ATV Florida Forum

Hey guys, I'm sure most of you remember riding and racing at the track in Live Oak (Use to be amp) that got closed by the county a few months back. This has nothing to do with amp now and will be operated totally independent from them since they went to Madison. My family owns the property and we've put our application back in with Suwannee County to try for our special exception again. I'm pretty confident that we will get it. We've hired a really smart and well connected attorney and the board already passed us once back when they first issued us the permit, it just got revoked thanks to a screw up the county made when they issued the permit. Was totally 100% out of our control.

 I am keeping a blog with all the update information and a little back story at www.gmimx.net Our application hearing will be November 20th at Live Oak city hall. I know the economy isn't so great right now but at least fuel prices are coming back down. I hope that some of you guys and gals that enjoyed the track will be able to make it out to speak in favor of it. I will keep the blog updated as often as I can, and if anyone has any info or can help out in any way with the preparation for our hearing, that would be great. I know some of you during the SSQSA had issues with the neighbors as you were going in and out too. If you were one of them, please get in touch with me as well. I sill have a couple of you on my PM list I think from back when it was happening.  With your help we can get a group together and get this thing back through again and have it re-opened.

Less then a week away before we go back before the Board of Adjustment. The Suwannee Democrat picked up the story already, have a read yourself: http://www.suwanneedemocrat.com/local/local_story_318171111.html Our meeting is the 20th (Thursday) 6:30pm at Live Oak City hall. The address there is:

101 White Ave. S.E.
Live Oak, Fl 32064

In some other news, Mike Walsh and Cody Gibson were out at the track this afternoon doing some practicing and testing. I've been running the dozer a bunch and have got the track back in pretty decent shape. If anyone has any questions or thinks their able to help out in anyway it'd be great, just let me know. hondaatc@windstream.net or PM me and I'll be happy to shoot ya my phone # as well. Hopefully the board of adjustment will see things our way and the rest of you guys might have an opportunity to ride on it again  ;)

Good luck guys.
Its good to see someone fighting for the cause!!

jt

The would be absolutely amazing if you guys opened back up!

-Kyle McCulloch 713

We're trying ;) The neighbors are pulling out all the stops and managed to make our attorney we had hired withdraw from the case (Long story, but goes to show how far their willing to go with it)...so I'm stuck handling all of it myself.

Tomorrow is D-Day...we'll see how it all turns out. With a little bit of luck, this will be back up and running before new years.

(http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s100/HondaATC/siteplancurrentsmaller.jpg)

GOOD LUCK to you!
 I liked that track.

well any word on how it went? Hopefully good this is by far one of the best tracks in FL

We were one board member short last night, and having a 2/2 vote is the same as a rejection vote unfortunately so we tabled the vote until next month, December 18th which is a week before Christmas...kind of a bad time but it just was not in our favor to run with it last night because of even # of board members. We really need to have a good group of riders at the next one, I'm sure it'll be tough with it being the week before Christmas, but rider support at these meetings is critical.

Oddly enough, 2 of my former partners that are now running amp over in Madison showed up and were sitting with the opposition last night wearing "NO" stickers on their shirts. I guess they'd rather look at it from a competition standpoint, or a personal grudge with an axe to grind then being able to work and promote local series and rider bases between tracks. Pretty sad.


I'll keep everyone updated, thanks for checkin in and glad to see that you guys are still interested in this place.



Billy

Guy,
What it boils down to is the law.
If the law states that you should be able to have a track, and you have complied with all the
licensing, permits, and legalities, then you should have no trouble at all.

We went through this with Sand Mountain Speedway. They were shut down almost identically
the way that you are trying to be shut down.
If he had just followed the law to the T then, he would have a track right now. But he refused to,
because of principal. No group of people can take away what the law has provided you opportunity
to have. If it is cut and dry, then keep it to the facts and legalities. Not the emotions.

Just my .02 cents.

jt

Oh yeah, I'm definitely with you. We've already been permitted by the county once. I've been down this entire road already before, and the only reason I'm here again is because the county didn't have the right date on the land use change sign until like 3 days before the hearing the first time back in 06. They still awarded us the permit because they believed the criteria for a public forum had been met and the date on the sign had not prevented that from happening. This is a very small town and area though, and theres what appears to be a bit of a political motivation maneuvering its way around that is not necessarily in my favor, if you know what I mean.

 I'm all for following the letter of the law and have done everything I could to do it that way. Its been a real test of patience with some of these neighbors though and their signs in front of their homes slandering my family name and the ridiculous insulting letters they've mailed, but I've kept a cool head with it and not let it got under my skin because I'm a bigger and a better person then to go down that path.

You must point out the revenue that will be brought into the town. Get some of your local businesses to show support at the hearing, like hotels, restaurants gas stations etc. That's how you get the ball rolling, it hard times and businesses are desperate right now work some deals with them like advertising on your fliers for them. It's all about politics. ;)

Thats an awesome idea. Play on their pocketbooks. Seems to be a hightened sense of
importance right now. Could play in your favor.
Offer these people jobs as flaggers and stuff. That way when we run over them, it
wont look intentional! ;)

Hey everyone, just a quick update.

We've got a quick little video on youtube right now of when we had the first SSQSA race that I had planned to show to the board at the first hearing and will be prepared to show it to them at the final one next week as well. You can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxMJsITO_Qg  Would be great to see some of you that were at these races and came out and practiced at the meeting.

If we do get permitted again I have some plans to have a couple weekends be free and have just a nice re-opening and reintroduction to the track to thank everyone for their support and get the interest in it generated back up since its been down for quite a while now.

This is gonna be the only chance to get this place re-opened back up so if anyone that liked and enjoyed the track, please try and come and voice your opinion. Thanks.

I'll be going on air in the morning to be interviewed by a local DJ (98.1 FM here in Live Oak) about our zoning hearing for the track and what we plan to do if we receive a permit again. I plan to hit on a few different topics such as the type of people that ride and race motocross, the economic benefits of having people in the area, the convenience of a place to practice for local people to keep them in the area and from traveling out of it spending their $$$ elsewhere, and also the convenience of another activity for people in the area to come and checkout even if they aren't riders, just come and spectate a race or practice and see what its all about. 

We've made contact with some local business owners that have offered their support for our venture and feel that they would benefit from it as well economically. I feel very good with what I have for material and support going into the hearing on Thursday and am confident I've done everything I possible could have, so if we aren't awarded the permit I at least feel like I tried and done the best that I could. We'll know shortly one way or another!   :ThumbsUp.gif

Good Luck and good job!
We will be praying for you!

jt

Good Luck......I will keep the track in our prayers!

Thank you so much guys. The radio interview went real well this morning, didn't get to record it for play back listening but it went good and I covered all the bases I needed to hit on. The DJ was very accommodating and a great guy to chat with. Hopefully this made it out to just a few more local people to reach and let them know about the hearing.

?????

We've been postponed until the 29th of January. We had a board member get so upset at the line of questioning I was having to take from a Jacksonville attorney that he pushed his paperwork up on the desk, got up holding his chest quivering shaking saying he couldn't handle it and it was ridiculous, that his heart hurt. We only had 3 people on the board last night, and after Mr. Chambliss left we were left with only 2, which is not enough to have a meeting. I did find out last night that he is OK, he was just very upset by the fact of how the attorney was questioning me in a very direct back and fourth battle between him and I that lasted over 20 minutes by some accounts, and that he did not believe the spirit of the hearing called for or even really allowed this type of format. It was suppose to be a Q&A session, not a trial.


http://www.suwanneedemocrat.com/local/local_story_354085424.html This article in the Suwannee Democrat sums it up fairly well. 


I handled myself pretty well and never got upset or agitated by his line of questioning even though 99% of it lacked any basis in the actual issuance of the permit which is what we were there for last night. He kept asking me questions and I kept feeding him answers and paperwork to back up my statements. He actually came up to me later on and said that he was very impressed and that he did'nt have anything against ATVs or the fact that I was trying to make a living but that he couldn't let the value of his property be taken away. Which, I feel, and have stuff to backup the claim, that there wont be any decrease in property values. So I just need a bit more of an opportunity to convince him that I'm right ;D

Just keep it to the letter of the law and dont let it get personal brother!
Way to control yourself.
If law states that you can do it and there are no contigencies otherwise, then
it sounds like it is a clear cut hearing.
They dont have to like it, they just have to give you what you applied for.
Thanks for filling us in!

jt

Good luck !!

Guys, a week from tomorrow we're going back in again for the 3rd time. January 29th, 6:00PM here in Live Oak. I'm told we will have a full board of 5 members this go-around. If any of you guys that have rode or raced here before can show up, it'd be great. Voicing support of the track at the permit hearing is critical to getting it opened back up. If we DO get re-opened I plan on having a couple freebie weekends for everyone and will make it worth your while:) Checkout the GMI website www.gmimx.net or send me a PM.

9 hour meeting...I want to thank the support of everyone that did show up and spend their time. We were there till about 3:00AM this morning. It did end up being rejected.... 3/1, no permit.

Sorry to hear it!
jt