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MAS 1 S'
<br />Bou 3 F u,c 969
<br />uesday, March 18,1986 The Miami Herald SectionD r�
<br />ru ing
<br />Jud.cre. s
<br />P.allid
<br />Aft"*.'
<br />..
<br />O O 0
<br />-Y
<br />3y MARY JO TIERNEY
<br />farad staff writer
<br />PORT ST. LUCIE — Circuit Judge Philip Nourse's ruling that
<br />come. mandatory water hookups, .ip Port St.,.Wcte.,.Wete Illegal .
<br />,ould affect General Developmeat Uiiutj� s' . plag$ for future '
<br />!xpansion, officials said Monday.
<br />The ruling also could affect
<br />ether municipalities that want to `" Sl away said there was no
<br />tet up a centralized water ser- Florida law on the Issue. so
<br />rice. Nourse's ruling could set a
<br />"This could have far-reaching precedent.
<br />effects:" said attorney Ernie Both St. Lucie County and the
<br />Rdaway. who represented the Fort Pierce Utilities Authority
<br />31ne Port St. Lucie residents who have discussed establishing a,
<br />sued Port St. Lucie for trying to ' centralized water syetent ' with,
<br />•
<br />!orce them to hookup to GDU's mandatory' hookups 'for those
<br />water system when,they slrealtly with homes and business where
<br />sad Individual wells. • ::gin the service •wasavailable. . • .••.:L
<br />In his ruling issued last week,. "This (Nourse's rulingl • is
<br />4ourse said that the city's law on ` something we may be consider-
<br />uandatory hookups was not a ng down the road," Fort Pierce
<br />'valid exercise., of. the city's Jtilities Director Harry Schiulte-
<br />police power."' but was "a tette Bald:
<br />3eavy-handed. unreasonable ef•
<br />In the past two years, Port St.
<br />tort to promote the economic .ucle had forced more than 300
<br />welfare of General Developm nt"• someowners. who already had.
<br />Utilities.,, t••. ! wells, to hook up with GDU's
<br />' Assistant City •Attorney Roger .ystem, charging them an aver-
<br />Urr said that the City Council ige of $800 each just ln,lnitlal
<br />will have to decide whether to tookup fees.
<br />appeal Nourse's ruling. : • Curtis ..Morris, GDU Qlvislon
<br />The law 'was"enacted"141110 nanager, said Nourse's ruling ,
<br />• early 1960s because it was not ould affect the company's long -
<br />"economically feasible!' for GDU ange plans for water system
<br />to extend Its water lines unless Zpansion.
<br />the mandatory b"Itops vrere In, ,
<br />effect, he said.
<br />Orr said the city had been
<br />working toward a centralized
<br />water system because It wanted
<br />to assure that residents would .
<br />have safe. potable water.
<br />But Sidaway * a former assist-
<br />ant Port St. Lucie attorney, said
<br />that It was not Port St. Lucie's
<br />responsibility to assure a safe
<br />water supply. He said the county
<br />health department can monitor
<br />wells. just as it does city water
<br />system.
<br />Over the years. he said that
<br />General Development Corp..
<br />which owns GDU. had an "inor-
<br />dinate influence" over city offi.
<br />cials.
<br />"It's been a compa� - for
<br />a long time; •.. It's
<br />Si4O�Y said.
<br />•:4 �7
<br />' •General •Develgpry,�enT�
<br />Earns' -$22.'6 Milli-
<br />eneral Develop 10 it?`'Corp:'']'i vA
<br />-"��a•,3r;z1�R����Ir:@gB.t�'�+����bi7i%rihYr:;".`
<br />lion, or $3.01 a share, for the:year
<br />ended Dec. 31;1985. '
<br />• - Results for the year rgflect a non-
<br />- ,recurring• .$2. 41MtlltoiiN te441i3
<br />chargg ($.1$ per share) on the.dis-f,
<br />=w iositlOn` of •the`il ripany1i;*tiVgOl�`* •F '
<br />John • utility:. systerp Apr:t6f =first 5
<br />.quarter of 1935.
<br />.• a y::•c ;:►, .. _ ..;..QEF, ••�••beR'3Fa+'�a'"�ty%��Ptj�i i
<br />In 1984, the company earned#;;
<br />$22.9 million or $3.05 per share.',:,'.`i
<br />Total"1985 revenues were $346.6"�
<br />'million compared with $335,7 mIl- `i
<br />:. lion for the full year 190.,, y ;•
<br />J .-;iP•�:rti%•••ry•``�:r;:,Ri•sM�„i''•i ..: •.4.':l;rc;!�1"�•�:1•�+�,7'•.
<br />'Strong performances were re
<br />ported in all of the operating divi. ,•
<br />sions. Hr wesite sales were the
<br />highest In history,'totaling $156.5;
<br />millton.,.a.14•.p 994t_ i09 0 'e'ver
<br />t=~t'Y�':�<$137:8'�miilIQ�'ii►�i$�5���4t$biig��
<br />sales were .$138.8's..'adIllon,: com-
<br />pared with $153.1'fid lloie In'the
<br />same period a year earlier, a.9 per-
<br />cent:decrease• . : -;; . ':' ; •G ;1: , s y �.
<br />1".t'Ti .a F''� �' M15'� �1 y''4• '
<br />Mr. Davenport emphasized that General Development's earnings
<br />for 1985 were 22.6 million dollars.
<br />Chairman Scurlock asked if that is the development company
<br />OW
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