An ordinance change will allow a commercial building project at the intersection of Thomasville Road and Velda Dairy to move forward.
Tallahassee Commissioners okayed the plan Wednesday despite a petition signed by thousands of city residents opposing the project. Opponents worry about the impact the project could have on the area’s tree canopy.
Ann Bidlingmaier, who was on the original committee that wrote Tallahassee’s tree ordinance in the 80’s, was one of more than 30 members of the public who spoke on the issue at the city’s recent meeting. She acknowledges Thomasville is not a canopy road, but aruges that doesn’t mean the trees shouldn’t be protected. And she’s worried that the plan will reduce the tree buffer, the area between commercial properties or roads from residential areas, from 150 feet to 30 feet.
“I am appalled that a developer could ask and expect rezoning that would negatively affect a pristine canopy along Thomasville and four neighborhoods. Reducing the buffer to 30 feet indicates a gross misunderstanding of length and size. 30 feet is nothing. 30 feet cannot sustain vegetation or even landscaping. The trees wiped out to reduce this buffer could also be a good protection during storms, not to mention the resulting flooding and erosion that would occur with tree removal,” she said.
The proposal comes from the Ghazvini family’s Premier Fine Homes and Faith Lutheran Church. The church sold a portion of the land to the developers for proposed commercial use while rebuilding their church that had burned down.
City staff found there is no official designation protecting the canopy in that area, and that the proposal is in line with the city’s comprehensive plan. Erin Tilton, a lawyer for the developers, said the petition misrepresents the proposal.
“This misinformation has been repeated. It's been reported in the news. It's been placed on a petition that's been signed by 1000s of people that does not make it true,” she said.
She encouraged the commissioners to trust their staff.
“They've done a very thorough job. They've done an excellent analysis of this property, and they've told you the put amendment is consistent with the comp plan. It meets the criteria for approval,” she said.
Despite some concerns from the public, the commission passed it on its common 3-2 split. Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey said he thinks the project is a good idea.
“I know this is hard for the neighborhoods to hear, but this is a major commercial corridor, and with the realignment of ox bottom and Velda Dairy, with traffic improvements that are going to come into play as well, this is the type of development I truly believe that we need,” he said.
Commissioner Jeremy Matlow disagreed.
“I think this is a very dangerous precedent for this body to set ignoring well established Preservation Areas. I think the Northeast has been such a successful and desired community because of the thoughtful planning that went into it, even with the expansion of a six-lane highway to continue to preserve what is an actual buffer and not fall into ever ending fast food chains like we've seen on North Monroe or capital circle,”
While the change for zoning was approved, the project still must go through permitting for what will be built. Here’s information on other items discussed at the commission meeting.
Fluoride update
Tallahassee City Commissioners received a report from experts about why the city puts fluoride treatment in its water. It came as the state Health Department no longer recommends its use.
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that can improve oral health and reduce cavities. About 70% of cities around the country add it to their water.
In August of 2024, the United States National Toxicology Program published a monograph finding that there was a linkage between fluoride in drinking water and lower IQs in children when there were more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter. That led to a federal court finding the EPA should regulate fluoride and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Lapado no longer recommending cities put it in their water.
But Alissa Meyers, Tallahassee’s Director of Environmental Services, said the city’s water is kept at point 7 milligrams per liter.
“So this recent federal court ruling and the surgeon general guidance has not changed the recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics or the American Dental Association, among others, to continue to optimally fluoridate the public water system. The decision whether to fluoridate the water system, it's a local policy issue. It's not mandated or prohibited by the state or federal government,” she said.
Joanne Hart, chief legislative officer for the Florida Dental Association, said the federal court ruling did not recommend that cities stop adding fluoride to the water.
“Unfortunately, recent news around fluoridation has led to a lot of misinformation being used as facts, such as, fluoride is lowering the IQ of children. I would say that since the City of Tallahassee has been fluoridating its water since 1987, I think we can all agree that this statement is false, because we have some intelligent people born right here and raised in Tallahassee who have been consuming the city's water,” she said.
Commissioners took no action after hearing the reports, meaning fluoride is here to stay for now in Tallahassee waters.
Citizen police review board dissolution
The Tallahassee Commission took its first step in removing the city’s citizen police review board. That is after Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill this year significantly limiting what those boards could do.
Commissioner Curtis Richardson said although removing it is against what the commissioners want, their hands are tied because of state law. Other cities have tried to resist it but have failed.
"One in Miami, where it was even litigated in the courts, and the courts found that it had to be repealed. The Tampa City Commission refused to repeal their citizen police Review Board. After this bill was passed, they took that action, and so I don't know what else it would do for us to extend the time that we repeal our board,” he said.
The commission will vote to officially appeal it after a public hearing in January.