naplesnews.com
By Charlie WhiteheadThursday, August 10, 2006
On July 21, Schwab Materials sued Lee County for $18 million over 640 acres the company wants to mine on Corkscrew Road in Estero.
That same week, Schwab family members and companies owned by the Schwabs contributed $6,500 to the re-election campaign of Lee County Commissioner Tammy Hall.
Hall says she didn’t know the company was filing suit against the county when she talked with David Schwab. The decision to deny the zoning that would allow rock mining on the 640 acres predates Hall’s tenure on the board, and county attorneys have not yet briefed commissioners or responded to the complaint. In fact, the zoning denial that sparked the suit came in 2002, when her election opponent Andy Coy sat on the board.
“I didn’t even know there was a suit,” Hall said.
Hall said she talked to Schwab about a stakeholder group of Estero residents, landowners and miners hoping to mirror a development blasting task force that produced new rules commissioners adopted earlier this year. With the lawsuit over mining in the Lake Belt in Dade County, potentially cutting off that source of limerock, pressure to mine the 24,000 acres that could be mined in Lee County can only increase, she said.
“I’m looking at the Lake Belt issue, and there are a lot of people pushing for no mining in the DR/GR,” she said, referring to Lee County’s Density Reduction/Groundwater Recharge area. “I’m trying to put something together like we did with blasting, but I don’t want to wait until it’s so explosive.”
One of the key issues in the campaign has become the future of the DR/GR, the 100,000 or so acres mostly in southwest Lee where low-density residential development, agriculture and mining are among the few allowable uses of land. Coy says flatly he will never vote to increase residential densities or other uses in the DR/GR, a stance that has gotten him support from some Estero residents.
Coy says the money is just the most recent instance of Hall loading up on special-interest money. He says increased development should not be allowed in the DR/GR.
“This is why we’re going to win,” Coy said. “The people of Lee County do not want a special-interest commissioner.”
Coy said Hall’s campaign financial reports paint such a stark picture he’s quit reading them.
“It’s so vulgar and so obvious,” he said. “I used to look at them, but I’ve stopped. It was really obvious what’s going on.”
The Schwab money helped boost Hall’s war chest to more than $155,000, the most ever raised for a Lee County Commission race. She established the previous all-time high when she won the seat in 2004, raising $141,080. Coy has raised just more than $41,000.
Hall says it’s her open mind that draws supporters to her banner.
“I’ve not made any commitment to any of these people except to be open-minded and fair,” she said.
As for the lawsuit, Hall said Schwab has the right to sue.
“It’s a right that they have, but I’ll fight on behalf of the county to support our case,” she said.
Hall said the policy decision to allow mining in the DR/GR was made before she — or even Coy — came on the board.
“It’s not a new issue, but no one wants to be proactive about it but me,” she said.
Hall also notes Coy’s pledged to allow no changes in the DR/GR.
“If there are no changes, mines are already allowed,” she said.
Coy’s also advocated moving the proposed route of the new County Road 951 to the east, another position that’s generated some support in Estero.
“It’s so obvious that Tammy has become a lapdog for that group,” said Estero resident Arnold Rosenthal.
“That group,” Rosenthal says, is developers looking to score big on undeveloped DR/GR lands and mining interests wanting to extract limerock literally worth billions.
“She is very articulate and very bright, and she’s on the other side,” Rosenthal said. “She is not protecting my quality of life. She’s protecting their ability to make money.”
Jim Lytell is an anomaly in Estero. Back in March, he contributed $500 to the Hall campaign. Late in July — shortly after the Schwab lawsuit was filed — the Lytell family and their businesses gave $2,000 to Coy.
Florida campaign finance laws allow maximum contributions of $500. David Schwab, Jerry Schwab and Mary Lynn Schwab all gave $500 to Hall, as did 10 Schwab companies.
Jim Lytell, his brother Bill, and Jim Lytell’s two companies each donated $500 to Coy in late July.
“I got an invite to a Tammy Hall fundraiser hosted by the Youngquists,” said Lytell. “I gave her $500. When you get invited to those things you go with a check.”
Lytell says the Youngquists are friends. They also have extensive mining and property interests in the DR/GR, and themselves contributed $5,500 to Hall’s campaign.
Hall has her supporters in Estero, too, like Estero Chamber of Commerce CEO Meg Judge.
“I think it’s important to support a strong woman who is doing an excellent job,” Judge said. “Her door is always open to the Estero community.”
Judge said she enjoyed working with Coy during his decade as a commissioner, but she prefers Hall.
“I don’t agree she’s on the other side,” she said. “We don’t support changes in the DR/GR.”
Hall and Coy are headed for a showdown on Sept. 5. Both are Republicans, and there is no other candidate, so an open primary will decide the winner.
© 2006 Naples Daily News and NDN Productions. Published in Naples, Florida, USA by the E.W. Scripps Co.
