by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
State Rep. Doug Wiles represents the fastest growing district in Florida; his parts of Clay, Flagler, St. Johns and Volusia counties are booming with new housing developments.
In St. Johns County, Wiles’ district covers everything south of International Golf Parkway. When International Golf Parkway dead ends into SR 16, he has everything south of SR 16.
“So we don’t have the actual World Golf Village Hall of Fame area, but we do have the King and the Bear,” said Wiles aide Steve Schale.
The new community off U.S. 1, Palencia, falls in his district as well as part of the proposed Nocatee development.
“We have all the new developments in St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach including Marsh Creek and Royal St. Augustine,” said Schale. “Our Flagler county district boundaries are east of U.S. 1, so we have all of the Palm Coast area, which includes the new developments of Hammock Dunes and Ocean Hammock.”
His district boundaries in Volusia County includes everything north of SR 40 which includes Breakaway Trails, part of Plantation Bay, Halifax Plantation and Ormond by the Sea.
According to the last census, Flagler County had the third fastest growth rate, St. Johns County was No. 7 and Volusia and Clay were not far behind. Put them together, and he has probably the Florida House’s No. 1 growth district.
“Growth is a real concern and I think we see that in a lot of different ways,” said Wiles, who spoke to the St. Augustine/St. Johns County Board of Realtors last month. “We see that in problems with schools in class overcrowding and in reduction of the availability of fresh water. Many or most parts of St. Johns County and other parts of my district are in a water cautionary area which means the quality of the water has decreased somewhat. We also see it with congestion on roads.”
He said that people don’t look at some of that as growth; they talk about it as the need to widen the roads, or the need to build new schools.
“Well, it’s all an outgrowth of the increase in our population and that’s really the root of many of the issues we deal with not only in this district, but in all of Florida.”
Wiles’ district incorporates half of the World Golf Village and part of the proposed Nocatee development.
“I follow that pretty closely,” he said. “Most of Nocatee would be in my district provided the lines don’t change. I think that we have a reasonably good review and approval process for very large developments like Nocatee. It’s not perfect, but it does require several levels of review at the local level and ultimately at the state level and a very large permitting process.”
He said that as a result, most of the time the larger developments take into consideration many of issues including overcrowding and clean water.
“It’s the smaller sort of sprawling growth where a contractor might build a small cul de sac and not have to meet any requirements that cause much of the problems we have today in St. Johns and Clay counties,” he said. “And we have not been able to effectively deal with that.”
Wiles said the real estate community doesn’t need a lot of hand-holding, but he helps when he can.
“I think to a great extent, the realty business is an excellent self-policing organization with the Board of REALTORS®, education, licensing and continuing education requirements,” said Wiles. “Much of the consumer problems that we have are taken care of from within the organization long before it becomes a serious issue. Occasionally you will see those come up, but it’s not too often.”
He said he tries to get a good understanding of what REALTORS® need.
“Much of what I try to do with the REALTORS® is to get a good understanding of how, what might be a very simple issue, could cause a great deal of problems with REALTORS® at certain times during their professional transaction of business,” said Wiles.
“Because growth and development is sort of the centerpiece of a lot of problems that we have today, I think we have to listen to those who are at the forefront of that,” said Wiles. “That not only includes REALTORS®, but contractors. We need to try to understand how we can improve the situation while at the same time allowing those who own their own home, to afford to own their own home and to continue with our free enterprise system as best we can with as minimal oversight as is practical.”
Wiles is concerned with managing the growth in North Florida while still keeping the critical things that cause so many people to move here and the reasons that all of the people that are here, stay here.
“That is a very careful balance,” said Wiles. “It has to do with insuring that proper oversight is there so that property values remain at a reasonable level. I think that is important for both developers, contractors and REALTORS®. The homes in the subdivisions should be attractive to people that are looking to buy.”
Wiles believes in two things — what happens in Duval County is going to affect St. Johns and Clay and Nassau and what happens in St. Johns, Clay and Nassau is going affect Duval.
“We are all in this together,” he said. “We need to work closer together, probably more on a regional basis, to understand our growth management issues and to come up with regional solutions as opposed to once size fits all throughout the state of Florida.”
In relationship to other representatives, Wiles is sometimes stretched very thin.
“My district is larger than the average district in the Florida House in terms of population,” he said. “If you think about what needs to be done in one county with public service, interest groups and responsiveness to the community, I have four of those to be concerned with.
“I also have many more constituents than most other members of the House of Representatives. My staff and I stay busy. We do a lot of work in the trenches, so to speak, helping people with problems with state agencies, problems with government and queries and questions about what is going on and how I may be able to help them.”
He has been a member of the House since 1996 and was re-elected subsequently thereafter. Term limits end his House days in 2004 and he hasn’t really thought of what he will politically after that.
“I have another life,” he said. “I enjoy St. Augustine, I love the insurance business and I have a great family.”