TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Highlands Today

Zoning Supervisor Gary Lower Resigns

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOE SEELIG

Highlands Today

Published: December 2, 2008

SEBRING - City Zoning Supervisor Gary Lower said Monday he has tendered his resignation because he wanted to retire at age 62 and that will happen before Christmas.

"There are a few things I want to do," said Lower. "I'm just tired of working - coming in every day."

His last day will be Dec. 31.

"It has been a privilege and an honor to serve the citizens of Sebring and work with such a great group of people as staff, the local planning and zoning board, local planning agency, city attorneys and last but not least you and other members of the city council," Lower wrote in a letter to Sebring City Council President Bud Whitlock.

Lower began working for the city on April 2, 2007 after working for Highlands County for 20 years, where he retired after about 16 years as the zoning supervisor. He started as a code enforcement officer, and then became assistant zoning supervisor.

He said he left the county because he could not get along with Development Services Director Jim Polatty.

"I never saw eye-to-eye with him," he said. "That's in the past."

He got along with most everyone else, though. And the same is true with the city.

"These are a great bunch of people," he said. "When I came across from the county I didn't realize I'd meet such nice people."

He did get a little hot with a council member or two recently but said that his Nov. 6 resignation letter had nothing to do with that incident.

At that October meeting the council discussed a zoning reclassification on a residential property off of Lime Street and Poinsettia Avenue that was surrounded by commercial and industrial properties.

The owner, who was called overseas to serve in the military, wanted to put in a daycare facility there, but needed a zoning change to C-1. The measure was passed, but with a condition that it could only be used in the future as a daycare.

Although Lower advised him against it, the owner said to proceed.

As passed, if the business was not a success, or if the owner wanted to sell the property, it would have to be sold with the conditional use, unless the owner would once again pay his fees and come before council.

Lower got into a bit of a verbal joust with members of the council, advising that they not start down the road of instituting conditional-use zoning.

First off he doesn't believe conditional-use zoning is legal, Lower said. He didn't like the precedent it sets.

The CRA was planning a rezone of the entire district and he didn't want to interfere with that, so he held off with rezoning the block. Now he wishes he had, he said.

"I got stared down pretty good," he said. "Don't ask me something if you don't want to hear the truth. I wish now I would have gone before the council and did a consistency rezone on the whole block.

"I was very upset about it, but that wasn't the reason (for the resignation). I always planned on retiring at 62 and I'll be 62 on Dec. 24."

His greatest accomplishment in his brief year and eight months on the job is getting all the city's zoning atlases up to date and digitalized.

On the Highlands County map the city lies within 34 sections. Before it was difficult to find properties, but now it is quick and easy - just enter a name, or address, or parcel identification number "and you can look it up."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT