Jacksonville, FL (March 1st, 2021) – The information contained within this section is a Draft Proposal of Legislation for the Community of Baymeadows, proposed by a group of nine Homeowner Association Boards and various Commercial property owners to create a Dependent Special Taxing District “DSTD” based on Florida Statues, Section 189.02, commonly referred to as the Baymeadows Community Improvement District “BCID”. These documents are being made available to provide for the open and transparent dissemination of information in which the public can review.
The BCID is a plan to address the needs for publicly used assets and infrastructure that are failing or in need of maintenance and enhancement due to age and decline within the areas covered by the specific geographic boundary of the BCID. Publicly-used infrastructure would include roads, stormwater and drainage systems and selective common properties.
The BCID provides for the creation of a local representative government body. The “BCID Board” is comprised of 7 Commissioners that would be elected by community membership, to manage and work on behalf of its members in resolving these issues which overlap and are not being served by the dysfunctional coordination of its current homeowner association bodies. This government body would be able to generate a Non-Ad Valorem Assessment from its members only upon the creation of a budget and the annual approval of that budget by the Jacksonville City Council.
The benefits of the BCID will include:
Increase and Protection of Property Values,
Improved Security and Safety,
Enhanced Quality of Life,
Reduced Costs based on Economies of Scale,
Long-Term Maintenance Responsibility of Assets,
Reduced Liabilities, and
Improvements to Public Assets Spread Community Wide
“The Baymeadows community is a unique neighborhood in that it’s public assets are all privately owned and not city maintained”, CM Becton explained. “The HOAs are not able to handle the complexities of these outdated infrastructure needs and with extremely poor coordination between these bodies, improving and enhancing roadways, fixing and improving drainage and storm water systems and other common assets become irresolvable as a result of these items being divided among multiple parties.” Councilman Becton stated. “The neighborhood has to have an overriding authority to tackle these overlapping issues and the BCID in its governance as a special taxing district can provide that structure. While it has been a long process to figure this out, only within the past several years of work by community leaders has the pieces began to fall into place.”
The many various improvements for which the community has identified include maintaining primary roadways that everyone uses and enhancing those roadways with connecting neighborhood sidewalks and lighting which will directly improve safety and security throughout and result in improvements to the Quality of Life for all. Additionally, it has been identified that the drainage and storm water system has been neglected and ignored of maintenance throughout the 50+ years since its inception. The system, which affects all communities within Baymeadows has the potential of being a “ticking time-bomb”, backing up and affecting everyone behind the issues without anyone capable and accountable to the community of the whole.
As a stakeholder and commercial property owner for many years himself, Councilman Becton has seen the decline in the area where the quality of life for residents has deteriorated due to the dysfunctional and independent nature of the associations. With all the new exciting development plans going on in and around the area, it would be disappointing if the residential communities did not take advantage of these changes and improve with them, lifting everyone’s value.
“This can be transformational to area residents and businesses if these problems can be addressed but it will take innovative solutions and bold actions for these things to happen”, CM Becton acknowledged.
The Following are Responses to Frequency Asked Questions:
How did the BCID Legislation and Assessments get Developed and Who Participated?
The assessments have been determined based on potential revenue needs for maintenance and capital improvements as noted within the Engineering Study commissioned by the Baymeadows Community Council vs. the number and type of membership into the BCID (THs, Single Family, Apts, and Commercial, etc.). The assessments, category types and everything else about the BCID has been a combination of many years of discussion, research, analysis and input by lots of Baymeadows Community leaders over the past 10 years who have been interested in its creation. As a result of those discussions, the drafted documents that you now see are a result of all of those efforts in hopes that proposed legislation to create the BCID can be initiated. While nothing is ever perfect and without opposition of some sort (especially when you are taking about assessments), this is where the BCID has landed.
How are the Assessments determined to be Fair and Justified?
Rizzetta and Company is a Florida-based professional community management and consulting firm that provides services to residential and commercial communities throughout the state of Florida. With over 30 years in the industry, Rizzetta and Company are also professionals in helping Community Development District’s (CDD) in their management of administrative and financial duties which is how the BCID will operate. As justification of the methodology used within the BCID for types of memberships and assessments, it was the Baymeadows Community Council’s initiative that partnered with them to provide for their “Rizzetta Feasibility Study”. This feasibility study will provide for an evaluation and analysis of the BCID’s needs vs. revenue and an analysis resulting in the validation and justification of those calculations.
How can I show support for the BCID?
It is vital that the BCID have the support of the community. While no one should be under the illusion that everyone will think that this is a great idea, it is important that for those who do, SHOW IT! First, send Council Member Becton a Supportive Email at [email protected] to add your name and comments to the list of petitions that will be included in the legislation. In addition to communicating your support, encourage him to file the legislation on behalf of the neighborhood and community. Second, talk to your neighbors. Communicate to them the importance of the BCID to the Quality of Life, Security and Safety of the neighborhood and the Protection of Property Values for which the BCID will protect. Get them to email their support as well. Third, once the bill is filed, BE PREPARED to speak at any Public Hearings for the Bill to City Council. Your VOICE will be IMPORTANT to having this legislation passed. Without it, those who Oppose will only be heard.
Check Back as More Q&A Will be added.
For previous information on past meetings, Visit:
Documents Revised and Updated As of August 1st, 2021