FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 5, 2001
Florida
Forever Land Acquisitions Ranked Thursday
-- Floridians vie for their piece of
the pie at today’s public hearing --
TALLAHASSEE – Residents,
business leaders, city and county officials, environmental groups, and
developers are just a few of the audience members who participated in the
Acquisition and Restoration Council’s public hearing today.
Gathered in Tallahassee to voice their personal opinion, or speak on
behalf of the population they represent, dozens of
speakers portrayed the uniqueness and/or expressed the urgency in
moving their respective land acquisition projects back onto the
state’s “A” purchase priority list.
Last year, the Council
created two acquisition lists: an “A” list, which contains the highest
priority state-funded projects, and a “B” list, which, while containing
significant environmental projects, requires additional funds from other
sources. Several parcels that
were previously ranked high on Preservation 2000’s “Priority” list
were moved to Florida Forever’s “B” list, causing concern among local
residents.
A few of the projects
that were asked to be returned to the Florida Forever “A” list included:
-
Northeast Florida Blueway, Duval County – Intracoastal
waterway, protect water quality, fish nursery, endangered species, threat of
development.
-
Three Chimneys, Volusia
County – Historical value –
sugar mill, rum factory ruins, migrating songbirds.
-
Terra Ceia, Manatee County
– Threat of development, abundant
wildlife, willing sellers, rare waterfront property.
-
Brevard Coastal Scrub Ecosystem, Brevard
County – Threat of development, endangered scrub jay habitat, strong
public support of land preservation.
-
Tiger Island, Nassau County
– Intercoastal waterway, migratory birds, archaeological sites.
-
Estero Bay, Lee County –
Valuable estuary, protect water quality, archaeological site.
Projects will be
ranked during Thursday’s Acquisition and Restoration Council meeting in
Tallahassee, DEP Douglas Building, Conference Room A at 9:00 a.m.
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