Sunday, September 18, 2011

Florida Clears the Way to Pave Over Paradise

"They took all the trees
And put them in a tree museum"


(Joni Mitchell, "Big Yellow Taxi")

The state Department of Community Affairs will no longer exist in Florida after this year. A recent editorial in the Tampa Tribune noted that half the planning staff was laid off and the remaining members of the planning agency would become part of the new Department of Economic Opportunity. This change heralds a shift in Florida’s approach to growth management.

The so-called “Hometown Democracy” amendment appeared on the state ballot in November 2010 but failed to pass. The proposed constitutional amendment, also known as the Florida Comprehensive Land Use Plans, Amendment 4, and technically titled "Referenda Required For Adoption And Amendment of Local Government Comprehensive Land Use Plans” was subject to political spin and a major public relations campaign on both sides of the issue.

In spring 2010, I attended a League of Women Voters of Florida “Lobby Days” dinner that featured some of the primary authors of the amendment with their opposition counterparts. The evening was informative but left me with more questions than answers. Ultimately, the League did not take a position on Amendment 4.

Between March and November, I spent some time following the issue and ultimately decided I opposed Amendment 4. I kept thinking about how Amendment 4 would play out in local government in my own small county with less than 35,000 residents in North Florida. The basis for my stance is that I elect people to represent me and make governance decisions. We live in a representative democracy, not a direct democracy. I think our country, in general, functions fairly well in that fashion. If we were to begin voting individually on every policy decision, the process would soon grow unwieldy and unnecessarily cumbersome. There are already numerous opportunities for citizen input and involvement. In general, the average concerned citizen chooses only one or two issues to influence.

The election of Governor Scott and the influence of a Republican-majority Legislature would soon prevail where the ballot initiative fell short. The checks and balances on local governments have been weakened and the doors appear to have been opened wide to developers.

What does this mean where I live in Wakulla? It seems to mean that changes to our county comprehensive plan are on the table. One proposed amendment appears to be a lifting or reduction of the current buffer zone contained in the existing wetlands protection ordinance.

In 2010, Wakulla County was lauded by Audubon of Florida for enacting progressive wetlands protection. The ordinance passed by Wakulla County Commissioners was designed to help protect the wetlands that make the area ecologically sensitive and an attraction to those who love natural Florida. The new law created a 75-foot buffer zone around the wetlands of Wakulla County. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the first 35-feet of the buffer is required to limit impact and allows only for minimal activities such as a dock or trail with an allowance for normal or "customary" hunting and fishing activities. The second 40-foot band would permit only those additional activities with minimal impacts . The ordinance also included a minimum building footprint lot size to ensure future property owners sufficient dry land for homes and businesses.

With the decimation of the DCA accomplished and a proposal to amend Wakulla’s comprehensive land use plan under discussion, I have lines from an old Dr. Seuss classic, “The Lorax”, repeating in my head: “They say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast!... Please! I object in the name of the trees!” Sometimes what passes for progress isn't exactly progressive.

So, to paraphrase, who does speak for the trees? In this case, who speaks for the wetlands, where trees and so many other things grow?

Maybe the Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) does? The Water Management Districts have come under fire this year, too, with funding cuts and other reductions in scope. These special districts, created by Chapter 373, Florida Statutes, are charged with protecting and managing the water resources of Florida in a sustainable manner for the continued welfare of its residents and natural systems. Wakulla falls within the boundaries of the Northwest Florida district. Inherent in this statutory mandate to manage water resources is the protection, preservation, restoration and enhancement of wetlands within NWFWMD boundaries.

According to the NWFWMD website, wetlands are vital to the economic and ecological welfare of the watershed, providing a broad array of functions and services for environmental resources and human communities including:


* Water quality protection, improvement and groundwater recharge

* Shoreline stability, flood protection and moderation of surface water runoff

* Ecological integrity including support for natural systems

* Promotion of a natural resource economy including commercial, aesthetic and recreational benefits

I think we need to be pushing green sustainable development in Wakulla. I grasp that it is initially cheaper to develop the same way we’ve always developed. However, in the long term, a more visionary approach to growth can yield a good return on an environmentally sound project.

With at least one Wakulla County Commissioner pushing to weaken the wetlands ordinance and another with traditional development interests who could benefit from a repeal, the only remaining roadblock may be three members of the BOCC listening to the concerns of local citizens.

The question in the coming weeks remains, “Who will speak for the wetlands?”