It seems like this has been going on for decades. How much has this cost Walton County and why has it become such a war?
http://defuniakherald.com/?p=4746At the recommendation of staff and legal counsel, the commissioners voted to extend until their next meeting a previous move to refrain from issuing building permits for properties in Block G of the interior of Driftwood Estates.
The vote followed a lengthy presentation by Shawn Heath, an attorney representing Driftwood Estates homeowners, and Alan Osborne, president of the Greater Driftwood Estates Homeowners’ Association.
County Attorney Greg Kisela said that, after hours of discussions between the parties, there had been a decision to recommend that the suspension on permits, initiated two week previous, be continued. He said his was due to concerns as to whether there were potential violations in connection with open space requirements and stormwater drainage requirements within the Sandestin development of regional impact (DRI). Much of Driftwood Estates was orginally included in the Sandestin DRI approved decades ago, and the Driftwood area is still part of the documents governing the development. By law, violations of documents and ordinances associated with the DRI disallow the issuance of building permits for new development, as the homeowners and their representatives have pointed out.
Fact gathering and discussions with representative of the homeowners are to continue, and additional action by the BCC on the matter is possible on Feb. 14.