We have already re-posted Craig Pittman’s great article on this disgusting happening, pushed on us by the five-member Florida Communities Trust board of directors.
A quote from Pittman’s article said it all: “If Split Oak is not protected, then nowhere in Florida is protected.” – Valerie Anderson, Friends of Split Oak Forest.
By their shortsighted, money-motivated and backward-thrusting ruling, this board put all our so called “preserved” and “protected” public lands in harm’s way in one fell swoop.
Just like that and thank you ma’am. That din you hear is from all the developers across the state cheering and clapping.
The result is as Valerie Anderson says, nothing in Florida is safe from destruction by developers.
What we learn from this is that in the Florida dictionaries, the word “forever” means “until it is convenient to change it.”
Most disgusting are the votes of Noah Valenstein and Mara Gambineri who, having been or are in positions of great environmental responsibility, turned their backs on that and caved in to the money/developer. This is not to excuse realtor/developer Frank Mingo and business-oriented Deborah Denys for sacrificing this natural preserve.
This is a decidedly development-heavy board, with two seeming but false environmentalists who turn out to be money followers, perhaps put on the board to ostensibly give it the appearance of a balanced group. Ironically, one of the board’s missions is supposed to be to preserve environmental land and space.
Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson traveled to Tallahassee to give OSFR a presence, as did Chuck O’Neal, organizer and one of the leaders of the Florida Constitutional Amendment Right to Clean Water, hopefully on the ballot in 2024. Also speaking against this proposal was Will Abberger, Director of Conservation Finance at the Trust for Public Land. Abberger has been a leader for land conservation in Florida for many years and led the drive for the Florida Forever Act in 1999.
But these powerful voices of wisdom fell on deaf ears as we see the money versus environment death match play out one more time. Speaking of nature, the mindset is that of [Silver River fame] Judge E. Gary Early: it is there, use it. No apology, no excuse needed and none given.
Valerie Anderson made a video of Merrillee’s talk, which can’t be embedded in our post, but you can open it by going to https://photos.app.goo.gl/TQUketuVnJH6zqAq6
Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum
