It is not certain which environmental organization came up "Pave it or Save it," but I am beholden to them as it stirred my recollection of words to that effect, thrown as a challenge; "If you want to save that piece of wild land, buy it!" How many times have I heard that from local and other bureaucrats, and even a newspaper whose editorial staff must have been influenced by developers or big agriculture? ...more

August 13, 2008

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer said she observed an active gopher tortoise burrow with bulldozer tread marks near it near the Sebring Wal-Mart as the property was being developed. A sign of a felony, she alleged late July, even though they're normally only filed as misdemeanors. ...more

August 7, 2008

Efforts to place on the 2008 ballot a property tax to help the county conserve environmentally sensitive lands appeared to be dead late Wednesday afternoon after its backers conceded to a county advisory commission that the worsening economy would dampen its support. ...more

August 1, 2008

SEBRING - Efforts to place on the 2008 ballot a property tax to help the county conserve environmentally sensitive lands appear to be dead after its backers conceded to a county advisory commission that the worsening economy would damper its support. The Natural Resources Advisory Commission agreed, as it voted against drafting the revised ballot language for the proposal before the Aug. 26 deadline for it to appear on November's general election ballot. ...more

July 31, 2008

A loophole in county law allows developers wanting to clear land a way to do so without regard to endangered or threatened species. Our county should close this loophole immediately, and make sure no one can skirt the law when it comes to our environment. ...more

July 9, 2008

A loophole in county law allows developers wanting to clear land a way to do so without regard to endangered or threatened species. Our county should close this loophole immediately, and make sure no one can skirt the law when it comes to our environment. ...more

July 9, 2008

SEBRING — It's a frequent situation for developers in Highlands County. They have a property more than two acres in size that they want to develop, so they need to clear it. Theoretically, they're supposed to complete an environmental impact report, have the property inspected to make sure there are no sensitive natural resources or protected wildlife there. According to multiple officials, however, that's not happening in some cases. Instead, a loophole in the county's law allows those developers to develop just less than two acres at a time, allowing them to bypass the environmental inspections and requiring only a simple permit from the county. Ultimately, this allows them to get away with bulldozing over gopher tortoises and other threatened animals since the state cannot perform inspections. ...more

July 2, 2008

Last month, the group charged with advising the county commission on worthy projects aimed at preserving Hernando's history quietly became history itself. ...more

June 18, 2008

In reference to an article in the April 30 Highlands Today, "Dr. Elton Gissindanner and his supporters convinced the Natural Resources Advisory Commission Wednesday to draft a bill that would create a tax of 0.2 mils, or $10 for a property valued at $100,000 after the $50,000 homestead exemptions are considered." I am opposed to this idea, in any form. I am opposed to paying any additional ad valorem taxes for land conservation projects. It is important that county commissioners deny land use changes that infringe on wetlands. Buying up land to create preserves is an idea that I will not support. Any additional taxes collected should be spent on public safety, and creating a slush fund for fuel price increases for county vehicles, that we may face during the next fiscal year. ...more

May 31, 2008

SEBRING — A Lake Placid veterinarian's push for a new ballot initiative, which would create a new property tax to build a land acquisition fund, may reach the county commissioners next month. Dr. Elton Gissindanner and his supporters convinced the Natural Resources Advisory Commission Wednesday to draft a bill that would create a tax of 0.2 mils, or $10 for a property valued at $100,000 after the $50,000 homestead exemptions are considered. If the county commissioners approve it, it could appear on the ballot in November. Gissindanner said that 29 Florida counties had a conservation fund of some sort. Polk County's program bought more than 12,000 acres so far. ...more

May 29, 2008