Selling off our lands.....

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TerryW
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Selling off our lands.....

Post by TerryW »

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20 ... /2416/NEWS

What a bunch of Hooey!


By Kate Spinner
Published: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 6:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, September 26, 2011 at 5:05 p.m.

Desperate to cut costs, Florida could soon be selling off tens of thousands of acres of public parks and conservation land — some of it bought at the peak of the real estate boom — to the highest bidder in perhaps the worst real estate market since the Great Depression.

Under a new plan by regional water managers, natural areas bought to help prevent flooding and protect drinking water sources but now deemed to be unnecessary could be sold for development, farming or other uses. Land could be trimmed from dozens of local parks and preserves, including Charlotte Harbor Buffer Preserve in Charlotte County, Myakka State Forest in Sarasota County and Terra Ceia in Manatee.

"If we don't need it to help us conserve water resources or wetlands, then we don't need to be holding it," said Paul Senft, chairman of the board that governs the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the agency charged with regulating and protecting water resources across 16 counties.

The district has not specified how much land it plans to sell. But within about a year, the agency's board expects to vote on a list of parcels from approximately 450,000 acres under consideration.

The move comes amid a backlash against publicly owned land, driven by the Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott. State agencies have been directed to get rid of nonessential land, primarily to save on maintenance costs, an effort made more urgent for the water district as it reels from tens of millions of dollars in budget cuts the state imposed on the district this year to help lower property taxes.

But because of state restrictions on the sale of conservation land, the district's payoff could be minimal, with most of the proceeds going to the state. read the rest of the story at http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20 ... 2416/NEWS
35/34.5/26 24/22/1/1

I finally found Cow Creek. It's at the end of the Road to Nowhere!
GILs_GONE_WILD
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Joined: Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm
Location: Among the Mangroves of W. Central FL

Re: Selling off our lands.....

Post by GILs_GONE_WILD »

I'm sure China is eyeballing this as they have that "land deal" in Boise, ID.
GIL

"Only the half-mad are wholly alive." ~~~ Edward Abbey
TerryW
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Re: Selling off our lands.....

Post by TerryW »

Hmmm - I'm not sure which is worse: A FL developer buying the land and building condos or the Chinese buying it. At any rate, I hope we can find a way to preserve these parks and conservation lands for the people. And not the Chinese people, except to the degree that they are tourists.
35/34.5/26 24/22/1/1

I finally found Cow Creek. It's at the end of the Road to Nowhere!
Rik
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Selling off our lands.....

Post by Rik »

Not sure I have a problem if the lands truly aren't needed for the purpose they were purchased. I do wonder if, as often happens, the science is designed to fit the goal.

I do, though, think that we should exercise tremendous control in who it's sold to and what it is used for. As a 'public good' thing I think we have that authority.

That damn pendulum. For a while we bought everything around claiming we needed it for conservation. We bought some stupid stuff. Now the pendulum is going the other way and I'm afraid we'll sell stuff that was intelligently bought in the fervor of raising cash. Wish we could slow the swing and stop it in the middle.
Over every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley
TerryW
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Re: Selling off our lands.....

Post by TerryW »

Rik - I am a big one for centering the pendulum. These days the pendulum is swinging quite fast. We've got to stay on our toes.
35/34.5/26 24/22/1/1

I finally found Cow Creek. It's at the end of the Road to Nowhere!
1okbyme2
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Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:03 am
Location: Out of the wind.

Re: Selling off our lands.....

Post by 1okbyme2 »

Is the population decreasing, or is it still growing at approximately 800 people a day as was the figure I found when I bought here a year ago?
Yeah, we don't need to set aside land/water access for public recreation.
"They paved paradise and put up a parking lot" Joni Mitchell
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