Free the Ocklawaha River! Take Action Now

Please join us in urging Governor DeSantis to restore the Great Florida Riverway. It is time to save the Ocklawaha, Silver, and St. Johns Rivers, as well as historic Silver Springs. 

Take action here!

The Great Florida Riverway is one of Florida’s environmental and economic treasures — and it needs your help.

This vast, 217-mile river system reaches from the Green Swamp in Central Florida all the way to the Atlantic Ocean via the Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers. The Great Florida Riverway is home to 50 freshwater springs: 25 at historic Silver Springs, 20 on the Ocklawaha River, and five in the Harris Chain of Lakes. Like the Everglades to the south, restoring the Great Florida Riverway is vital to improving the ecosystem and economic health of North and Central Florida.

The Ocklawaha, the heart of the Great Florida Riverway, was dammed in 1968. Constructed for a canal that was never completed, the dam flooded over 7,500 acres of forested wetlands, 20 springs, and 16 miles of the Ocklawaha River. The continued decline of water quality, spring flow, wetland forests, fish, wildlife, and recreation has led American Rivers to designate the Ocklawaha River as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2020.

Restoring the Great Florida Riverway by breaching this dam will re-establish access to essential habitat for manatees, bring back migratory fish, connect three river ecosystems, historic Silver Springs, and restore a lost riverway for anglers and paddlers from Ocklawaha’s Harris Chain of Lakes to the Atlantic. Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has prioritized protecting and improving the state’s waterways, creating a historic opportunity to save the Great Florida Riverway.

Learn more here!  

Go here to send the letter below.  

To: Governor DeSantis

As Florida's governor, I am asking you to reaffirm your commitment to Florida waterways by reuniting four ecosystems that create the Great Florida Riverway: the Ocklawaha River, Silver Springs, the St. Johns River and the South Atlantic. Like the Everglades to the South, restoring the Great Florida Riverway is vital to improving overall ecological and economic health for North and Central Florida. The Great Florida Riverway is a vast, 217-mile system of rivers and springs that flows north from the Green Swamp near Lake Apopka, is fed by Silver Springs, and continues past Palatka to the Lower St. Johns River estuary on the Atlantic Ocean. The Riverway is home to fifty springs: 25 at historic Silver Springs, 20 on the Ocklawaha River, and five in the Harris Chain of Lakes.

Over 50 years ago, the Great Florida Riverway was harmed when the Rodman/Kirkpatrick Dam was built as part of the misguided Cross Florida Barge Canal project, severing the Ocklawaha’s connection to the rest of the Riverway. The dam flooded over 7,500 acres of thriving forested wetlands, 20 springs, and 16 miles of the Ocklawaha River. Every day the dam is in place, it causes harm to this special place and all the fish and wildlife that depend on these waterways.

The continued decline of water quality, spring flow, wetland forests, fish and wildlife has led American Rivers to designate the Ocklawaha River — the heart of the Great Florida Riverway — as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2020. The environmental toll has reduced recreational use and negatively impacted the economy of Putnam and Marion Counties. These declines have also threatened the environmental and economic resiliency of downstream counties, including Duval County. As Florida’s Governor, you can restore this historic Riverway and radically improve the health of these important ecosystems.

By restoring the Great Florida Riverway by breaching the Rodman/Kirkpatrick Dam, you can restore a lost riverway for anglers, boaters and paddlers from the Atlantic Ocean to the Harris Chain of Lakes; attract more federal funding, create new jobs, boost the northeast Florida economy, bring back migratory fish, connect three river ecosystems, and provide access to essential habitat for manatees. During these challenging times, outdoor recreation is growing, and enhancing this riverway will benefit our communities, all Floridians and out-of-area visitors.

We urge you to restore the Great Florida Riverway in accordance with Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway Unit Management Plan. Your leadership can provide a legacy of improving the health and resiliency of three river systems and the economic vitality of northeast Florida.

Thank you for your engagement on so many environmental challenges. We know we can count on you to save the Great Florida Riverway, which in turn will revitalize the Ocklawaha, Silver and St. Johns Rivers, as well as historic Silver Springs.

 

FLORIDA WETLANDS IMPERILED BY REMOVAL OF FEDERAL OVERSIGHT

For Immediate Release                          

December 17, 2020

Contact: Deborah Foote, 850.727.4039, deborah.foote@sierraclub.org  

 **PRESS RELEASE**

FLORIDA WETLANDS IMPERILED BY REMOVAL OF FEDERAL OVERSIGHT

TALLAHASSEE, FL-- Today the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it has granted the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) the authority to oversee dredge and fill permits. This authority will allow the state to formally take over the longstanding federal program that protects marshes, cypress forests, ponds and other wetlands under the Clean Water Act.  

The stated purpose of this change is to give the DEP the ability to fast-track the filling (destruction) of Florida’s wetlands. The Trump Administration has proven again that it serves developers’ interests over the water resources upon which Floridians depend. 

Frank Jackalone, Sierra Club Florida Chapter Director said: "Today's decision by the Trump EPA will lead to the destruction of many of Florida's remaining wetlands and will harm the state's wildlife and fisheries dependent on those wetlands for survival.  Delegating the power to grant wetland dredge and fill permits to the State of Florida is a dream come true for the developers, miners, and road builders who spend lavishly to elect, influence, and control Florida politicians.  The developers will get more permits to build massive housing developments over wetlands, the rock miners will get more permits to extract limestone under Florida's natural landscape, and the road builders will get more permits to pave over the ponds, lakes, rivers, and swamps in Florida's paradise.  The big losers will be millions of Florida residents whose quality of life will be greatly diminished." 

Diana Umpierre, Everglades Restoration Campaign Organizing Representative, stated: “This is an act of hypocrisy by an administration that claimed to care about America's Everglades. The Sierra Club and the Everglades Coalition have made it clear why allowing Florida to permit wetland dredge and fill applications is diametrically opposed to the restoration of the Greater Everglades—an ecosystem largely composed of wetlands. It will be the proverbial fox guarding the hen house. The Army Corps’ involvement has provided the only meaningful public participation and federal reviews for Florida’s massive and costly Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) projects; Florida does not have a state law that parallels what is required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  With this change the state is poised to fast-track permits requested by powerful interests that love ribbon cutting ceremonies and claiming victories, even for projects that fall woefully short of adequately cleaning our waters, restoring wetlands, or protecting wildlife.”

“It was madness to speed through the public comment and hearing processes in the midst of a pandemic -- when Floridians have been focused on protecting their families and their jobs -- but there was method to the madness. This is one more instance of the DeSantis Administration claiming it is “green” but acting in the interest of developers to the peril of the state’s most valuable resources,” stated Cris Costello, Sierra Club Senior Organizing Manager.

“The Florida Department of Environmental Protection doesn’t have the capacity to take over the wetlands permitting that has been run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for decades. It can’t even manage to enforce the environmental laws already under its purview,” said Deborah Foote, Deputy Chapter Director for Sierra Club Florida. “To believe it can take this over with no additional financial resources is a pipe dream.” 

BACKGROUND:

Environmental organizations across the state, including the Everglades Coalition and the Florida Conservation Coalition, have been ardently opposed to the granting of 404 permitting authority -- find here examples of our collectively submitted comments:

https://05f26a35-5b6b-410a-9bb4-2a2484fa59fc.filesusr.com/ugd/599879_4dc6bf6c4d914191bb776892e7007a31.pdf

https://05f26a35-5b6b-410a-9bb4-2a2484fa59fc.filesusr.com/ugd/599879_4074a71ce6c748ff8fd529d28bada00e.pdf

https://05f26a35-5b6b-410a-9bb4-2a2484fa59fc.filesusr.com/ugd/599879_1752fad35df74c18a139fb2b5f03aae0.pdf  

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XH0NNqkkRo-TArr5PMRF0jnT8bzdMX9D/view?usp=sharing 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hZq1vmLwwqwnpSd0wXnUDybbaKMYjJ-a/view?usp=sharing 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S09o4uTaIF97kyLIEF90SaIvRz1KRSMS/view?usp=sharing 

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Commissioner Nikki Fried Stands With Sierra Club to Oppose M-CORES and Florida's Assumption of the CWA Section 404 Program

These days, we don't often have the opportunity to thank an elected official for standing up for Florida's environment. With Thanksgiving on the horizon, it makes perfect sense to send our gratitude to Florida Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried for taking a stand with us on two important matters. 

M-CORES

Last week Commissioner Fried released a comment on the development of a new 330-mile toll road system in Florida known as M-CORES. Sierra Club Florida opposed the legislation that created M-CORES and has been a leader in continued opposition during the Task Force process through the No Roads to Ruin coalition. 

“While I recognize the importance of long-range planning for future population growth and the need for economic development, I am troubled by M-CORES’ overwhelming lack of support, lack of demonstrated need, and the millions in general revenue diverted from a state budget facing economic shortfalls reminiscent of the Great Recession. As Florida deals with billions in projected revenue losses due to COVID-19, this project would put an unnecessary strain on the state's ability to fund urgent priorities. Just as compelling are the effects these unnecessary toll roads will have on Florida's environment and agricultural lands, with the potential to destroy millions of acres of farmland, state forests, and wetlands in their paths. This project threatens the unique character of our state’s rural lands and last undeveloped landscapes. I urge Secretary Thibault and the Governor to listen to over 10,000 Florida residents who have voiced their opposition to M-CORES and utilize the 'no build' option. We cannot afford to divert money into more toll roads while millions of Floridians continue to suffer.”

SECTION 404 ASSUMPTION

On August 20, the EPA received a request from Florida's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to take over the administration of the Clean Water Act’s (CWA) Section 404 program to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters within the jurisdiction of the state. In the 43 years since the CWA was amended to provide for state assumption, only two states have assumed administration of the Section 404 program, Michigan and New Jersey. Sierra Club Florida has long opposed Florida's 404 Assumption. 

Early this month, Commissioner Fried shared her concerns with this proposal. Of particular note is this comment:

The elimination of additional federal scrutiny for projects that have the potential to significantly impact Florida’s natural resources requires existing state programs to demonstrate the ability to protect those resources. A significant number of stakeholders have indicated noteworthy concerns that adequate evidence has not yet been provided to sufficiently demonstrate that DEP has the resources to tackle the substantial increases in workload that will be required by the delegation, or that existing state regulatory programs are adequate, to provide sufficient protections to the water resources of Florida in the face of increasing development impacts that continue to reduce the state’s open lands and agricultural landscapes. Given the value of the water resources and wetlands to the citizens of our state, any delegation of permitting authority to DEP must contain assurances that existing levels of protection of the natural resources will be preserved, and that sufficient resources are available for DEP to implement regulatory programs in an efficient and effective manner. Without those assurances, DEP will face the same fate as Michigan and New Jersey, the other two states that have assumed 404 permitting authority and required remediation of their state programs due to struggles in maintaining the required levels of regulatory integrity and resources to adequately implement the program.

TAKE ACTION!

Sierra Club Florida applaudes the Commissioner for both these stances and we encourage you to contact her and share your thanks for her opposition to M-CORES and Florida's proposed assumption of the Section 404 program. Here is how to reach her:

Email: Nikki.Fried@FDACS.gov

Phone: (850) 617-7700

Twitter: @NikkiFriedFL

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NikkiForFL/

Mail: The Honorable Nikki Fried

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Plaza Level 10, The Capitol

400 S. Monroe St.

Tallahassee, FL 32399-0800

PRESS RELEASE: MUCK CITY CAN’T BREATHE: Glades Area Black Lives Matter Organizes to Fight Back

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2020
Contacts: Robert Mitchell, MuckCityBLM@gmail.com, (323) 395-6895

 **PRESS RELEASE**

 MUCK CITY CAN’T BREATHE

Glades Area Black Lives Matter Organizes to Fight Back

BELLE GLADE--On Saturday, November 7, history was made on the steps of Belle Glade City Hall when the Glades community came together to announce the formation of Muck City Black Lives Matter (BLM).  In honor of Henry Bennett III “Scooter,” Belle Glade resident killed by the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office in 2016, Muck City BLM organizers laid out their current focus issues -- local government corruption, voting rights, and responsibilities, economic injustice and exploitation, mass incarceration, police violence, community mentoring for at-risk youth, and environmental racism associated with pre-harvest sugar field burning -- and asked community members to bring their hearts and souls to the fight.  The Cry of Black Youth (COBY) organization started the fight for Black lives from 1969 to 1971 and now the time is right and ripe for Muck City BLM in the Glades. The juxtaposition of the announcement of the Biden-Harris victory on Saturday was noteworthy; the power of the Black vote and the demand for change in the Glades is a reflection of the wider national movement for black lives.  

Robert Mitchell, Community Organizer:  "I stand before you as your Brother, Neighbor, and Friend to send the message of “Get Your Knee off our Necks, and Let Us Breathe”! I need you to know my people that our Black Lives Matter! That our Black and Brown Communities Matter!"

Colin Walkes, Former Mayor of Pahokee:  "Muck City we need to stand up. We have to be responsible for our vote. What does that mean? It means getting involved in our community. That means we attend local commission meetings. We need to organize in our community. We need to hold our voices together and hold those we elected accountable to create policies that support us. We cannot keep doing the same dance muck city."

 Joshua Walkes, Pahokee High School sophomore: "Muck City BLM represents goodness, strength, courage, understanding, and wisdom of humanity."

Kina Phillips, “Apostle” Community Organizer:  "For too long we've been silent. Whispering. Sitting in the comfort of our homes about the effects of a very outdated practice, and still we struggle to breathe.  The sugar industry has banked on our silence and has taken advantage of it. How long will we allow them to rape us of the value of our lives, to put a death sentence on our loved ones?  It is time to let your voice be heard to help bring about a change.  It is time to stop the burn."

Jerry Campbell, “The Champ” Life Coach: "Everything is an example to everything that happens, we need to start teaching our kids not to look up to football stars and to rappers, We need to stop pointing to people who are not real leaders as an example to follow, examples of real leadership for our community must start at home first."

Eric Brandon-Oce, Community Organizer with Food not Bombs:  “We are here to put the call out that Muck City BLM is on the map.  We know how to build the power that forces change and accountability on the PBSO, Geo Group, and the sugar industry whose single-minded pursuit of profit have turned the blessing of black soil into a health-sapping and life-shortening curse. It is necessary to look beyond our own communities and towards others nearby and far away for solidarity and support. So this is why I am here today.  In Solidarity.”

Robert Mitchell closed up the press conference with a call for Muck City residents to sign up and join the movement.  Supporters can join the movement by connecting to Muck City BLM on Facebook and Twitter @BLMMuckCity.

Photo Gallery

Robert Mitchell opening remarks

Colin Walkes remarks

Kina Phillips remarks

Jerry Campbell remarks

Eric Brandon-Oce remarks

Robert Mitchell closing remarks

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Cocoa Votes to Become Florida's 11th 100% Clean Energy for All City

Cocoa becomes 2nd city in Brevard County to join clean energy movement sweeping the Sunshine State

Cocoa, FL -- Tuesday night, the City Council of Cocoa unanimously passed a resolution committing the city to transition to 100 percent clean, renewable energy for the entire community by 2050 and for municipal operations by 2035. Cocoa became the second city in Brevard County, joining The City of Satellite Beach, which made a similar commitment last August. Cocoa is the eleventh city in the state to commit to powering their entire community with 100 percent clean, renewable sources of energy, like solar and storage.

Dr. James Fenton, Director of UCF's Florida Solar Energy
Center in Cocoa, offers FSEC's expertise to help 
Cocoa meet its 100% clean energy goal. 

The City will begin developing a plan immediately to achieve both goals. The resolution emphasizes inclusion and transparency in the planning process which will establish interim milestones, budget estimates, equity metrics and financing mechanisms with community residents and stakeholders over the next two years. 

Cocoa joins a growing group of Florida cities that includes  Orlando, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Tallahassee, and Gainesville among others, and joins the more than 160 other cities to commit to this goal.

“Cocoa’s commitment to move toward renewables is not just aspirational neither is it radical. As a community, by signing on to Ready for 100, we are pre-positioning ourselves to leverage the solar tipping point.  In the not so long term, this move will provide reduced costs along with clean energy and a better environment to our citizens,” Cocoa City Council Member District 4, Lorraine Koss.   

“Because Cocoa has a Sustainability Action Plan in place, the city has been well on its way to moving toward a cleaner and healthier community.  The passing of this resolution shows that Cocoa wants to make their community a leader in the fight for a just and equitable transition to 100 percent clean energy.  By committing to 100 percent renewable energy goals, Cocoa is paving the way for other communities to follow suit, and we look forward to working with the city to make this transition,” said Leslie Maloney, Political Chair of Turtle Coast Sierra Club Group. 

Brooke Alexander, Ready for 100 Organizer

Sierra Club Florida

Email: Brooke.Alexander@sierraclub.org

Tell USEPA to NOT allow the State of Florida to take over federal permitting of our waters

By Monday, November 2nd, let’s flood the EPA with as much citizen opposition as possible !

US EPA is accepting public comments on the State of Florida's request to take over federal permitting under the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 that is meant to protect the Waters of the US, including our springs and wetlands. It's hard enough ensuring that 404 permits issued by USACE are protective enough. If the state takes over, it will be even harder to stop greedy and politically influential developers and other special interests from paving over our remaining wetlands and polluting our waters.

Submit comments in writing by no later than Monday, November 2nd (before midnight). Submit them either via email to 404Assumption-FL@epa.gov or via the regulations.gov portal (here). Include the Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0640 with your submission. Do not include personal or business information you do not wish to be part of public records.

* Our thanks to all that have already submitted comments and/or spoke up at the EPA virtual public hearings *

 

Talking Points

 

The Everglades Coalition, the Florida Conservation Coalition and Waterkeepers Florida are among groups representing thousands of Floridians that have repeatedly opposed the state assumption of the CWA 404 permitting authority. Check out this folder for reasons these groups and other partners have expressed opposition.

• USEPA must deny the FDEP's application to assume CWA Section 404 dredge and fill permitting authority from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

• Florida's water resources generate billions for our economy and deserve the highest level of scrutiny and protection -- something that FDEP is not well-positioned to provide.

• Florida’s wetlands are essential to our resilience and drinking water supply, and are unique ecosystems that draw tourists and new residents to our beautiful state. 

• State 404 permitting assumption would add more regulatory burden to FDEP - an agency that cannot meet its existing regulatory demands.

• Even now, the FDEP does not have the resources required to equitably and meaningfully protect and improve our wetlands, springs and other waters via its own existing state-run programs. FDEP has failed to demonstrate how it could possibly undertake the extensive review and monitoring needed for federal 404 permits when it cannot properly steward what is already under its purview. 

• FDEP is already too underfunded to properly carry out its own programs and there is no commitment that additional annual  federal funding will be available to support the state’s assumption of a new permitting authority.

• Turning “federal actions” into “state actions” will impact the level of review and interactions between federal and state government agencies that would otherwise be required under federal law.  For instance, the state would not be required to follow the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). That means that an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) will no longer be required, nor the same level of public participation opportunities.

• Florida does not have a state law that parallels NEPA, which means that 404 permit applications processed by the state will be made with far less data and would no longer be subject to the rigorous review of environmental impacts and project alternate analysis provided under NEPA, nor the same level of federal review that weighs the need for a project versus loss of environmental benefits.

• This shift in authority will impact how our waterways are used and developed -- posing severe consequences to wildlife, critical habitat, and ecosystem function.

• This will fast-track development permits for powerful special interests that want to exploit Florida’s wetlands and other water resources for profit. 

• FDEP will not have the checks and balances needed when they review 404 permit applications from other state agencies and water management districts. FDEP will essentially be like a fox guarding the hen house.

• There is also significant concern about how state assumption will impact compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Florida has far more federally listed species than New Jersey or Michigan, the only two states that have assumed 404 federal permitting.  State assumption is likely to result in less time and expertise involved in the analysis of project impacts on vulnerable wildlife.

• It is unclear how state assumption will impact the level of federal review needed to protect historic and cultural resources, including sites of importance to tribal nations.

• Because of the long-term consequences of this decision, we request for USEPA conduct additional in-person public hearings, when safe to do so, across the state as it is unreasonable to assume that the two conducted virtually in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic have provided the equitable and adequate opportunity for affected communities to be heard. To proceed with just only two virtual hearings when the public cannot meaningfully participate is exclusionary.

• EPA must deny FDEP's application package for assumption of the Clean Water Action Section 404 authority in order to ensure Floridians retain the critical federal protections and oversight that our wetlands, springs and other vulnerable water resources so desperately need.

Photo courtesy of Waterkeeper Alliance

MIAMI-DADE! DON’T IGNORE THE SCIENCE: Slow down and consider Miami Wilds’ impact on endangered animals

For Immediate Release                                                                   

October 16, 2020

Contacts:  Diana Umpierre, diana.umpierre@sierraclub.org, 954-829-7632

Paola Ferreira, executivedirector@tropicalaudubon.org, 786 864 9977

Jacki Lopez, jlopez@biologicaldiversity.org, 727-490-9190

 **PRESS RELEASE**

 MIAMI-DADE:  DON’T IGNORE THE SCIENCE

Slow down and consider Miami Wilds’ impact on endangered animals

MIAMI--The Miami-Dade County Commission is set to vote Tuesday, October 20, on a lease to build Miami Wilds, a proposed water theme park that includes a retail area and two hotels. The project would be built on environmentally sensitive county land that is habitat for the Florida bonneted bat, the rarest bat in the U.S., and other endangered species unique to Florida. Last month the Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Committee recommended the Commission move forward, apparently without having considered the project’s impacts on imperiled species.

The community engaged in the conversation about the future of Miami Wilds is emphasizing the critical importance of the pertinent science, and that there is no reason to rush the vote when neither the Commissioners nor their staff have had the opportunity to thoughtfully consider that science.

Steven Leidner, Miami-Dade Sierra Club:  “This science includes the latest acoustic field survey data collected by Bat Conservation International (BCI) that demonstrates that the proposed open space for leasing, next to the Zoo Miami and the pine rockland forest, is critical to the very rare and endangered Florida bonneted bat for foraging. A lot of time and resources have been invested to help recover this species. The proposed Miami Wilds development would push the bat and other species dependent on this area toward the brink of extinction. Water and theme parks come and go. Extinction is forever.”

Paola Ferreira, Executive Director of Tropical Audubon Society:  "Four endangered species are depending on the proposed project site for their survival, the scientific evidence is overwhelming. All these species are unique to South Florida and Miami Wilds will lead them to the brink of extinction. It is premature for the Board of County Commissioners to approve a 40 year lease for Miami Wilds on October 20th. Another location for the water park needs to be identified. No amusement park is worth the extinction of a single species."

Dr. Philip K. Stoddard, Dept. Biological Sciences, FIU and former Mayor of South Miami:  “The Miami Wilds plan might be adjusted to make it compatible with the legal and scientific requirements for conservation, but it’s not there yet.  Attempting to fast-track the existing plan this month will certainly be met with lawsuits and roadblocks for violating the conservation requirements in the enabling citizen referendum and the Endangered Species Act.  The project will proceed more smoothly, and probably more quickly, if the Commission grants time for scientists to complete the necessary conservation reports and use these to improve the plan."

Abigail Merolle, Florida Internal University student: “It is estimated that less than 1,000 of the endemic Florida bonneted bats are left. A recent study from Bat Conservation International found that 70% of bonneted bat calls out of 10 sites were recorded over the open space considered for construction. This 2020 study and a 2012 Zoo Miami study provide clear evidence that this open space is critical for the species survival. The Miami tiger beetle is so critically endangered that it was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 2007 in Zoo Miami pine rocklands. The Bartram’s scrub-hairstreak butterfly was nearly driven to extinction due to shrinking habitat and declines in its host plant, the pineland croton. The pine rocklands are fire dependent and the proximity of Miami Wilds to this habitat will prevent regular controlled burns.  Any commission action must be made in accordance with this science.” 

Laura Reynolds, Conservation Concepts:  "The County prides itself on good planning and for that reason the county employs many experts who base their recommendations on science and the most up to date information available.  We would hope that the County would adhere to their own Management Plan adopted and approved for the ecologically sensitive pinelands and follow the recommendation of not allowing hotels next to or on environmentally sensitive lands as protected under Chapter 24. The scientific basis for this is clear, maintaining pinelands requires fire and a hotel and pineland management do not mix.  The Commission should slow down and take the time to consider this. This administration is putting itself at great risk of legal challenge, yet again." 

Jaclyn Lopez, Florida Director with the Center for Biological Diversity: “There’s a mistaken perception that this land is just a vacant parking lot. In reality, this is extremely productive habitat for the Florida bonneted bat, a rare and spectacular Florida native. The county should make good on its promise to keep the water park off environmentally sensitive land.”

Mike Daulton, Executive Director of Bat Conservation International: “The Board of County Commissioners is hiding from Miami voters by closing its session on October 20 to public comment. A vote in favor of this horribly misguided proposed site for the Miami Wilds development project would violate the will of Miami-Dade voters, who agreed in a 2006 referendum that the development should not take place on ‘environmentally sensitive land.’ The science is clear: The open land proposed for this development is currently occupied, heavily used habitat for the federally endangered Florida bonneted bat. It’s the picture in the dictionary next to the words environmentally sensitive.”

Background

October 2020 Preliminary Report, Florida Bonneted Bat Acoustic Monitoring Project: Identifying critical habitat within Miami-Dade County in order to protect the rarest bat in the United States: https://www.batcon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Bat-Conservation-International-Preliminary-2019-Acoustic-Monitoring-Report.pdf

October 20, 2020 Miami-Dade County Commission, agenda item 8H1, including draft lease:  http://www.miamidade.gov/govaction/legistarfiles/Matters/Y2020/201818.pdf

September 11, 2020, Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Committee meeting, agenda item 3E substitute: http://www.miamidade.gov/govaction/commagenda.asp?cmbmeetdate=4471

2012-2013 Zoo Miami Acoustic Survey of Eumops floridanus in Three Miami-Dade County Parks within the Richmond Tract:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mvWMUgoiDY-sQEVRe-3452K57pXq4l0O/view?usp=sharing

2006 referendum approving an entertainment district “on Metrozoo property on land that is not environmentally sensitive and is outside the animal attractions”: http://www.miamidade.gov/govaction/matter.asp?matter=061795&file=true&yearFolder=Y2009

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FWC photo by Gary Morse