Wellington
A St. Augustine man joins a long list of U.S. Capitol rioters sentenced for his violent participation in the planned Jan. 6, 2021, breach.
Anthony L. Sargent, 47, must serve five years in federal prison on a felony count of civil disorder and misdemeanor charges that included the destruction of property; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and act of physical violence in
Beach County municipalities annexing land.
Similar issues either will be on the ballot or are before town councils in Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach and Juno Beach.
Where are the 257 acres that Wellington wants to annex?
The 257 acres are split among 38 properties in Entrada Acres, an unincorporated protected area immediately north of the intersection of Southern Boulevard and Seminole Pratt Whitney Road.
According to a village staff report, most lots have commercial uses that include: 10 nurseries, four equestrian farms, three churches and two 10-acre lots owned by Palm Beach County, as well as a drainage lake.
About eight properties are residential and 10 are vacant.
Why does the village want to annex the property?
Wellington is seeking to add the 257 acres to its future land use map and dedicate 123 acres for commercial uses and 125 acres for residential housing built at a medium density. The commercial the Capitol grounds or buildings.
He was sentenced Friday in Washington after pleading guilty on July 21. U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich areas would be along Southern and Seminole Pratt Whitney, and the residential areas in the middle and northern reaches of the property.
Village Manager Jim Barnes told commissioners the efforts to incorporate began when a group of property owners reached out to the village with interest in having Wellington annex their properties. He added the area had also evolved over the years and was ripe for urban development.
A Wellington staff report estimated the properties have a combined assessed value of more than $15 million and would bring $224,999 in ad valorem taxes to the village.
“Although there will be a minor shortterm deficit in the balance of income vs. expense,” the staff report stated, “property values, and therefore tax revenues, will increase exponentially in the near future as the properties in the annexation area begin to develop.”
How does the process work?
In Palm Beach County, the voluntary annexation of a protected urban area requires a majority vote from county commissioners.
Wellington is pursuing an involuntary annexation, which requires a vote by property owners.
According to state law, since 70% of the proposed land is owned by individuals or legal entities that are not registered
also ordered 36 months of supervised release and restitution of $2,980, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia.
The mass of protesters disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to review the electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election.
Several videos show Sargent attempting to breach the north entrance to the Capitol building, pushing with the mob against officers, according to court documents. After the officers retreated into the Capitol, Sargent picked up a heavy rock-like object about the size of a softball and twice hurled it at the doors.
Sargent also physically separated an officer from a rioter he was trying to detain. He then grabbed and pushed the officer voters, the incorporation cannot occur unless 50% of owners consent to the annexation.
Barnes said 53% of the property owners had sent their approvals in September.
However, since there are 31 electors living on the property, a referendum must also take place before finalizing the annexation.
Does PBC favor Wellington annexing the properties?
The commission voted 5-1 to oppose the village’s annexation with Commissioner Michael Barnett in dissent.
The county staff told commissioners Tuesday that in its opinion, the proposed land for annexation did not meet the requirements of urbanized areas required by state law.
They said the property was outside of the natural boundaries of the village, whose northern border has been Southern Boulevard, and that residents would have to travel over a mile on Southern Boulevard to enter the remainder of Wellington.
This distance will prevent “the residents of the annexation area from fully associating and trading with each other socially and economically,” the county staff wrote in its report.
Commissioner Sara Baxter made a motion to oppose Wellington’s proposal saying it would be detrimental to the community. away from his post and into the mob of rioters, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Leading up to the Jan. 6 attack, Sargent had vocalized on the messaging platform of the right-wing extremist group Proud Boys his support for a riot and civil war, the documents said. He was arrested on Sept. 21, 2021, in St. Augustine.
In the 35 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,230 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 440 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call (800) CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
“I’m in favor of letting voters decide always. I think they know best,” Baxter said.
“This doesn’t actually give the neighboring homes outside of the area who will be impacted a chance to vote.”
Who else opposes annexation?
Robert Shorr, the vice mayor of Loxahatchee Groves, urged county commissioners to turn down the proposal and protect the rural character of the area.
“To convert this to a million square feet of commercial and over 1,000 residents from what it is today is a travesty,” Shorr said.
Gribble, the homeowners association president for Fox Trail, said residents from surrounding communities were opposed to the village’s annexation of the land and the idea of bringing denser development to the area.
“It’s a land grab,” Gribble said. “We feel offended that you’re crossing Southern.”
Who will vote in the election?
Property owners within the 257 acres who are registered to vote can expect to see the annexation question included in their March 2024 ballot.
Residents from the village of Wellington or Loxahatchee Groves, whose western border lies next to the 257 acres, would not vote.