The Ixia Chapter Conservation Newsletter is written weekly by Chadd Scott, an art, culture & travel writer, talk radio personality, and podcast producer and coach as well as the Ixia Chapter Conservation Chair. To receive his weekly Conservation Newsletter directly to your email, complete the Subscribe form at the bottom of this page. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Florida Native Plant Society, its chapters, employees or volunteers.
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September 15, 2024
Over the summer, Ron DeSantis signed a bill that will let homebuilders across Florida throw up new housing subdivisions faster and cheaper. The new law, records show, was largely written by Lennar Corp., one of the nation’s largest residential developers.
Dubbed by lobbyists as the “Lennar permitting language,” the legislation (Senate Bill 812) will compel cities and counties across Florida to issue building permits for most of the homes in a proposed subdivision before the development plans are finalized.
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You may have heard something about a proposed “Withlacoochee land swap.” This is another effort in the state, similar to the recent State Parks scheme, where private industry/developers are attempting to dictate state policy on conservation lands. At issue here are 300+ acres of Florida Forest Service land adjacent to the Withlacoochee State Forest at the intersection of US 98 and the Suncoast Parkway – about 60 miles north of Tampa, 5 miles from the Gulf.
Florida Native Plant Society President Gene Kelly joined the “Florida Spectacular” podcast this week to discuss why the swap is a bad deal for Florida conservation.
Kelly sent a letter to the Forest Service Director and Agriculture Commissioner outlining his, and FNPS,’ objections to the proposal.
Read here: https://greatfloridaroadtrip.com/withlacoochee-land-swap-whats-all-the-fuss-about/
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Speaking of the failed State Parks development scheme, additional reporting into the issue this week found the state considered 17 other State Parks as targets for potential development, meaning Ron DeSantis and his Department of Environmental Prostitution had/have even bigger designs on turning our state parks into theme parks.
LINK: https://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/2024/09/10/florida-state-parks-development-golf-courses-desantis/
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As bad as you think the condition of the environment and conservation and our political leaders’ opinions toward them are in Florida, it could be worse. We could be Louisiana, the world’s leading “petrostate.”
“We don’t really have a Gulf Coast in the US. We have the East Coast, the West Coast and the Carbon Coast. This is simply a sacrifice zone for the oil and gas industry.”
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Every native piece of the ecosystem has a role to play. How the decline of Indian vultures (at the order of the cattle industry) led to 500,000 human deaths. Three cheers for scavengers!
LINK: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c28e2pvzn3lo
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