The Florida Senate gave a unanimous thumbs-up to a plan (SB 800) that would move a waterfront enclave now in St. Lucie County into Martin County.

The 129-acre parcel includes the Beau Rivage development, where homeowners have a “Stuart” address but live in another county. Residents are divided about the proposal, which would require voter approval before the boundaries would be changed.

Bill sponsor Joe Negron, R-Stuart, called the proposal (SB 800) “democracy in action” before the 38-0 vote with no discussion.

The community’s address and proximity to Martin County has created confusion even among police and elections officials, proponents of the new lines say, including Alan Marcus, who’s spearheaded the move and said “There’s nothing St. Lucie County about this area.”

Residents also want the switch because St. Lucie County, which opposes the switch, school officials have indicated they are backing away from an agreement allowing the neighborhood children to attend school in Martin County.

Critics of the plan acknowledge the school issue needs to be resolved but say that some homeowners want to increase their property values by switching to Martin County and that Martin officials haven’t given enough assurances about what will happen if the change occurs.

A House version of the proposal, sponsored by Stuart Republican Gayle Harrell, has two more committee stops before it gets to the floor for a full vote.

Rep. William Snyder filed his qualification papers to run for Martin County Sheriff this morning.

Snyder, a Stuart Republican, could have run for another two years in the state House before term limits kicked in but the former police officer says he wants to go back to the job he loves.

Snyder is drawing heat for sponsoring an Arizona-style immigration law and last week held a crowded town hall meeting in Palm City on the contentious issue.

Martin County Sheriff Bob Crowder apparently is not seeking reelection, Snyder said.

Snyder started his career at age 20 as a Metro-Dade police officer, where he worked for two decades before going to work at the Martin County Sheriff’s department. He spent another 13 years there, Snyder said.

“My whole background in adult life has been in law enforcement,” Snyder said shortly after filing his papers this morning. “Law enforcement’s my first love. I love it. I think for me to be the sheriff in my community would give me more ability to have a real impact on people in my community.”

Snyder said he wants to cut costs at the sheriff’s office by using civilians to handle preliminary reports on non-violent crimes and complaints. He also wants to continue Crowder’s modernization efforts.

A state appeals court has ordered environmental groups to pay attorneys fees of Martin County, the Florida Department of Community Affairs and developers for appealing a land-use case, the Florida Tribune is reporting.

The website reports that the 1st District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee ruled against the environmentalists yesterday in a 2007 Martin County case.

Three years ago, the county reduced to two acres from 20 acres the minimum lot size required in a nearly 200,000-acre swath of designated agricultural land in western Martin County.

1000 Friends of Florida and the Martin County Conservation Alliance challenged the land-use change, saying it failed to establish predictable standards to protect environmentally sensitive lands.

The appellate court ruled that the environmentalists lack legal standing because they were not affected since there was no increase in development since the new standards went into effect.

Remember how everything ends up in Florida? Post staff writer Bill DiPaolo reports from Hobe Sound this afternoon:

The wife of philandering South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is staying at the home her parents own in a gated community here, said a woman who answered the phone Wednesday.

The woman, who would not identify herself, said Jenny Sanford was staying in the home in Loblolly Bay but was not available. She took a message. Sanford did not return the call.

Security guards at Loblolly Bay said Sanford’s parents live in the community. When asked if Jenny Sanford had gone through the gates, they refused to comment. Several reporters kept vigil outside the gates.

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