Florida environmental and wildlife news for the week ending 6-26-09

Ed. Note: This post contains material from the past two weeks. We’ll return to our regular posting schedule next week.

FEATURED STORIES

Hometown Democracy Proposal Goes to Voters
By Michael Peltier
The News Service of Florida via FloridaEnvironments.com
Related AP report: Fla. planning amendment makes 2010 ballot
Related story: Fla. Supreme Court grants "Hometown Democracy" motion
Take action: Support Florida Hometown Democracy.
Ballot casters going to the polls in November 2010 will be asked whether changes to local comprehensive plans must be approved by local voters, state election officials announced Monday.

Drilling backers see rare occasion
By Joe Follick
Gainesville Sun
Related Tallahassee Democrat story: Sen. Nelson hints at filibuster over bill on offshore drilling
Take action: Sign on to the Progress Florida letter to Sen. Nelson
Drilling for oil and natural gas within 10 miles of Florida's coast has suddenly become one of the chief objectives for Republican legislative leaders and industry backers, who see a rare convergence of political opportunity and public sentiment.

92-year-old crusader's latest cause is saving the St. Johns River
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
Take action: Support St. Johns Riverkeeper.
Take action: Support The Stetson Kennedy Foundation.
Stetson Kennedy, legendary champion of civil rights and cultural preservation, has begun a legal battle at age 92 to keep thirsty Central Florida from draining the St. Johns River.

Officials defend eco-passage
By Bill Cotterell
Tallahassee Democrat
Related: Tax protesters plan 'tea party' over eco-passage
Related Palm Beach Post column: More to Florida turtle crossing than Oklahoma Sen. Coburn claims
Related Pensacola News Journal editorial: Wildlife corridors needed
Laugh if you will, but state transportation officials and wildlife researchers said Wednesday a $3.4 million pair of tunnels under a busy North Florida highway is a serious safety project - for people, too.



Florida manatee: Lessons to be learned from gentle giants
By John Christopher Fine
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Related: Support Save The Manatee Club.
"They flipped us off and cursed us." The woman was distraught. An injured West Indian manatee was in distress near the Boynton Beach Municipal Boat Ramp.

Panel explores Corps of Engineers, wetlands loss
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Related reading: Paving Paradise: Florida's Vanishing Wetlands and the Failure of No Net Loss
Enigma. Paralyzed. Decentralized. Schizophrenic.

Frightful Florida global warming forecast for 2099: Will your grandkids be under water?
By Tony Doris
Palm Beach Post
More drought, more flooding.

All eyes are on sweeping water measure in governor's hands
By Kevin Spear
Orlando Sentinel
Environmentalists hold as one of their main strengths the ability to rally grass-roots supporters and raise a formidable protest at public hearings.


Editorial cartoon by Andy Marlette, Pensacola News Journal

MORE GREEN NEWS

Navy training zone expands off coast of Jacksonville
By Timothy J. Gibbons, Steve Patterson
Florida Times-Union
The Navy plans to ramp up training in a 66,000-square-mile swath of ocean off the coast of Jacksonville, bringing in more aircraft and ships to practice things like detecting mines and stopping smugglers.

Group warns it will sue over Panama City airport
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
The Clean Water Network today announced it will sue the Panama City-Bay County Airport Authority for alleged stormwater permit violations in April at its new airport.

State removes falcon from endangered list
Staff report
Gainesville Sun
The world's fastest bird has flown off Florida's list of endangered species.

The South's deepening climate crisis
By Sue Sturgis
Facing South
A new federal report describes the impacts that man-made climate change is already having on the various regions of the United States, and it warns of dramatic disruptions on the way if we fail to reduce carbon pollution significantly and soon.

Crist: No position yet on federal drilling legislation
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Gov. Charlie Crist said this morning he hasn't taken a position on a federal energy bill that Sen. Bill Nelson says would allow drilling within 10 miles of Florida's Gulf of Mexico coastline.

Bradenton Man Works on Petition to Enable Drilling
By Dale White
Lakeland Ledger
Congressional and Florida legislative action are not the only attempts to open Florida's Gulf coast to oil drilling.

Offshore drilling: A current danger
By William E. Gibson
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
While Congress considers opening the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling, experts on ocean currents warn of a potential environmental nightmare that could reach the coast of South Florida.

Report: Energy plans won't harm Florida economy
By John Dorschner
Miami Herald
A new economic report, commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund, says the latest federal proposal to curtail greenhouse gases will have ''very modest or even negligible'' costs for the Florida economy over the next 15 years.

One year later, Everglades land deal shrinks to stay alive
By Andy Reid
South Florida Sun Sentinel
One year ago, Gov. Charlie Crist surprised the state with a blockbuster land deal aimed at restoring the Everglades' "missing link" through sugar cane country.

Federal, Florida dispute holds up Everglades money
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
The Obama administration has pledged to spend nearly half a billion dollars on Everglades restoration over the next two years, a record amount, including $103 million set aside for stimulus projects picked because they are ``shovel-ready.''

Unwise pro-growth laws make Florida Hometown Democracy more likely to pass in 2010
By Howard Troxler
St. Petersburg Times
Our state is divided into two camps.

Growth law is stirring concern
By Dale White
Sarasota Herald Tribune
A new growth management law -- pushed by a Bradenton lawmaker -- is causing "great uncertainty and confusion," the head of Florida's planning agency said Friday.

Growth groups ready for fight
By Jim Saunders
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Gov. Charlie Crist sided with business groups and angered environmentalists when he signed a bill this month to revamp the state's growth management laws.

The unreality of Gary Schraut's push for Senate Bill 360
By Dan DeWitt
St. Petersburg Times
Sometimes, when I talk to Gary Schraut, I wonder if there's some sort of reality-bending tint on the windows of his SUV.

U.S. interior secretary wants to proceed with Everglades restoration
By William E. Gibson
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
After a decade of foot-dragging, it's time to get moving on Everglades restoration, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said today.

Study: Apalachicola River flow could affect Gulf fisheries
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Reduced water flowing from Georgia and Alabama in the Apalachicola River in Florida could have wider effects than have been traditionally studied, according to Florida State University researchers.

The Majesty of Corkscrew
YouTube Video
Audubon of Florida blog
If this doesn’t make you want to go to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, I don’t know what else would.

Hometown Democracy: The Eve of Destruction?
By Mike Thomas
Orlando Sentinel
St. Pete Beach is a throwback to Florida's pre-Disney beachfront tourism era.

High court goes with voters
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
The Florida Supreme Court ruled in favor of democracy last week by rejecting a state law designed to undercut petition drives for state constitutional amendments.

Drilling redux
Staff Editorial
Gainesville Sun
A Senate committee has approved a plan to open millions of acres of the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling.

Blowing smoke at Obama plan
Editorial
Daytona Beach News-Journal
It started encouragingly: A federal energy bill that would require 20 percent greenhouse-gas emission reductions from 2005 levels by 2020, and 80 percent by 2050.

Playing The Same Old Tune
Editorial
Lakeland Ledger
It's sad, really. While most Americans are excited by the prospects of renewable energy and better fuel efficiency, many in Congress continue to be drawn to the oil companies' same old tune.

Drilling off Florida is a false promise
Staff Editorial
Tampa Tribune
The "drill, baby drill" crowd is at it again.

Plastic grocery bags get trashed, for good reason
Editorial
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
They're everywhere -- blowing in the wind, floating in the sea, piling up in your kitchen and in landfills.


Snowy egret chicks nesting in Fred George Basin, Leon County, Spring 2009. Photo Courtesy Richard Leighton, Florida Nature Photography.

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Greedy developers seek to weaken endangered wood stork protections

Ed. Note: The efforts described in the articles below by builder groups and deep-pocketed developers to weaken protections for endangered wood storks amount to nothing more than a charade of misinformation based on pure greed, plain and simple. The builders cite 2006 nesting numbers and point to the big rebound in wood stork nesting this year. However, they fail to mention the fact that during 2007 and 2008 South Florida’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, historically the largest wood stork rookery in the U.S., suffered complete nesting failures. Additionally, overdevelopment in South Florida has already driven wood storks into North Florida and beyond. Wildwood Preservation Society has been working for more than three years to protect core foraging habitat for endangered wood storks in Fred George Basin, Leon County. Even with the current protections in place, one must cut through a mountain of red tape in order to prevent reckless developments in and around wood stork habitat. One final point: these builders want to keep paving over our state with new homes while hundreds of thousands of existing residential homes sit vacant due to the housing and economic crisis.

Bird vs. builders: Endangered stork's status called 'an albatross'
By David Fleshler
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Related AP story: Fla. builders want endangered bird reclassified
Although the recession is the chief obstacle to the construction of new houses in Florida, the building industry has taken aim at a more humble opponent: the endangered wood stork.

Everglades' wood stork enjoys a rebirth
By Curtis Morgan
Miami Herald
Related AP story: Wood stork population flying higher in Everglades
A boom in breeding by the rare wood stork has added fuel to developers' argument that the bird no longer belongs on the endangered list.

Latest scapegoat..er bird in housing slump debate
By Tom Palmer
Lakeland Ledger
A large wading bird appears to have joined impact fees as the prime culprit for lack of recovery of the housing market.

Florida's Growth Machine: blame the birds
By Gimleteye
Eye On Miami
It is sickening to watch the Growth Machine taking advantage of the worst economic crisis since the Depression to gear up new rules and regulations so that when housing markets return, citizens will have even less access to the law to protect their communities and the environment.


Endangered wood storks nesting in Fred George Basin, Spring 2009. Photo courtesy of Richard Leighton, Florida Nature Photography.



Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Important news about Florida's turtles

Ed. Note: Below are two important news stories regarding Florida’s turtle population from the past day. Thank you to everyone that sent emails and letters to Gov. Crist and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission urging that the freshwater turtle harvest ban be implemented!

State bans harvesting of most freshwater turtles
By Logan Neill
St. Petersburg Times
Related link: Support the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust

In what one commissioner called "a legacy vote," Florida on Wednesday approved the toughest measures in the United States to protect freshwater turtles.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted unanimously to outlaw the commercial taking of the state's freshwater turtles and eggs.

"This decision may be one of Florida's greatest conservation stories," Commissioner Brian Yablonski said. "This is a legacy vote."

The reptiles are popular in China, where they are considered a delicacy and are used in medicine. However, wildlife officials fear that continued capture of the wild creatures from lakes, ponds and other waterways would endanger some turtle species.

Bowing to public outcry over the practice, Gov. Charlie Crist urged the agency last year to move toward a complete ban on the harvesting of wild turtles.

The FWC heard from 24 people Wednesday, including environmental groups and wildlife experts who supported the ban.

"We need to protect the resource before it's too late. Good regulations will help that," said Peter Meylan of Eckerd College.

Douglas Traywick, 51, traveled from Gotha in Orange County to oppose the new rules. A lifelong fisherman, he said he has the required state licenses to fish for and transport turtles, but he worries about his industry's future. "Imperiled species? We're one of them," he told the panel.

"I can't go on unemployment," he said, "I'm the lowest man on the totem pole."

Sharon Groene, whose family owns a business near Eagle Lake in Polk County that deals in everything from farm-raised tilapia to alligator meat, said the new rule unfairly targets people of limited means.

"Nobody gets rich catching turtles," she said. "These are people who need that money so they can feed their kids."

Commissioner Dwight Stephenson addressed the concerns of the fishermen. "I want to say that your voice has been heard, but we're charged with protecting these species and this rule is necessary at this time."

The new rules allow turtle farms to collect turtles to reproduce in captivity and thus become self-sustaining without taking turtles from the wild.

Ron Bergeron of the FWC urged opponents to look at the big picture. "When you're over-fishing, you're not only hurting the species, you're hurting the food chain as well," he said. "Florida needs to be a leader on this."

The new rules ban the taking of turtles that are on the imperiled species list, including alligator snapping turtles, Bar­bour's map turtles and Suwannee cooters. Also, the taking of cooters, Escambia map turtles and snapping turtles is prohibited.

The new rules do allow for limited taking of softshell turtles, one per day for personal use, if taken by hand, baited hook or minnow seine. Fishing for softshells is prohibited during the breeding season, from May 1 to July 31. For more details, see www.MyFWC.com.

According to the FWC, about 50 people are involved in largely unregulated business of catching freshwater turtles around the state. Fishermen are paid between 75 cents and $1.40 per pound for the turtles, which are shipped live overseas, according to an FWC staff report. Exporters can net $30,000 to $60,000 for a single shipment.



Wildlife underpass skewered; Founder fires back
By Bruce Ritchie
FloridaEnvironments.com
Related Palm Beach Post column: More to Florida turtle crossing than Oklahoma Sen. Coburn claims
Related link: Support the Lake Jackson Ecopassage

Supporters of a proposed wildlife underpass along U.S. Highway 27 north of Tallahassee received unwelcome attention in national media to their project on Tuesday when a Republican U.S. senator identified it as wasteful spending.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., included the "Lake Jackson Ecopassage" as one the top 10 of 100 examples of wasteful spending that he had identified in the federal stimulus package. The project would include building a 4-1/2 foot retaining wall to direct wildlife to three culverts going under the road, which is on a berm built across an arm of Lake Jackson.

State transportation officials say the project is needed to prevent motorists from running over some of the 100 or more turtles, alligators and other wildlife that attempt to cross the divided four-lane highway on some days. But Coburn's report said existing efforts to protect turtles along U.S. 27 already are working pretty well.

"To borrow money that we don't have to spend on things we don't need in the name of economic stimulus when there are things we could spend it on that we do need," Coburn told ABC News.

ABC opened its report by saying, "Why did the turtle cross the road? Because $3.4 million in stimulus money had not been spent to build him a tunnel. That's about to change. "

But Matt Aresco, a biologist who founded the Lake Jackson Ecopassage effort, said the Coburn report completely misrepresented the project by failing to state that the project is not just one culvert but three culverts. And he said ABC News and other reports just parroted the Coburn report without emphasizing that the project is not new and that the turtles and alligators crossing the highway pose a serious safety threat to motorists.

"Another thing they don't talk about is the highway built across the lake bottom four decades created the problem," Aresco said. "All we are trying to do is fix the problem for a highway that is already built."

The ABC News report and some others mentioned the safety issue, but only after highlighting the project as wasteful spending. They didn't point out that Aresco and his supporters have been working nearly 10 years to get the project built.

In that time, Aresco and supporters say they have saved more than 8,800 turtles by creating a temporary fabric fence and carrying turtles across the road. Hundreds of schoolchildren have taken up the cause of building the Lake Jackson Ecopassage and local officials have supported the project.

But Aresco said the fabric fence is only a temporary solution. The temporary device must be monitored three times a day, alligators and some wildlife still can cross over it and the fence falls down, is knocked down or is chewed up by critters trying to get across the road, Aresco said.

"They're saying the temporary fabric fence and wooden stakes that's working just fine?" Aresco said. "The minute (we) couldn't do it any more those fences would fall down and that would be the end of it."






Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Gov. Crist signs SB 360, shows his true colors are anything but "green"

Editorial cartoon by Jim Morin, Miami Herald

Crist signs controversial growth bill
By Jim Ash
Tallahassee Democrat
Gov. Charlie Crist, a U.S. Senate candidate who frequently crosses the state for high-profile bill signing ceremonies, took a far different approach Monday when he signed a controversial growth management bill vehemently opposed by environmental groups.

Crist signs bill loosening controls on growth
By Paul Quinlan
Palm Beach Post
Related editorial: The governor can't hide
Gov. Charlie Crist bucked environmental groups and local governments Monday by signing a bill that development interests say will discourage urban sprawl and jump-start Florida's stalled building industry.

Crist signs growth-management bill (includes audio)
By Mitch E. Perry
WMNF Community Radio Tampa
As we reported last night, without ceremony Gov. Charlie Crist has signed Senate Bill 360, also known as the Community Renewal Act, into law.

Critics decry growth bill
Staff Report
Daytona Beach News-Journal
Gov. Charlie Crist signed a growth management bill Monday supported by business and development interests but opposed by environmentalists and local governments.

Crist's environmental image takes a hit
By Beth Reinhard
Miami Herald
Gov. Charlie Crist waited until 5:05 p.m. tonight to quietly send out a press release saying he had signed a "growth management'' bill that environmentalists say will result in worsening sprawl.

Crist refuels the bulldozers
By Kenric Ward
TC Palm
Gov. Charlie Crist cleared the way for developers by signing Senate Bill 360. Watch out, Treasure Coast.

Governor Gridlock
Editorial
St. Petersburg Times
Gov. Charlie Crist just made it easier to pave over what's left of Florida.

Reckless rollback
Editorial
Florida Today
Brevard County residents, you've just been had. And you can thank Gov. Charlie Crist and Republicans in the state Legislature for guaranteeing that you'll get stuck with the bill for more urban sprawl and traffic gridlock when growth returns to Florida.

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Urgent action needed to save Florida Forever funding

UPDATE 4/29/09: Here is the latest, urgent update from the Florida Forever Coalition including suggested action/talking points: http://bit.ly/12y9Eb

Please read the important update below from from our friends at the Florida Forever Coalition and take action.

As we enter the final scheduled week of Florida's legislative session, funding for Florida Forever (FF) funding is still in jeopardy.

The Status: The Senate bill that deals with closing the documentary stamp tax loophole is still on track to pass in the Senate. SB 2430 would provide approximately $46M in additional doc stamp revenue for next fiscal year. A portion of this would be used to provide up to $50M in FF bonds and $50M for Everglades bonds for next fiscal year. The bill makes sure FF bonds are safe (assurance) for investors, and allow the state to issue bonds for $250M for FF for this year.

In an advance-planned, last minute maneuver, the House introduced HB 1219 that would allow oil and gas drilling within three miles of Florida's coast. In an effort to give it an environmental spin, the sponsors are proposing to fund FL Forever through oil and gas lease revenues. The Florida Forever Coalition believes oil and gas drilling lease revenues are not an appropriate, reliable solution to Florida Forever funding, and that the leases could not generate sufficient, predictable revenue to support Florida Forever bonds next year or for several years after that.

Recommended Actions:
Senate - need Senate to approve tax loophole bill (SB 2430) that will fund FF next year, let this year's bonds be sold and ensure environmental bond repayments - contact editorial boards, Senators, etc.
House - regarding the drilling bill (HB 1219) - contact House members/leadership and state that FF funding for NEXT YEAR is critical - drilling revenue will not be sufficient or available next year
Governor - contact Gov. Crist to encourage him to come out against drilling and in favor of FF funding for next year.
Overall message - FL Forever funding is not secured yet - support the Senate's approach in funding FF for next year.

Thanks to Sens. Atwater, Alexander, Baker, Lawson, Gelber for their roles in support of Florida Forever. Continue to forward resolutions, news stories, and elected officials' comments regarding Florida Forever to info@supportfloridaforever.org.

A strong, coordinated final hour effort is essential to obtain funding for Florida Forever.

Thank you,

The Florida Forever Coalition Steering Committee

Wildwood Preservation Society is a non-profit 501(c)(4) project of the Advocacy Consortium for the Common Good. Click here to learn more.

"it's all connected"

Voters can bring politicians to heel

Voters can bring politicians to heel
By Kenric Ward
TC Palm
Friday, July 25, 2008

By the time you read this, Florida Hometown Democracy may have gathered enough petitions to make the ballot. As of Thursday, 607,961 signatures were validated by the state, with thousands more in the pipeline. A total of 611,009 is needed.

In the face of a hostile Legislature, well-heeled corporate opposition, erratic counting procedures by supervisors of elections, questionable emergency rules from the secretary of state and inexplicably blasé (or non-existent) news coverage, FHD marches on.

Martin County activist Joe Florio epitomizes the undaunted spirit of the grass-roots campaign that would empower Floridians by requiring voter referendums on all comprehensive plan changes in their communities. Florio has spent more than two years collecting signatures for FHD, volunteering untold hours of time for the cause. Last week, he and Lloyd Brumfield, another Martin County resident, were in Vero Beach to push the petition drive along.

Setting up shop outside the Indian River County main library, the pair gently approached patrons, asking if they were registered voters. Of those who were, most signed the petition. Florio and Brumfield wrapped up their three-hour stint with 53 signatures, a decent rate of about one every three minutes. 

Surprisingly few people had heard of Hometown Democracy until that moment. For all the supposed political “polarization” over growth in Indian River County, these local library-goers — presumably well read — were unaware of the statewide citizens’ campaign addressing that very issue.

Once explained, FHD (floridahometowndemocracy.com) struck a responsive chord with the passers-by. If the Florio-Brumfield team’s experience is any indication, there remains a vast reservoir of untapped angst about out-of-control growth in this state.

The development industry and the business writers, meantime, have abandoned their unrealistically rosy outlooks for a sober gloom. Where a turnaround was once just around the corner, Floridians now are told that things will get worse before they get better. Bottom line: Growth isn’t a problem anymore. It’s under control. The market is straightening things out.

Don’t drink that Kool-Aid.

Indian River and St. Lucie counties are still cranking out new single-family homes every day. Based on residential permits issued through June, the two counties are on track for more than 1,400 new dwellings this year.

That’s down, of course, but these stucco boxes will be stacked on top of seven to eight months of standing inventory of new, vacant homes.

Martin County isn’t much better off. Analysts at Boca Raton-based MetroStudy report that the “slow-growth” county has more than an eight-year supply of subdivided lots waiting to be built. 

Whatever their rationale, builders keep building — and corporate marketers do whatever it takes to goose the market.

Over in Cape Coral, near Fort Myers, an equity investment firm is selling new homes starting at $86,000.

“They got the creditors to agree to sell at a 40 percent discount across the board. Since then, virtually all the homes have been sold, indicating there are buyers out there for Florida real-estate, but at the right price,” market analyst Jack McCabe told Florida Trend magazine.

Do you feel your property value plummeting?

Michael Grunwald, writing recently in Time magazine, quoted a Miami real-estate sharpie who runs an outfit appropriately named Condo Vultures.

“Eventually, Florida is going to grow again,” predicted Peter Zalewski.

To which Grunwald muses: “The question is whether Florida will grow up.”

The Sunshine State’s relentless boom-and-bust economy has been fueled by real-estate speculation, starting when land was sold by the gallon (a subject with which Grunwald, author of “The Swamp,” is intimately familiar).

Now that there are 18 million-plus Floridians — most of them living south of Orlando — it’s increasingly obvious that a construction industry on steroids is as unhealthy and unsustainable as a mountaintop coal mine. Relying on residential development for continued prosperity is like building a house of cards in a hurricane. 

Few politicians will admit this. Their go-along-to-get-along attitude enables the scrape-and-sell game to continue. They depend on it for their financial support.

Florida Hometown Democracy is the “growing up” Grunwald speaks of. It’s the realization that pliable politicians — incumbent or newcomer — cannot be the ultimate answer. It should be painfully apparent by now that our elected officials are neither endowed with special insights nor unique intelligence.

The voice of the people, ratifying or rejecting via referendum, is the purest form of local governance. Hometown Democracy is the check and balance that’s been missing. That’s why fed-up Floridians keep signing. They’re tired of being treated like children.



WAYS TO HELP
Click on the picture below to visit Hometown Democracy where registered Florida voters can sign the petition and get involved:

Click here to visit Hometown Democracy on MySpace.
Not registered to vote? Click here.