Jan. 28, 2010
By Isaac Babcock
The Voice
Seminole County officials have relaxed tensions between the county and Longwood, after miscommunications about a fire station construction project riled the City Commission.
Longwood Mayor John Maingot had expressed anger about the county's handling of the project on the City Commission dais in a Jan. 4 meeting.
"I've just about had it … with what's been going on," Maingot said.
He accused the county of jumping the gun to clear land and build a fire station within Longwood city limits without checking with the city first.
But acting County Manager Joe Forte says Longwood's officials have been pacified after a series of talks with the county.
"Land clearing has not taken place specifically for the station, but it was done for the road expansion and retention pond nearby," Forte said. "The station is still in the design phase."
Before the two governments first met on Jan. 6, some commissioners had accused the county of seemingly building on city land without permission, and destroying property in the process.
Early in the planning for a Seminole County fire station that would be on city property, the county had told the city that they would follow its procedures for building the station.
Seminole County Commission Chairman Bob Dallari said that's definitely the case.
"Why would we not follow their rules?" Dallari asked. "We've always worked within city code."
But Commissioner Butch Bundy had previously accused the county of holding out on sharing the site plan, which he said the county may have finished more than six months ago without showing the city.
City and county officials met with fire department officials to discuss the problems at the site of the proposed fire station during the first week of January, which Forte said helped both entities reach an understanding about the project's status.
Though he agreed that not all issues have been cleared up, Forte said that the city is much happier now that they've lent some clarity to the situation.
"The mayor and the manager came out of the last meeting quite happy," Forte said.
Dallari said that he's working to keep communication open with Longwood, and that he hopes for a smooth completion of the new fire station.
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