Florida Today from Cocoa, Florida • 13

Thursday May 27, 2010 florldatoday.com METRO EDITOR BELINDA STEWART, bs1mutfloridatoday.com or 242-3634 Big-cat site mm limit Matt Reed Watchdog SPACE COAST ts County will review group's request for sanctuary north of Scottsmoor Prepare for storm evacuations, tar balls warned that land mitigation costs could scuttle the project, if the threatened birds occupy the site. But a New Smyrna Beach biological consulting firm saw no scrub jays during five days of field surveys, according to a report released last month. Therefore, the firm concluded that construction would not affect the threatened birds. "That's our biggest new development. This is good news," said Kevin "Simba" Wiltz, CFAR senior vice president.

Dawn Gagnon lives next to the targeted property and initially op-posed CFAR's plan, but she changed her mind after touring the Canaveral Groves compound. See CAT, 2B Road. The county has ordered CFAR to relocate its exotic felines from Canaveral Groves to a suitably zoned site. The Planning and Zoning Board, an advisory committee, unanimously approved the nonprofit organization's proposal in December, citing a maximum population of 80 cats. The commission tabled the topic in February and April.

One key reason: A Florida scrub jay field survey remained pending. CFAR President Thomas Blue BYRICKNEALE FLORIDA TODAY Debate resumes this afternoon on the Central Florida Animal Reserve's bid to build a caged sanctuary for lions, tigers, cougars and leopards off U.S. 1 north of Scottsmoor. The Brevard County Commission will consider a captive-wildlife zoning permit for the rescue group, which hopes to construct a cat compound on 17 acres one half-mile north of Stuckway What's next The Brevard County Commission will discuss the Central Florida Animal Reserve during a zoning meeting at 5 p.m. today in Building of the Government Center, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera.

i i BIG WEDNESDAY vVf 1 jr ai til. if t' j-Li-? fc. With hurricane season now just days away, you should know the latest on evacuation routes and how this year's storm forecast affects emergency plans in Brevard. Who should leave their homes? Which roads will jam? And will the government supply ice afterward? For answers, I turned to Brevard County Emergency Management Director Bob Lay. He also has led local plans for the gulf oil spill, wildfires and potential terrorist attacks.

Question: What kind of hurricane season should we expect? Lay: An above-average year, possibly three major hurricanes Category 3 or higher out of eight hurricanes. Plus as much as seven more named storms. It should be an excitingyear. What two or three things should people do right now to prepare? Lay: What every resident or business needs to know is, are you in a hurricane-evacuation zone? If you live on a barrier island, you re going to have to evacuate. If you live in a mobile- or manufac-tured-home park, you're going to have to evacuate.

You should be making plans to prepare your home so it will be protected after you evacuate. If you live on the mainland, and your home is not safe during a storm, then you also should make plans for evacuating. Which storms warrant evacuating the beachside? Lay: Any Atlantic-approaching hurricane. I emphasize "Atlantic" because the possibility of storm surge is much higher than with a hurricane coming across the state. What about those on the mainland, in Melbourne, Rock-ledge or Palm Bay? Should they stay put? Lay: Absolutely shelter in place.

What do we need to know about evacuation routes? Lay: I recently looked at all the transportation routes in the county, and I classify us in an "amber" status. Amber meaning it could be slow-going on certain routes. The routes I classify as being at risk are, No. 1, the Pineda Causeway. It still will not connect to the interstate for this hurricane season.

If you evacuate on Pineda, you're going to be stopped at Wickham Road or U.S. 1 for a long time. And Interstate 95 will be slow-going because of the construction. If South Florida is evacuating at the same time, it will be much slower. In a crisis, where should people turn for information? Lay: Turn to the media, both print and broadcast.

On most of our hurricane-evacuation signs, you'll find an FM radio station you can tune to. What major lessons should this community have taken away from the awful hurricanes five years ago? Lay: There needs to be more emphasis on individual and family planning and being prepared. Put the effort into making sure that you've got at least a three-day supply of water and food on hand. If you're living in a home it doesn't matter if you're renting it, or whatever if you plan to stay there after a storm, you have to be prepared to protect that home. Have some tarps available.

You can buy all that stuff at stores before the event. If you wait until after, you won't be able to buy it. For those whose homes have been destroyed, that's who we want to bring in the food and water for and maintain shelter for. Ice was a big issue in 2004, even a political issue. Lines formed for ice.

FEMA ice trucks were delayed for weeks. People with no ice fumed at local officials. What should we know about ice? Lay: You're probably not going to find any ice. It will not be made available. If you need ice for medical purposes, then we'll make that available.

But most folks, we See REED, 2B Lay Gay Williams requested a salary higher than the pay first offered by the Cocoa Housing Authority board. Housing panel OKs Williams' pay offer Federal waiver needed for hire BY REBECCA BASU FLORIDA TODAY COCOA Cocoa Housing Authority board members on Wednesday voted unanimously to accept a counteroffer from Gay Williams, who likely will become the agency's new executive director once it has separated from Brevard County and Melbourne housing authorities. Williams requested a starting salary higher than the annual $80,000 and raise initially off ered by the board. "I can prove myself to this board," said Williams, who tended Wednesday's meeting to discuss her counteroffer. Her annual salary will be $85,000.

Williams said the amount was in line with other employees in the housing authority from research she conducted. Williams' employment is contingent on a federal waiver of "good cause." Of dozens of candidates who applied forthe job, she was the only sitting board member who applied. To avoid conflict of interest, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rules say a board member must sit out a year before having paid dealings with public housing. Board members will discuss wording a waiver at a meeting next week before crafting and submitting it to HUD.

If the board does not get a waiver, Williams would not be eligible to take the job until May 2011, a year after she exited the board. On Wednesday, she said she would be willingtowait. "I believe wholeheartedly in the position I've pursued," she said. Williams is former director of Brevard County Housing and Human Services. See HOUSING, 2B INSIDE 'j Expert says oil spill won't affect storms A hurricane might help break up the oil spill staining the Gulf of Mexico, but the oil won't change significantly how tropical storms develop or the damage they inflict, the director of the National Hurricane Center says, FLORIDA, 6B -Ml Surfers challenge the waves near the Cocoa Beach Pier on Wednesday.

A low-pressure system off the coast of Georgia sent waves crashing to the Southeast coastline, including Brevard County beaches. The National Weather Service in Melbourne expects' high surf and dangerous rip currents to continue through Friday. The rough conditions will diminish this weekend as the weather system moves farther into the Atlantic. For more weather coverage, see 12A. Supporters object after group calls parkway project a 'turkey' Photos by Rik Jesse, FLORIDA TODAY ing $61 million.

They include earmarks for local projects and other spending requests added by lawmakers during the legislative process, but not requested or approved by the governor or agencies responsible for the work. Other Brevard County projects making the list were $500,000 for the replica Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore home in Mims and another $500,000 for a boat house at the C54 canal. The $4 million parkway construction earmark was added March 19 to the Senate appropriations bill.

It adds to the $25.7 million already listed for parkway right-of-way acquisition in the Department of Transportation's work program, Wenner said. The spending was not otherwise included in the department's five-year plan and the request bypassed the selection process by the Governor's Office of Tourism, Trade and Development. Instead, the Senate committee chairman who oversees transportation spending added it at the request of Altman and Senate See PROJECT, 3B Sen. Thad Alt-man, R-Viera, said watchdog group Florida Tax-Watch Is "not looking out for the Interests of Brevard County." the Florida Senate and House deem important enough to be funded. We have serious transportation problems here in South Brevard." Other leaders charged that TaxWatch got its facts wrong.

Palm Bay vice-mayor Milo Zonka said the parkway project has been a priority for Brevard County for the past 15 years and is in the state Department of Transportation's five-year work program. Florida TaxWatch Research Director Kurt Wenner explained that a "turkey" designation doesn't mean a project is unworthy. It means the funding didn't go through channels established to ensure accountability. This year, the nonprofit watchdog identified 41 "turkeys" total-' (. Tax watchdog wants Crist to veto state funds BY JEFF SCH WEI RS FLORIDA TODAY Officials representing South Brevard have objected to a tax-watchdog's call for Gov.

Charlie Crist to veto $4 million in state money for the St. Johns Heritage Parkway. The budget amendment, requested by Sen. Thad Altman, R-Viera, made the annual list of "budget turkeys" identified by Florida TaxWatch, a fiscally conservative but nonpartisan organization. The legislative move increases by 15.5 percent the money already included in state transportation plans for the parkway.

"I don't know what their motivation is, but they're not looking out for the interests of Brevard County," Altman said of Tax-Watch. "We have a project that I.