Mine opponents will just not go away from the Bradford Co. Commission meetings. Today representatives were there from Our Santa Fe River, Sierra Club and the group Citizens Against Phosphate Mining in B/U.
On Aug. 31, 2016, the Center for Biological Diversity office in St. Petersburg, Florida, sent the commissioners a strong, well documented letter outlining many good reasons to deny the pending mining application. As seen in our post “Letter to Bradford County From Center for Biological Diversity,” there are legal precedents for declaring moratoria with mining applications pending.
Your OSFR historian spoke to the commissioners regarding this letter, and he found out after the meeting was adjourned that County Attorney Will Sexton had not received a copy. This seems quite unusual, given that the letter speaks directly to the legal procedures involved in this issue. Your historian sent Mr. Sexton a copy in the afternoon of Sept. 6, 2016.
In other business of interest, Mr. Sexton reported to the board that he had met with representatives from the Chemours (formerly Du Pont) mine regarding Dr. Paul Still’s advisory that the mine was operating without a permit. He will prepare a report and summary for the board at the next meeting.
Additionally, Mr. Kevin Patton, Park Manager of Gold Head Branch State Park & Palatka-to-Lake Butler State Trail, presented a check for $50,000 to the county, under the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP.) The FRDAP is a state competitive grant program that provides financial assistance to local governments to develop and/or acquire land for public outdoor recreational.
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
-A river is like a life: once taken, it cannot be brought back-
