractor Search.  You can now easily search for licensed contractors by trade; roofers, plumbers, drywall, etc. 

We are always looking for ways to improve our website by continuously adding new information and making the site easy to navigate.  If you have any suggestions for content or are having trouble locating what you need, let us know:  webmaster@charlottecountyfl.com.

Audio Books available online - Listen to a good book via the County website.  Library patrons have access to 1100 audio books 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, up to 10 "books" at a time!  Check out our audio book database.  

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Citizens' Academy Looking for Recruits - Want to know more about your County government?  Having difficulty understanding some of the complex issues facing the community today?  Then the place for you is the Charlotte County Citizens' Academy!  The next session will begin on May 3 and meet each Wednesday for five weeks. Each class is a full day of behind the scenes action at a variety of locations within County government, meeting with elected officials and staff, and learning about how government works for you.  The deadline to apply for this session is April 14. More information and applications can be found online - Citizens' Academy.

Charlotte Sports Park - It's Spectacular! - This County facility continues to draw crowds with a wide variety of programs and activities.  Just a few of the activities are mentioned here, for more information call 941.743.2425.

• April 3 - 13 - Five high schools from snow country (Northeast U.S.) will have their spring training right here in Charlotte County

• April 9 - Charlotte Sheriff's Office K-9 Demo

• April 15 - Easter Egg Hunt, 9:00 a.m. - noon

EnviroFashion Extravaganza - Laugh yourself silly or gaze in awe at these wonderful fashions designed solely from recycled materials!  Sponsored by Keep Charlotte Beautiful, Inc., this event is not to be missed; you can never tell which community notable will walk down the runway.  Vote for your favorite model and participate in silent auctions.  For only $20 (Students $5) experience an evening of fun and fashion including Hors d'oeuvres and beverages.  All proceeds benefit Keep Charlotte beautiful environmental projects.  Saturday, April 29, 7:00 p.m. at the Edison College Auditorium.  Call 941.764.4390 or 941.743.1247 for tickets.

Looking for Hurricane Debris!   Do you have a piece of hurricane debris that tells your story? The Charlotte County Historical Center is seeking interesting items from the public reminiscent of our Hurricane Charley experiences to borrow for the upcoming exhibit Hurricane Charley: Winds of Change, opening in April.  Hurricane Charley: Winds of Change will be on exhibit from April 24 through September 9, 2006. Look for related programs at the Historical Center – Emergency Management Director Wayne Sallade will speak on Saturday May 6th. Wink TV Meteorologist Jim Farrell will give a talk on Friday, July 14, and more.  The Charlotte County Historical Center, a division of the Charlotte County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department, is located at 22959 Bayshore Road in Charlotte Harbor. The exhibit galleries are open from 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. For more information call (941) 629-PAST (7278).
 

MEETINGS

The Board of County Commissioners hold their regular meetings at 9:00 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month.  Land use issues are addressed the third Tuesday of each month.

To view the agenda for the Board meetings click here: Commission Agenda.  The meetings can also be viewed live on CCTV20, (Comcast Channel 20) or can be viewed via live stream on our website - Streaming Video 

A variety of government meetings are archived for on-demand viewing. Check out our inventory here: On Demand Video

Charlotte County has dozens of official meetings and activities each month.  For an itemized listing click here: Meeting Calendars

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