BRADENTON — Manatee County Commissioners voted to release 10 acres of conservation easement to Benderson Development during a land use meeting on Nov. 7.
Local environmentalists opposed the measure, saying the release meant the land previously recognized as conservation lands could now be developed.
Benderson Development originally submitted a request to the county to release nearly 55 acres of conservation easements, including wetland buffer areas.
Benderson’s previous request was presented to the commissioners on October 17 but failed to receive approval, with only two commissioners voting in favor: Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge and Board Chair Mike Rahn.
Commissioners received 15 pages of public comment opposing approval of Benderson’s revised request before Thursday’s meeting.
Executive Director of Suncoast Waterkeeper Dr. Abbey Tyrna addressed the board in person, "Regardless of the number of acres, conservation easements are there for perpetuity, they are a protection of our wild lands and in Cooper Creek watershed, there's not much wildland left so every little bit counts."
Manatee County citizen and environmental activist Mark Vanderee provided comments by phone, cautioning the commissioners that approval could set a precedent for conservation lands to be reversible.
An engineer with Benderson Development stressed that the request was not for development but for flood mitigation projects that could improve drainage in the area.
One possible solution, said the engineer, could be to “straighten” a portion of Cooper Creek.
Tyrna, an environmental and wetland scientist, told commissioners that straightening creeks does not alleviate or lessen flooding but makes it worse.
With the request modified to release a lesser number of acres from their designation as conservation lands, the commission approved the revised request in a 4-2 vote, with Commissioners Jason Bearden and George Kruse remaining in opposition.
Click the video below to replay the item's presentation, board discussion, public comment, and vote.
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David Daniels
The complaint is that dead trees and other vegetation had to be cleared. Why does Benderson have to do this? Why can't the County maintain the easement - it's only 10 acres? Again, KVO gets away with ending the discussion by calling the question. Ballard, Rahn, and Turner join KVO to end the discussion. Ballard, Rahn, and Turner vote to let Benderson "straighten" Cooper Creek. Ballard and Rahn vote to allow Benderson to make their investments in wetland mitigation banks, which is to say that Benderson will pay for man made wetlands elsewhere in exchange for destroying wetlands where they want to develop. Ballard and Rahn again ignore the overwhelming public comment. I beg that citizens remember Ballard and Rahn's votes to give away conservation easements - just like we will remember Ballard and Rahn voting to eliminate the County's wetland buffer requirements. They are counting on Benderson's bankroll to paint a different picture. 2 years seems a long way away.They are hoping we will forget.
Saturday, November 9, 2024 Report this
JanaDM
I hope Jason Bearden doesn’t think that he can now vote with George Kruse and we will forget his disastrous first two years in office…
Sunday, November 10, 2024 Report this
Charles
— some return of investment being conveyed for campaign contributions, eh?
Sunday, November 10, 2024 Report this
ruthlawler
Conservation Easement: a voluntary, legal agreement that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. What part of "permanently" do our BOCC not understand? Once again we have commissioners bowing to the money and influence of the developers instead of honoring the public interest. Jason Beardon is all of a sudden concerned about the environment??? No, he saw that he could be voted out of office in two years, just as KVO was. Ruth Lawler
Sunday, November 10, 2024 Report this