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Community's Addresses To Change

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By GEORGE WILKENS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 5, 2007

NEW TAMPA - Despite the objections of many North Oaks residents, addresses in their 296-unit condominium community will be changed early next year by Hillsborough County.

Residents and Hillsborough 911 officials reached some compromises at a meeting Nov. 27 at the community recreation center, but county officials maintain that the changes are necessary to reduce delays in responding to 911 calls.

"The bottom line is, I think the majority of opponents resigned themselves to accepting the proposed changes," said George King, manager of the Hillsborough County 911 Administration Ordinance Compliance Unit.

North Oaks is the latest of two dozen condominium developments in the county to be "readdressed," necessary because first responders reportedly have difficulty finding individual units in large complexes.

Every unit at North Oaks has an address of 14550 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Over the years, the North Oaks condo board has numbered the buildings and posted a map of the complex at the entrance.
Address changes for North Oaks will be implemented in three or four months, King said.

"The post office will continue to deliver to both the old and new addresses for up to a year," allowing time to exhaust supplies of checks, personal stationery and other imprinted items, he said.

The county will provide North Oaks residents with official notices allowing them to change addresses on driver's licenses, occupational licenses and similar items without charge, he added.

"The meeting went well. It eliminated and clarified some of the erroneous information that had been floating around the complex," King said. "In reality, what we're trying to do is make it easier for folks to be located in an emergency."

Resident Casey Ebsary is among those residents opposed to changing addresses.

He will lose his Bruce B. Downs address, but he will not have to accept Nuzzlewood Court, a name King said was merely a suggestion.

Ebsary will be given an address on Angel Oak Court or Norwood Oaks Drive, two streets that pass his building.

A committee of residents will work with county officials to negotiate addresses for corner buildings like Ebsary's, with entrances on two streets.

"We have a committee that's going to work with them on it," Ebsary said. "The one thing they will not budge on: This is going to happen."

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 865-4847 or gwilkens@tampatrib.com.

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