The opposite of Good is not Evil.

It is Apathy.

_________________________________________

Swiftmud's commitment to saving endangered scrub land in question‏

Bad Bills!

Our Friends of the Environment:

Attached is a copy of RRC’s Winter 2012 Newsletter.  In the last paragraph certain legislative bills are identified which may be harmful to our environment.  I would like to offer a little more discussion of these bills.

HB 79, submitted by Representatives Coley and Drake, and SB 178, submitted by Senator Lynn, repeal the state-wide septic tank inspection provision contained in SB 550 passed two years ago.  HB 999, sponsored by Representatives Dorworth and Coley, also repeals the statewide inspection provision of SB 550 but authorizes counties and municipalities to adopt an inspection program subject to a uniform protocol.  SB 820, introduced by Senator Dean, repeals the state-wide septic tank inspection provision of SB 550 but requires a septic tank inspection program subject to a uniform protocol in counties where first magnitude springs are located.  These counties may opt out of the requirement but can only do so by a super majority of commission votes.  Other counties and municipalities may opt into this type of program.  Considering the legislative onslaught against a state-wide septic tank inspection program it would seem that SB 820 may be a good fall back position on this matter.  It would be good if passage of this bill would occur without any weakening of its provisions.

HB 115, sponsored by Representative Drake, and SB 558, sponsored by Senator Hays, seek to overturn a January 2016 statutory ban on the land application of residential septage rather than having it hauled to and processed in central sewage treatment plants.  Land application of raw septage endangers our aquifer and, thus, these bills should be opposed.

 HB 639, sponsored by Representative Young, and SB 1086, sponsored by Senator Garcia, remove reclaimed water from “waters of the state”.  This means that utilities that treat waste water can claim ownership of this treated water and sell it to the highest bidder.  The water management district would lose authorization to specify reclaimed water use.  This is a move toward privatization of water which should be opposed.  

HB 1101, sponsored by Representative Goodson, and SB 1362, sponsored by Senator Hays, are probably the worst bills introduced this year.  They redefine “ordinary high water mark”, which is used to mark the boundary between private land and sovereign submerged land, so as to establish it at a lesser elevation.  This means that considerable amounts of sovereign land will be surrendered to private ownership.  This could have an enormous adverse effect on protection of wetlands, lakes, streams, and estuaries.  These bills should be strongly opposed.

HB 421, sponsored by Representative Smith, and SB 604, sponsored by Senator Dean, exempt certified landscapers from local fertilizer ordinances.  We know that fertilizers are the greatest cause of excessive nitrates in our water bodies.  When a local ordinance is promulgated for the protection of these water bodies, that should be a good thing.  Any weakening of requirements on the application of fertilizers should be opposed.

HB 773, sponsored by Representative Abruzzo, and SB 958, sponsored by Senator Oelrich, raise the permissible noise level of airboats and prevent local governments from establishing more stringent noise level ordinances.  These bills would also allow airboats passage on any navigable waterway.  A sustained noise level of 90 db leads to permanent hearing damage.  These bills would permit a noise level of 107 db measured at 100 feet from the side of an airboat.  Decibels are a logarithmic measure of power ratios.  Thus, a 107 db noise level is approximately 40 times the power level at 90 db and equivalent to that of a jet engine.  A kayaker or tuber in the vicinity of an airboat would surely suffer deafening effects.  These are extremely bad bills and should be strongly opposed.

You are encouraged to study these bills on Florida Senate or Florida House websites and express your opinion to the bill sponsors, your legislators, and other concerned environmentalists.

Burt Eno, PhD, PE(ret), President, Rainbow River Conservation, Inc.

_________________________________________

       _________________________________________

______________________________________________

_____________________________________

CLICK HERE FOR THEIR NEWSLETTER

____________________________________________

Other Voices

by northern Marion County farmer, Gary Borse    from the Ocala Star Banner

"We are seeing developers' motto, 'Pave it,'   become a reality"

READ IT HERE

_______________________________________

FARMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DISTINCTION
IN MARION COUNTY 

For all of you Marion County farm owners/dwellers who are already living in an environmentally-friendly way, you will probably qualify for the "Farms of Environmental Distinction" stamp of approval, which gives you the right to display the absolutely free and very tasteful metal sign that declares your accomplishment.

One of the goals of this program, sponsored by the Marion County Soil and Water District Commission, is to promote best management practices on area farms. Another goal is to reward those who have made the effort to run an environmentally-friendly farm. The third is to let passers-by know that we farm people are part of the solution, not the problem!

If you care to get your own sign, contact Bill Steele, in Citra, at 595-4677. He will come to your farm, have a look around, make gentle suggestions if needed, and award your sign. In the bargain, you'll make a friend--Bill's a great guy, and there's no hidden agenda here to  "inspect" your farm and turn you in to the environmental police if you're doing something wrong. It's absolutely a win-win for us and for the environment.

Call him now, and pass the word to your other farm friends.

If you want to look at the signs, just drive down NW 90th Ave from Hwy 326--there are already signs at my farm and a couple of others--see for yourself.

Thanks,

Susan

 ___________________________________________________________

"Fomenting Citoyen Activism
 Since Shortly After
December 26, 1950"

_____________________________

Smart Planning for a Green Future

No-Cost On-Line Events & Services in Support of Florida Communities

Sustainability & Economic Vitality for Florida Communities
No-cost on-line events and services are now-available to assist Florida agencies, organizations and communities. “Smart Planning for a Green Future” is the theme, encompassing green planning, clean energy, sustainable economic development and more. Live on-line events are being hosted monthly featuring state and national experts. A Virtual Resource Center and state conference are also included. Events kickoff August 11 and 18. Sponsored by: 1000 Friends of Florida and the Future Is Now Foundation.

CLICK FOR DETAILS

___________________________________

Scenic Roads

Survey after survey has shown that the majority of residents in Marion County want to retain the beautiful horse farms, rural roads and unique water and karst features throughout the county.                    

So, what’s the problem with our county commissioners? They have an opportunity to do wonderful things with this county, but they show no imagination, no creativity, no inspiration. They’ll allow more subdivisions so that a few local developers and road-builders can prosper, they plan to remove old oaks in order to widen scenic roads, and they literally give our water away to out-of-state bottling businesses. I can only hope they are replaced in the next election by people like Peter Bowers (see below) and others, who truly understand what a gem this beautiful county is. Imagine what the possibilities could be...!

Susan

Ocala Star Banner, Letters to the Editor for Sunday, July 10

                Scenic Roads should not merely be a program that seeks to preserve some unique vistas across Marion County. It should infuse every road project and development with natural aesthetic sensibilities that reflects Marion County’s special rural character.

                It should not operate under the infrastructure and development principles manifest in State Route 200: a blah utilitarianism with nature stripped out. There are only two natural centerpieces the length of 200 from County Road 484 to U.S. 441. One is the man-made pond that shapes the entrance to CFC. The other is the horse farm at Southwest 80th Avenue. Both are man-made natural oases amidst a desert of urban forms that everyone recognizes as urban sprawl.

                The four-laning of 60th Avenue from 200 to U.S. 27 laid down miles of asphalt and concrete flanked by occasional holes of various sizes dug to store surface runoff. Other than some bahia sod down the median strip and along the shoulders, nothing has been done to enhance the scene. Any trees along the roads are repeatedly cut into tortuous forms to protect telephone and power lines.

                Can we not do better than this? Can we not make Marion County an interesting place to drive through instead of just a place one drives through on the way to work, to shopping or to the doctor?

                Can we not turn the drainage retention areas into something other than just holes in the ground?

                Can we not locate trees so that they don’t interfere with power and telephone lines?

Peter Bowers, Ocala

___________________________________________________

Be informed regarding potential legislative action in Tallahassee.  We are seeing, more and more, decisions being made in Tallahassee which are contrary to the “home rule” charter in our Florida Constitution. The “Keep it Local Florida” initiative has been created by the Florida Association of Counties.

READ MORE HERE

__________________________________________________

FROM SUSAN:

Just a quick reminder that all of the very good work that was done in planned development in Florida over the last 20 years is about to be abandoned. Up until the last election, a developer had to show that a requested new development plan was compatible with the surrounding area—i.e.,  don’t put an urban type of development in the middle of an area of horse farms, such as we have in Marion County. Someone requesting a permit to develop also had to show that there was a NEED for new housing inventory in an area.
Now, all bets are off, and one can pretty much build anything anywhere if they want to.

The very good letter below explains quite well what we could be facing soon. Our new elected officials, led by Governor Rick Scott, have introduced legislation that puts an end to the cutting edge rules for development of the last 20 years, and which will allow a random free-for-all in development. Literally.

Please read below, and  then take a minute to contact your elected officials, letting them know what you think of the new approach to growth management (which is to say, ‘no more management.’)

Some of you may remember that Lynn Recio and I stopped an incompatible development proposal a few years back by proving that there was no need for 800 new homes on 400 acres in the middle of horse country and 1-home-per-10 acres-zoning. But our new legislators are trying to insure that there no longer are any state laws that would allow us to repeat that success.

Please contact your State Representative and Senator ASAP and tell them what you think. Beautiful areas of Florida are already disappearing at an alarming rate—let’s not let everything be made into endless subdivisions because of a relatively small number of developers who control the conversation these days.

Thanks,

Susan Woods

SEE FLORIDA WILDLIFE FEDERATION ACTION ALERT
BY CLICKING HERE

OTHER VOICES  from the Ocala Star Banner

Enough already: Worries about insufficient developable land absurd

By Peter Bowers
Published: Sunday, February 27, 2011

( page of 2 )

 During the recent adoption hearing on the county's comprehensive-plan amendments, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth by Stan McClain, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, and Steve Gray, the eminent land-use change attorney, about the diminishing supply of rural land for development.

At one level they are, of course, correct. The county could some day run out of rural land for development. There is, after all, only a finite amount of land available.

The reality, however, is that unincorporated Marion County has nearly 200,000 vacant urban building lots and more than 5,000 acres of vacant commercial/industrial land. This is in addition to a huge overhang of vacant homes and commercial/industrial buildings. This is more than enough supply, according to a variety of studies commissioned by the county, to take care of the projected increase in the population through the planning horizon of 2035.

The county also created an Urban Growth Boundary, inside of which growth is to be encouraged, encompassing rural and much of the former rural land classified as Urban Reserve. The former Urban Reserve amounted to 34,164 acres in 2007, according to the county. I estimate the total rural acreage (Urban Reserve, plus rural) retained within the Urban Growth Boundary at about 25,000 acres.

In the past, the typical urban development density has been Medium Density Residential, allowing up to four units per acre. Thus, 100,000 units could be built on the 25,000 acres. This would support a population increase of 232,000, much more than the 160,000 projected by the county out to 2035.

Now if the same acreage were built on at, say, eight units per acre, it would support a population increase of 464,000, which is 300 percent more than the projected population growth.

Put another way, the county has an available supply of about 200,000 vacant urban building lots plus another 200,000 units that could be placed within the UGB.

These 400,000 units would accommodate an additional 832,000 people in unincorporated Marion County — 500 percent more than are projected to come over the next 25 years.

The county has enough vacant urban building lots and acreage set aside within the Urban Growth Boundary to accommodate any reasonable projection of population growth for probably the next 100 years. McClain and Gray should stop complaining about there not being enough rural land available for development and focus on using the land resources already set aside to their maximum efficiency so that rural land outside the Urban Growth Boundary does get paved over.

Peter Bowers lives in northwest Marion County and is a member of the Northwest Coalition for Balanced Growth.

 ________________________________________

FLASH BULLETIN - Corruption in Florida is "pervasive at every level of government"

in case you didn't already know...

Editorial: Corruption tax
Published: Friday, January 7, 2011

A statewide grand jury declared last week that corruption in Florida is "pervasive at every level of government" and that new laws and ethics regulations are needed to stem the erosion of the public trust and "the theft and mismanagement" of the public treasury. Moreover, the costs resulting from "fraud, waste and abuse of state resources" is so much a part of a government pay-to-play culture that the 18-person grand jury said it amounts to "a Florida corruption tax" on residents. We hope Gov. Rick Scott heeds the jurors' conclusions and its recommendations.
Among them:
* Require lawmakers to disclose any conflict of interest before voting on a measure that may benefit them.
* Establish an independent State Office of Inspector General
... * Allow the state Commission on Ethics to initiate its own investigations..
* Stiffen criminal penalties for certain violations such as bid-rigging and bribery, while criminalizing some acts of corruption that are currently only
punishable as civil penalties.
* Expand the definition of a public official to include private contractors
who provide public services. There have been previous attempts, as recently
as the last legislative session, to crack down on corruption.

Another grand jury that investigated scandalized former House Speaker Ray Sansom on charges that he manipulated state funds to help a crony and land himself a six-figure community college job, came to similar conclusions. Yet, the Legislature refused to act last session on a series of bills aimed at reining in the culture of corruption.

Perhaps now that the jurors have pointed out the Florida corruption tax, lawmakers will act, if only to cut the cost of government.

Copyright © 2011 Gainesville.com

__________________________________________________

We need more of these again!

September 15, 2009

At the Florida State government's Cabinet meeting at which Susan spoke, Gov. Crist told Woods, "I want  to thank you for your tenacity, your candor, and your hard work." Woods, who had served as her own lawyer through the two and a half year-long battle, personally made the motion to support DCA staff's suggestion calling on the County Commission to pull the plug on the project.

State Cabinet rejects 800-home Marion subdivision

Officials predict the decision that handed a horse farmer a victory over a major developer could have growth implications statewide

By Bill Thompson
Staff writer, Ocala Star Banner

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

A lone citizen's challenge to a land use change approved by the Marion County Commission in 2007 will be taken up Tuesday by the Florida Cabinet in what has evolved into a landmark growth-management case of statewide significance.

The Cabinet - Gov. Charlie Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson - will hear the case of Susan Woods v. Marion County. The David vs. Goliath case has a single citizen taking on big development and revolves around the County Commission's vote to change 396 acres of farmland off West U.S. 27 from rural to medium-density residential. Castro Realty Corp. sought the land-use change so it could build 790 houses on the rolling pastures.

In reaching its 3-2 decision, the commission ignored the recommendation of its own planning staff, which concluded the houses were not needed in an already glutted housing market.

The commission's action was sent to the Department of Community Affairs for final approval, which it got.

Enter horse farmer Susan Woods. The environmentally active Woods challenged the County Commission's decision. She argued the project was not compatible with the rural, horse-farm character of the area. She argued that so many houses would harm the aquifer because of the karst topography. She, finally, argued the county had failed to meet the long-accepted "demonstration of need" benchmark.

With no lawyer in tow, she took her case to DCA. She won a rare, almost unheard-of reversal of DCA's decision. More important, Woods won DCA support through the remainder of the process, including from DCA Secretary Tom Pelham personally.

For more of the story

CLICK THIS

AND THIS

_______________________________________