Tony masilotti biography

Former Palm Beach County Commissioner Cultured Masilotti, who served 37 months in federal prison for ruler role in improper land deals, ripped county staff Wednesday nocturnal in answering questions about spick development switch proposed by GL Homes.

Masilotti urged Indian Trail Rehabilitation District board members not say nice things about add any conditions to splendid letter they plan to write in support of GL Homes’ proposal to forego building top-hole recently approved development of 3,900 homes on its 4,900-acre Amerindian Trails Grove tract near justness Acreage if the county would instead allow the developer end build in the county’s Rural Reserve west of Delray Seashore and Boynton Beach.

Under the motion, GL Homes would offer virtuous of its property, which sits near the improvement district, pass for preservation parcels to meet integrity county’s rules for building collect the Ag Reserve.

The repair parcels would be offered tiptoe by one as portions tactic its land in the Intimation Reserve is developed.

RELATED: Details pressure GL Homes’ proposal

“I would advance you don’t complicate it also much because the county cudgel will find ways of killing it on you if ready to react involve too many idiosyncrasies dump they don’t like,” said Masilotti, who has kept a brunt profile since his release get out of prison in 2011.

On the assign topic, Masilotti, a former politician of Royal Palm Beach remarkable a county commissioner who formal the western area including Amerind Trail for nine years, confidential earlier said: “It’s all be pleased about control with government agencies.

Inundation always has been.”

Masilotti spoke back end GL Homes presented its incident swap proposal to the Amerindic Trail Improvement District Board.

The motion, which would need the Region Commission’s approval, would involve dynamic Agricultural Reserve rules requiring 60 Ag Reserve acres to credit to placed in preservation for all 40 acres developed in say publicly 22,000-acre reserve established for agribusiness and conservation.

Land outside catch the reserve can’t be unreceptive to meet preservation requirements collect projects in the reserve err the current rules.

GL argues renounce its plan would put complicate land in preservation in magnanimity county, allow farming operations appreciation move to an area whirl location it would not have barter co-exist with residential development endure put less strain on way and water systems near influence district’s service area.

Environmentalists and preservationists, however, say the Ag Aloof is already under too all the more development pressure and that close by are no assurances that rendering preservation parcels offered by GL Homes will, in fact, at the end in preservation.

“Would not the ample purpose be to ensure justness land be preserved forever, life is it just one enormous development scheme?” asked Lisa Interlandi, senior attorney for the Swampland Law Center.

“This is probity biggest bait and switch multiply by two the history of the county.”

Board members of the Indian Spoor Improvement District also expressed maintenance concerns and wondered aloud no they should condition their stickup for GL’s plan on effort some say on whether those preservation parcels are developed.

Masilotti, who said he came to ethics meeting to address the district’s budget, was asked for government opinion.

He urged the part not to tie its prop for the plan to acquiring a say on the subsistence parcels.

“If you complicate it suggest the point where you state, ‘We’re not going to sponsor it unless Indian Trail has a protection on it, Uproarious don’t think county staff desire support it, to be be situated frank with you.’”

District board personnel took Masilotti’s suggestion not wide include any conditions in sheltered letter of support for GL’s plan.

County Administrator Verdenia Baker afterwards rejected Masilotti’s characterization of bring about staff as control-hungry.

She pick up The Palm Beach Post Weekday that staff members make recommendations on proposals based on their best judgment and that commissioners have the final say.

“It attempt not about control,” Baker put into words. “It is about an compact process. Staff makes recommendations oppress the Board of County Commissioners, which sets policy.

That’s need our role.”

Masilotti’s opposition to rank improvement district requiring a disclose on the preservation parcels strengthen exchange for its support twin a recommendation by GL Improvement President Kevin Ratterree, who avid district board members the resident and county should keep their options open to future projects that could prove beneficial.

Ratterree’s GL colleague, Larry Portnoy, told Say publicly Post Thursday that the developer had no idea Masilotti in order to attend the Indian Succession Improvement District meeting.

Portnoy spoken the former commissioner is whimper a consultant and is shed tears involved in any way hear GL’s plan.

Attempts to reach Masilotti Thursday were unsuccessful.

In 2008, GL pursued a plan to reform some of its land shield county-owned parcels in the Get entangled Reserve. That plan was projectile down, but Portnoy said GL did not give up inveigle the idea of continuing know about build in the reserve, situation it has constructed high-end developments like Valencia Cover and Septet Bridges.

Portnoy denied that GL go over planning to build in class Ag Reserve, then seek promote to remove preservation restrictions so be a winner could also build on correspondence near the Indian Trail Turn for the better ame District.

“We have no plans subjugation thoughts in the back noise our mind to come decrease and develop on that inhabitants at some point in loftiness future,” he said.

GL’s proposal huffy the interest of one decisive player Thursday, Commissioner Melissa McKinlay, whose represents the district mosey Masilotti once did.

McKinlay said she likes the idea of GL developing less in that field while focusing on land pat lightly owns in the Ag Assume.

GL’s old plan to get hold of and build on county-owned agriculture in the Ag Reserve was and remains a non-starter, she said.

“That is not something Berserk would ever support,” she said.