Great article but fails to link this change in wetland buffers to potential adverse impacts to to the county’s mascot - the Florida Manatee. As this change in buffers will wipe out miles of mangroves potentially affecting seagrass beds the sole source of food for Manatees.
While I’m happy for the outcome and I applaud the residents of Elwood Park who got up and spoke out against the townhome development proposal, they’re kidding themselves if they really believe the BoCC voted to deny it because they were swayed by public comments. It’s obvious to anyone who’s been paying attention that, were Eastwind Development sending Commissioners hefty checks like Beruff does, no doubt they’d have voted 6-1 to approve the townhomes without so much the blink of an eye. To think otherwise is simply- and sadly - being naive.
KVO states in his email that he has to make decisions based on "facts and data". I did not hear any facts or data from the hired consultant, DeLisi. He just kept citing the state regulations. The state sets the minimum but encourages counties to set regulations based on their own unique environment. Abbey Tyrna wrote of many studies in her letter to the commissioners and she cited several during her comments to the board. She has the degrees to be an "expert" witness while DeLisi has a planning degree. DeLisi could not even answer how removing the buffers was a benefit to the non-development population of the county. Rob Brown, a retired long time employee who was working for the county in 1989 when the buffers were adopted stated that there was science at that time. And scarily the change will now apply to Mosaic Phosphate Mining. The first consultant from Kimley-Horn and several staff members recommended keeping the 50-foot buffer on non-isolated wetlands. The review and staff report was taken out of their hands.
Glen, the fools on the board could care less. None of them had any intellectual curiousity to wonder why their "expert consultant" spoke Mandarine Chinese, according to his own bio sheet. Please everyone google Daniel Delisi and China. Your going to love it. This man is tied to the Peoples Republic of China. The board is siding with the PRC (wittingly or not) over the residents of Manatee County. Everyone should know this.
Unless someone other than a Republican runs, they will play the same game with the write-in loophole which closes the primaries. The winner will be decided at the primary, just like 2022. (Ballad was the only one elected in the general election because her opponent was a Democrat.) Using the write-in, half the citizens who are not Republicans will not be allowed to vote in the primary. Eliminate the loophole and open the primaries to all. Or I may need to change a party affiliation that I had since 1975. And I don't vote the party line so I've never changed. To vote here in Manatee County, I may have to.
Sure thing.
However your department should treat criminal complaints in a respectful lawful manner. Currently your agency is hiding a criminal complaint regarding the mayor and council. It should be at the State Attorney's office Mr.Ed Brodsky. We're the hell is it? It was filed in early March. You and your department are in violation of your oath to serve and protect. The Florida Open Meetings laws were violated. Do your job. Uphold the law! BPD is violating it! Last warning.
Takes one to know one. Don't overfeed your pets and make sure they get enough exercise and see your vet regularly. Otherwise you'll end up with a fat ugly dog.
Once again Manatee residents shoulder the additional costs for rampant, completely uncontrolled development so the few can profit from the destruction of our environment and way of life. Keep up the good work MCBOCC!!
So again the BOCC shows how incompetent they are by buying boats for water taxis and having no place to dock them near the beach. Glad the beach communities are sticking it to them opposing the taxi as well as the parking garage. But now a legitimate safety project is dissed. A bike trail is a no brainer and would likely help traffic issues as well. Drama and more drama at BOCC. We need to vote these folks out.
As I read this article I of course thought is this fiction? Then I realized who this was about and knew it was non-fiction. This is my local government at work! What must the genuine, qualified candidates think of this fiasco? Who would ever apply for this job in the future? Why did we pay a consulting firm? The questions are endless.
Ok, that's shady AF. It is disturbing to me how dismissive those men were to the complaint. The normalization of boundary violations and gaslighting is what I was hoping to move away from..... But evidently there are some folks who think that's the way to go. I had cause to file a complaint at a company I worked for years ago. They took it seriously, acted on it immediately and treated everyone involved with respect and professionalism. That's how it SHOULD go.
Well said, and I didn't know that about the Prager U funding, but it makes sense that it's about money. When the Koch brothers did it, it was because a large percentage of their holdings were in fossil fuels. Ironically, the one remaining brother has since expressed regrets about that tactic. Too little, too late, though.
My Mom taught Earth Space Science, Oceanography and Geology. I grew up on fossil sites, in the back rooms of museums and in labs. I've been on the subject of global warming most of my life. Now we're there, and the time frames are faster than what was projected. I was feeling optimistic, until the pandemic showed me how easily people can be persuaded to work against their own interests....
Not a resident of the island and feel this is a total overreach by the government officials listed above as they trample over home rule. This is a complete and total waste of our tax dollars, when the actual problem is traffic getting to the beach. The fact that some commissioners were stupid enough to actually state that this is their number one priority when they have a garage that is an actual public safety hazard is ridiculous.
Angered beyond words. Bought and sold by the developers. Like cancer, there is no cure, you have to cut it out and remove them from office the next election cycle.
You never make the same mistake twice. the second time you make it, it is no longer a mistake. it is a choice
Lauren Conrad
I just want to note that were over 200 written comments submitted by citizens. 100% were in opposition to the parking ramp on Manatee Beach. The only way that this will be stopped is by replacing several commissioners.
Roughly 30 years ago, I read a series of articles on the effects of common chemicals on young people and developing nervous systems. Studies at the time were showing that chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers were retarding neurologic growth, as well as brain development. It was also shown to be more so when the chemicals are mixed.
Working in the furniture industry years later I learned that we regularly expose ourselves to a long list of chemicals that are not great for us, and that us regulation requires a chemical be proved to be detrimental to be removed from the market, rather than proved to be safe. According to Dr Sanjay Gupta, about a decade ago, less than 2% of the chemicals on the market have been effectively tested for safety by the FDA. There are over 800,000 chemicals on the US market.
That is the tip of the iceberg. There will be effects from chemical exposure, and it's a bit ironic to me that many people are wondering why birth rates are going down, and insurance health problems is going up... We literally have no sources of water in the United States that are untainted by chemicals or pharmaceuticals. What else is going to happen?
The island has legal city charters to keep county government OUT of their affairs. If you want the county to step in and deal with city misdeeds you get an answer of no, they have a charter and we can't step in to help you. But when the county wants something to aid developers then the BOCC can step in for them. That parking garage is the result of overdevelopment, meant to ensure all Beruff, Neal, Robinson and NDC's homebuyers can access the beach. This is not for long time resident taxpayers. There was this thing called The Accord that could have at least managed growth. That is until Commissioner Joe McClash was railroaded, lied about, harassed and threatened out of office. Damn the powers that be ever since. Thanks Joe for giving us The Bradenton Times.
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