In addition, FALDO links arms with the many groups throughout Florida that work to preserve and protect the unique ecosystems that sustain us all. -- Susan Woods, President
Recently I wrote you to warn you about the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) efforts underway to weaken our water quality standards. I’m writing you today to ask you to please take immediate action to help us stop FDEP and the polluters that they protect. FDEP is proposing to reorganize our water classifications from the current five categories to a new system that would have seven categories. Four of the new categories would not be clean enough for swimming. While any polluter could apply to FDEP to down-grade a waterbody’s classification, you and I would be virtually helpless to prevent FDEP from approving the change.
Please help us by taking the following actions right away:
1. Send an email to FDEP Secretary Mike Sole and tell him to stop his efforts to weaken our water quality standards. FDEP is not supposed to spend our tax dollars to protect polluters - - they are supposed to be protecting Florida’s natural resources. The short message is: NO NEW DESIGNATED USES THAT WON’T PROTECT FISHING AND SWIMMING IN FLORIDA’S WATERS. You can email him at: michael.sole@dep.state.fl.us
2. Send the same email to Gov. Crist at Charlie.crist@myflorida.com
3. If you can sponsor or arrange an opportunity for me (Linda Young) to come speak to your organization or one in your community that would like to help make the public aware of this imminent threat to Florida’s waters, then please contact me right away to schedule it. I will be happy to come talk to any group of citizens that want to know what is being proposed and how they can get involved and have a voice.
Another important item for you to watch is explained in the article below. Click there for the full story which was printed in Saturday’s St. Pete Times. We stopped this from happening in 2003 and we can stop the water thieves again.
Thank you for helping us protect all of Florida’s waters!!!
Linda Young
Director
The St.
Petersburg Times
Published Friday, October 30, 2009
Six years ago, Florida's business leaders came up with a plan to create a state water commission that could route water from sleepy North Florida to
supply the booming development in South Florida. But their plan proved so controversial that Gov. Jeb Bush scuttled it.
Now it's back.
BOGGLING DETAILS
(A Dialogue)
by Eric West
with a rejoinder by Pete Spyke
.... In addition to the public taking on some responsibility for this mess, we need to look at the political system itself that allows the Governor or a County Council person to appoint people who either don't have the expertise to do the job correctly, or have a personal stake in making sure the job isn't done correctly to protect some other interest's financial stake over the financial interests and health of the public at large. Why aren't these agency heads hire based on their abilities and knowledge and not subject to political approval? Why do we keep having our government look for ways to keep us from participating in the system (WMD's directors having unlimited power to grant CUPs with no public input!)?
Governors of Ala., Ga., Fla. predict
water pact
From the Ocala Star
Published: Tuesday, December 15, 2009
AP
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The governors of
Georgia, Alabama and Florida predicted Tuesday they will have a solution to
their three-state water sharing dispute before they leave office in one year.
A framed memento from the Public Interest Environmental Conference which honored Susan as the year's "Unsung Hero" for her successful crusade to reverse changes to the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. If allowed to stand, these would have allowed medium density housing encroachment into the Farmland Preservation district in Marion County.
NEED SOME BASIC INFO?
WHAT'S THE AQUIFER? HOW'S IT WORK?
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
CLICK HERE FOR ANSWERS
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From Progress Florida:
The growth machine is back to its old tricks. Big developers want to drain north Florida, its rivers, lakes, and springs, in order to fuel more unsustainable development in central and south Florida. North Florida can't afford to lose the water and the last thing central and south Florida needs is more poorly planned pavement.Those facts aren't stopping a powerful group of developers and agriculture moguls, represented by the secretive Council of 100, from wanting to concentrate control of all Florida's water in the hands of one statewide commission, which they can more easily manipulate.*
Mark, Jon, and the rest of the Progress Florida team
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Comprehensive plan deadline issues
loom
The Ocala Star Banner
By Bill
Thompson
Staff writer
Published:
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The outcome of a dispute over
whether Marion County missed a mandatory deadline for implementing a key soil
study likely depends on how far the critics want to push their cause.
A pair of northwest Marion residents argue that the government failed to complete a study of the local karst topography by January 2008, as outlined in the county's comprehensive land-use plan, or comp plan.
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November 21, 2009
Making his second run as secretary
of the Florida Department of Community Affairs, Thomas Pelham said the process
of regulating growth has taken a turn for the worse.
He said growth management
regulations had previously been passed overwhelmingly with a broad consensus of
support. He contrasted that to "hasty hit and run" laws passed during
his current tenure.
"I don't think it speaks very well of us that we can't deal with issues of this magnitude in a more rational manner than we have been doing," he said Thursday at the University of Florida.
Susan's comments on the Florida Hometown Democracy campaign:
January 31, 2010
I dunno. That's usually what I say when someone asks me if I think Florida Hometown Democracy is a good idea. FHD is the controversial proposal that's going to be on the November ballot. If it passes, it will give all residents of Florida the opportunity to have final say over whether local comprehensive-plan changes, like the one that Lyn Recio and I worked to defeat, will be approved. FHD sounds, on the surface, like a good idea, but then I get to thinking. . .
Seize the sunshine, save the environment
OUR OPINION: Faltering economy can be good for the environment if leaders act smartly
Look out, Florida lawmakers, four former governors are conducting a full-court press to convince you to resume funding the state's farsighted land-conservation program, Florida Forever. Legislators should heed the governors' call. Floridians need all the open space we can get.
Though Florida's population dipped slightly this year, 19 million people live here. That's projected to grow to 34 million by 2100. Will there be enough parks, open spaces and protected watersheds for so many?
The key to answering that question in the affirmative rests with today's state leaders. It's hard to take the long view when budget shortfalls are forcing everyone to tighten their belts, but courageous, visionary leadership is what's called for now.
In the deepest of sweeping cuts to environmental programs, Florida lawmakers plan to ax the state's premier land-buying program, Florida Forever.
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