Saturday, November 7, 2009

Congratulations go to Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi and the County Commission for hiring a new director for the county Growth Management Division. They appear to have found an individual who is well-suited to the job in a number of ways.

Christine Hurley, a Fort Myers land use consultant, has worked as a planner and planning director for that city, as well as community development director. She now leaves a private sector job as director of planning for Johnson Engineering.

Also significant is the fact that she has been a visitor to these islands for 25 years, and a Keys homeowner since 2003. She appears to be familiar with the county's complex regulatory terrain.

Hurley's annual salary is around $118,000. That is a lot, but if she performs her job well, she will earn every penny. It is among the hardest jobs in the county, second only to that of the county administrator.

Growth management in Monroe County is a made-for-Excedrin task for many reasons. The county is an Area of Critical State Concern, where any tweaking of development regulations requires obtaining the blessing of the state Department of Community Affairs. The county is part of an environmentally priceless ecosystem that includes the Everglades (mainland Monroe), wetlands, hundreds of offshore islands and the only living reef tract in the continental United States. The Keys are home to a couple dozen endangered or threatened terrestrial and marine animals and plants, with habitat that the county is legally obligated to protect.

Throw into the mix the property rights of landowners who, with their attorneys, have a full range of beliefs about what they are allowed to do, and what price government should pay when those rights are restricted.

Then, there is the pressure to develop. Although a suffering economy has dampened growth in recent times, Hurley and her staff will again see a day when development consortiums and their highly skilled attorneys will creatively interpret every clause and paragraph of the county land use plan, exploiting any perceived ambiguity in order to bend or circumvent the county's sometimes onerous building regulations.

And finally, while we have much confidence in the integrity of the sitting County Commission, it is only fair to note that some past elected officials have on occasion overstepped their role by leaning on county staff to show more "flexibility" with certain projects.

It's tough terrain, and Hurley will have to be a skilled and strong director to navigate these professional hazards. We're confident she is up to the task.

-- The Citizen