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Three Sisters in Crist's hands

Backers of purchase urging supporters to contact governor

Supporters of the effort to buy the Three Sisters Springs property in Crystal River are praising state Sen. Charlie Dean and state Rep. Ron Schultz for including money in the budget to make the purchase possible.

Now they need Gov. Charlie Crist on board, too.

The budget includes a special $2 million allocation for an unnamed Citrus County project that is designed for the Three Sisters purchase, Dean aide Kevin Sweeney said.

Crist, who has said he will not veto the entire budget, has the right to line-item veto. He hasn't received the budget yet but when he does, Crist has 15 days to veto projects.

"Anyone with any interest at all needs to contact the governor's office by e-mail, phone or carrier pigeon," Sweeney said. "If it's important to you, now is the time to act."

The city of Crystal River and the Southwest Florida Water Management District are combining to buy the property from a team of investors headed by Tampa businessman Hal Flowers.

The water district plans to use about 30 percent of the property to retain stormwater; the city plans to lease the remainder to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for programs and oversight.

George Willson, senior associate for The Conservation Fund — a national organization that acts as a conduit for government purchases of private property — said if the money stays intact he expects a closing by July.

"We think it's going to get bought," Willson said. "We have the money."

A state appraisal that fell short of the owner's asking price nearly killed the deal, at least for a year.

The Florida Communities Trust, or FCT, in 2008 awarded up to $6.3 million toward the purchase. The actual amount would be 70 percent of the appraised value, Crystal River City Manager Andy Houston said.

A Department of Community Affairs appraisal came in at $4.3 million, said Gene McGee, a Tallahassee lobbyist who lives in Citrus County and who backs the Three Sisters purchase. That lowered the FCT grant to about $3 million. Even with money promised by the federal, city and county governments, plus a private trust and community donations, that left the state about $2 million short of the $12 million price that buyers and seller were keying in on, McGee said.

Other appraisals, particularly one done by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, came in much higher because they took the value of the spring into account, which the DCA did not.

Through a series of budget maneuverings, Dean was able to make up the difference from a Working Waterfronts program. He then replaced that $2 million with the FCT allocation that wouldn't be used for Three Sisters, Sweeney said.

"He was trying to work under the radar," he said.

Both Dean, R-Inverness and Schultz, R-Homosassa, included the Three Sisters money in the budget that was recently passed by the Legislature.

McGee said the purchase price is expected to be $11.8 million.

Sweeney said Dean didn't want to see the project wait another year for another state appraisal that could have killed the purchase.

"The senator did not want to see Three Sisters be developed or become something it shouldn't become," Sweeney said. "He wanted to make sure it was saved."

Now the focus is on Crist.

Lace Blue-McLean, president of the Friends of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge, said members of her organizations and other groups will be contacting Crist.

"We want to thank him for the support he's had in the past for the Three Sisters and encourage him to continue that support," Blue-McLean said. "We really want to stress the fact that there's a whole lot of support here from a lot of folks."

Sweeney said Dean has encouraged Crist to visit Three Sisters.

"Sen. Dean has invited the governor almost every week to come down and see Three Sisters," Sweeney said. "We're still hoping to get him down here before he takes out that veto pen."

CALL OR WRITE

Supporters of the Three Sisters Springs property purchase are encouraged to contact Gov. Charlie Crist, asking him to keep money for the project in the budget.

E-MAIL: Charlie.Crist@myflorida.com
PHONE: (850) 488-7146
MAIL: Office of Governor Charlie Crist, State of Florida, The Capitol, 400 S. Monroe St., Tallahassee, FL 32399

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