Category Archives: Our Waterways

2014 A Good Year

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As we in Stuart and Martin County see the close of 2014, it has, for the most part, been a good year. What constitutes a good year is fairly subjective. There were no further releases from Lake Okeechobee this rainy season. However, water continues to find its way to our estuary through the various canals bringing unwanted nitrogen and phosphorus. We passed Amendment 1 which should give the state a dedicated money source to acquire and preserve land. The management and choice of what land to buy is in the hands of Tallahassee. Perhaps the citizens and the state pols will be in synch this time. As we have seen, just because we, the people, vote one way, the legislature and state executives have no problem ignoring our wishes.  One good example is the implementation of the fair redistricting amendment that the politicians and legislators went to court to prevent and used our tax dollars to pay to fight against us.

All Aboard Florida continues its plan to wreak havoc on Stuart and the rest of the Treasure Coast in spite of the immense grass roots uprising against moving forward. While it seems that Patrick Murphy and our local state legislative delegation is with us, Governor Scott, the legislature and Washington (including our two senators) are actively encouraging the plan or are silent. The good news is that it is still far from a done deal here on the Treasure Coast.

In Martin County, the one cent infrastructure sales tax was defeated by 72 votes. Though it was passed by Stuart residents, it was caught in the politics of Martin County. I believe it would have passed if past county commissions had used all of the funds from the last sales tax as intended. Instead, some of that money was used for things that many of us would not consider infrastructure such as Splash Water Park. Government should be concerned with infrastructure repair and improvements not theme parks. Martin County, Stuart and the other municipalities are now poorer for that earlier mistake.

The economy has rebounded with unemployment standing at 6%. While it was lower prior to the Great Recession it still is remarkable progress. Now that the economy is better, we need to encourage smart and sustainable growth within the urban service boundary. Martin County does need to grow in order to continue to be viable. The tax base needs to increase or the rest of us will pay more for fewer services.

Stuart also needs to grow … especially in population. We cannot sustain a city unless we have the people and resources to do so. If we cannot attract middle class young professionals, we will be a city of rich and poor.  The city cannot maintain services if less than 50% of the residents pay little or no tax. While Stuart is business oriented, the inequities of sales tax distribution allows the county to discourage business but still collect the overwhelming majority of sales tax (most of which is produced in the city). This is an inequity that cannot continue.

There were other good things that happened this year. We had a special meeting on the Palm City Road issues and the city commission will be sending the ideas expressed by the residents to the county for study and further implementation since they own the road.  The city commission also voted to have a camera installed in the chamber to record our meetings for viewing at home but also to have live streaming of the meetings in real time.

It seems to me that 2014 was a good year. While not many problems were solved, none are worse.  Maybe 2015 will be the year that we solve and eliminate some of those problems. I want to wish all a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

 

The River, Snug Harbor And Annexation

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Much has been made by some of the residents and one county commissioner regarding the City of Stuart bringing sewer services into Snug Harbor, a neighborhood that is in unincorporated Martin County. Stuart has received a grant to do this work, and the city is proceeding under an inter-local agreement. The City’s prime reason for doing so is to allow these homeowners to do away with septic tanks which would ultimately improve the river quality.

This does not obligate homeowners to hook up to the sewer system.  Each individual homeowner can make the decision to remain on their septic systems or hook up to the sewer. However if they do take advantage of the services the city is offering, one clause in the agreement would be agreeing to be annexed into the municipality at the city’s option. Stuart has never invoked this clause in the nearly thirty years of providing these services, but it could in the future. This, to me, does not seem like a cause for histrionics or other misplaced rhetoric.

The arguments being put forth by a few who are against the project are specious and misleading. At any time, the county can extend its sewer system to this neighborhood, but it has not done so for a very good reason. The cost, which was provided by county staff, was $23,000 per residence. The city’s cost would be $7,000. The price differential is strictly because Snug Harbor is surrounded by the city. This leads me to two observations—one, why would any home owner want to pay over 300% more, and two, why isn’t Snug Harbor part of the city anyway?

Recently Beau Rivage, which had been part of St. Lucie County, petitioned and was annexed into Martin County at the request of the residents. They also were an enclave similar to Snug Harbor, and services such as first responders would have to travel through Martin County from St. Lucie to reach the residents. Luckily for Snug Harbor, other agreements that the county and city have allow Stuart to respond to their emergencies. It would only seem logical that this particular neighborhood becomes officially part of the city which surrounds it.

What would be the downside to the residents in incorporating into the city? While a homeowner will save $16,000 on sewer hookup it would pay more in taxes and fees. A home valued at $500,000 (which is above the median and average for that neighborhood) would pay approximately $1500 more per year. Without taking into consideration future value of either taxes or the difference in the hook-up fees, it will take more than 10 years of increased taxes before approaching the cost of hooking up to the city.

With 5 years notice, either the county or the city may abrogate the agreements which allow each of the entities to provide water and sewer in certain instances within the other’s boundaries. If one of the parties were to abrogate the agreements, then it would cost the city approximately $12 million and the county $9 million to provide our respective residents those services. Which means each and every one of us would pay for it. From everything I know as of today, I as a city commissioner would not vote to abrogate those agreements. Unfortunately at present, one county commissioner seriously wants that commission to consider doing so. We all know the proverb “to cut off your nose to spite your face”. Perhaps the commissioner doesn’t realize we are all residents of Martin County.

The entire issue of the city’s boundaries needs to be addressed and done so in a thoughtful and enlightened way. Hyperbolic and incendiary language has no place in the discussion. A citizen of Stuart is still a resident of Martin County. He/she will pay the same taxes to the county except for the fire MSTU. Fire protection would then be provided by the city. He/she will still go to the county beaches and libraries. Annexation is not a divorce or separation; it is a choice to live in the community where you dine, live and shop. Here is another way to think of it….. if you are a member of the Lion’s Club and you also choose to belong to the Knights of Columbus, you don’t stop being a Lion when you become a Knight. The same thing goes for being a resident of Stuart…you don’t stop being a resident of Martin County.

Our Indian River Lagoon

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Another summer is fast approaching the Indian River Lagoon. With the humidity of our tropical season will come the rain.  In spite of all the protests, the rallies and the work by so many people, are we any closer to ending the dumping into the rivers than we were last year? On paper and with the politicians’ promises, we are.  But, in actuality, if we have a rainy summer, the same thing will happen again.

The people on the rivers have been complaining for over 80 years about the degradation of our marine and animal life. But somehow the problem persists. There was a funeral for the lagoon on Saturday morning, and we had speakers promising to end the death once again. They say recovery is a slow process and they are right. I can accept the slow return of nature’s life, but when do we stop the causes of her death to allow the rebirth?

Rachel Carson said “The question is whether any civilization can wage relentless war on life without destroying itself, and without losing the right to be called civilized.” The United States is sacrificing so much of its birthright so that a few corporations (with the help of our government officials) can supplant the future for the sake of short sighted financial gain. Man does not have the right to allow greed under the guise of economic development or jobs to destroy our environment.

Our boating, fishing and recreational industry brings many billions of dollars in income and thousands of jobs to our state. Most of us would not be here without the water. We do not have the right to allow its death at our hands. We need to change the people who make the laws if they do not stop her death. Promises of a future time when pristine water will return are no longer enough without meaningful programs being enacted and sufficient funds being allocated.

E-MAIL SENT TO FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION RE FECI

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As a resident of Stuart, Florida, I am writing to state that the proposed “high speed” passenger train service between Miami and Orlando will seriously affect our quality of life on the Treasure Coast without any discernible benefit to us. The tracks bisect our community (as they do many others), and with 32 trains a day, will create a significant challenge for us when going from one side of town to the other.

At the same time, the railroad bridge which crosses the Saint Lucie River in Stuart will need to remain in the up position for most of the day. This will seriously hamper boating which is a key industry to our community and region. Because of this, property values for me and others who are on the “wrong” side of the bridge will lessen causing further erosion to our real estate tax base.

I am a proponent of rail service.  The disruptions I have outlined could be mitigated with a stop in Stuart. This would allow our citizens to take advantage of fast rail service to either Miami or Orlando without the inconvenience of driving to those destinations. With a stop in Stuart, visitors from other parts of Florida and tourists from all over the world could come to Stuart to shop in our stores, dine in our restaurants and take advantage of our beautiful waterfront.

I understand that FECI’s goal is to go from Miami to Orlando in three hours. However, FECI has already acknowledged that the trains must slow down considerably as they pass through Stuart because of the bridge and track configuration. A stop would take an additional 2 to 3 minutes, and they would only need to stop if there were passengers embarking or disembarking from the train.

As a corporate citizen, FECI, should help all our communities not just a few big cities. If they do not voluntarily elect to exercise good citizenship, then it is the government’s responsibility to insure that the vast majority of the citizens are not harmed by the action of any one citizen.

OUR POLITICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FUTURE

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Last week, I was at a lecture given by Eve Samples of The Stuart News which highlighted the abysmal state of our rivers and the lagoon. Eve and her newspaper have done a great job of reporting and explaining this desecration. Her columns are very reminiscent of the columns and reporting on our rivers and lagoon done by the legendary Ernie Lyons in the same newspaper so many years ago. Then and now, the local press have certainly made us aware of the problems and some of the possible solutions.

But what have we done as residents, citizens and voters? A few of us have marched, contributed and joined organizations to stop this degradation. People such as Maggie Hurchella, Marty Baum, Donna Melzer and Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch are full time advocates and warriors in the fight. The vast majority of us have kept quiet on this subject that is so vital to our homes, economy and future. We have done nothing.

Most of us have opinions and are not shy about expressing them. We are Democrats or Republicans, Liberals or Conservatives, pro or anti everything from the blame of Benghazi to whether the Common Core is good or bad. Where do we stand on our rivers? This silence and lack of involvement by most of us has led to this despicable state. The actions of residents, politicians and businesses have caused and perpetuated the decline. We are the only ones that can stop it.

We have some great local environmental commissioners. In the audience at the Sample’s lecture were County Commissioners Ed Fielding and Sarah Heard and Stuart Mayor Troy McDonald and Stuart Commissioner Eula Clarke. Through their actions using grants and our tax dollars, both commissions have made the county and city leaders in showing the way in protecting our environment. This is not so with our state and federal office holders.

On July 31st of last year, I wrote a letter to the President regarding Lake Okeechobee and the discharges. At the end of January, I received a form letter back telling me that the President shares my concerns about the environment and that he is working hard to protect it. After 7 months, that is the best the White House can offer…the same response that would go to anyone who sends a letter with the word “environment” in the body.

Governor Scott did not even attend the Everglades conference that was held 3 doors from his residence earlier this year. It was great that the Florida Senate held hearings, but appropriations have not as yet been forthcoming to do one thing for our waterways. Our state house representatives mouth pieties but continue to vote for the same anti-environmental policies. Congressman Murphy hosted concerned citizens in Washington and had influential Democratic members such as Leader Pelosi address them, but the farm bill with its sugar quotas and subsidies was passed with their votes. Senator Nelson is with us in spirit while doing everything he can to further the interests of the very people who are the environment’s biggest polluters. Senator Rubio is too busy to be bothered with anything as pedestrian as his constituents’ concerns while running for President in 2016.

What all of our state and national politicians have in common is their abiding love of campaign contributions from the very industries that are the worst offenders. While mouthing platitudes to voters, they have not stopped taking that money.  When do you think the voters will learn to put aside party labels and actually elect those people who will work for us instead of the special interests? For too long, we have allowed others to divide us along artificial lines. We need to now, as residents and citizens, vote in our interest. If the lagoon and rivers actually, die what happens to we who live in Martin County? Our homes will be worth less. Our quality of life will be dissolute. Businesses will flee along with the tourists and snow birds. That is how important this issue is to all of us whether we fish or not, boat or not, live on the water or not.

We need to become single issue voters in this respect. Our mantra should be you have one term to accomplish some measurable improvement to our environment. This issue is that important to all of us that we cannot allow our representatives to tell us one thing and then take political payoffs to ignore our interest. I have heard that you need to choose when voting the lesser of the evils. Evil is still evil and in this case it will be deadly to the ordinary everyday citizen of Martin County.

LETTER TO SENATOR NEGRON ON THE PATRONIS BILL

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Dear Senator Negron:

As a constituent of yours, a Republican, resident of Martin County and the City of Stuart; I urge you to vote no on the Patronis bill. This is patently a way to wrestle local control and place it in the hands of those who would just as soon see our state turned into one big subdivision or sugar plantation.

No one who calls themselves a Republican or believes in limited government could support this bill with a clean conscience. The best government is one that is closest to the people. Nothing can be closer to us than our local governmental entities. This will have a huge impact on not only our quality of life but also that of our children. It is imperative that you stand with the majority of your constituents and vote no.

Florida state government is at a cross roads. Does it continue to suborn the wishes and rights of everyday citizens in order to satisfy the special interests or do our elected officials stand with us. I believe the status quo can no longer be accepted. The people will demand that those asking for our vote at the very least side with us on such vital questions as local control and the quality of our waters. Those of the elected class that mouth the right words but vote against our interest will pay dearly at the ballot box.

 

Thank you.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE LEAVE OUR GUARD DOWN….

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Donna Melzer who serves as the voice of good government in Martin County e-mailed the following to many of us. This is an example of what can happen when we let our guard down for just an instant. I have written my legislators, please do the same:

“A Bill was filed in Tallahassee this week described as “bill to kill local planning and environmental protection.”  

Without our Comp Plan protections, what happens to our  Martin County Difference?
Tallahassee going to trump Home Rule – our river protections?
Just one line proposes to prohibit Comp Plan Amendments that Martin County residents overwhelming supported.
The Bill proposes to STOP Our Requiring 4 votes for critical changes,
—  making it easier to weaken our river protections,

    —  making it easier to end our four (4) story building height,

—  making it easier to gut our urban boundary – cost us our conservative fiscal planning…

 

Developers Hobe Grove, Lake Point and King Ranch are challenging the stronger protections.  These Developers likely support this Tallahassee proposal.  Developers want to stop the super-majority requirement — would not allow the strong protections of our “quality of life,” of our rivers.

 

Fla. Rep. Patronis’ Bill is Attached.  An EXAMPLE of the problems:  

 

Line 78 – this is a blatant attempt to revoke the authority some local governments have used to require “super majority” votes on certain issues, including land use/comp planning;  whatever else this is, it is an intrusion into local home rule authority – I am aware of only 3 local governments that have adopted a super majority vote.

 

Lines 90-92 – this is a flagrant effort to also limit home rule authority by saying that if a comp plan amendment is adopted on Ag lands where other uses are allowed, then that amendment cannot be rescinded if the site continues “primarily” for bona fide ag purposes.   Under chapter 193.461, F.S. – any comp plan or comp plan amendment can be rescinded, revised, repealed, etc. under current law.  This would carve out a protected class status for certain Ag and allow violation of spraw.    Is this about King Ranch project in Martin County? 

    King Ranch’s AgTEC Industrial Park project west of Palm City in Agricultural areas.  Urban sprawl violations were “fixed” by a requirement to get utilities from Port St. Lucie within 5 years. The project was described as  a “peninsula of Port St. Lucie urban into Martin County.”  

Port St. Lucie has been saying No Utilities available — and King Ranch’s 5 year time is running out of – as they agreed – land use reverts to ag.     

 

Lines 172-178 – Okays 50 year permits and 30 year permits involving our water supply.  

Reminds you of Big Sugar 30-year leases Tallahassee approved last year?

 

Spread the word.  Contact any and all Florida Legislators. 

      Tell them Please VOTE NO!  NO!  to the Patronis Bill:

 

        Treasure Coast delegation:

Senator Joe Negron:  NEGRON.JOE.WEB@flsenate.gov

   Rep Gayle Harrell:      GHarrell@gayleharrell.com

Rep. Larry Lee:            Larry.Lee@myfloridahouse.gov“

 

 

 

THE FUTURE OF STUART ON OUR 100TH BIRTDAY

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The City of Stuart is approaching its hundredth birthday on May 7th. When measured against the world’s oldest cities such as Damascus, Syria or Jericho on the West Bank of the Jordan, Stuart is still in its infancy.  Even within our own state, Stuart is 349 years younger than St. Augustine.  But one thing all cities have in common, regardless of age, is that they are living organisms. Not for a moment can they rest on the past or in the present. They have no choice but to embrace the future. Cities must do so not with trepidation or fear but with dynamism that comes from a confidence of purpose.

Embracing the future does not mean neglecting our past. We are a place born of the water. It is vital for us to make sure that the Saint Lucie and Indian Rivers not only survive but are pristine and that they are returned to the state they were in when Stuart was first settled. The “Sailfish Capital of the World” can be known for nothing less.

Our historic downtown was close to extinction.  Stuart could have been consigned, as many other places were, to continued blight. Joan Jefferson and the work of many others have restored our downtown to a vibrant place of retail stores, restaurants, offices and homes. Their future is our present. Our future should be a time when we expand that vibrancy to other parts of the city such as East Stuart. It should be a time when we capitalize on our livability because of our restaurants, theaters, stores, and medical facilities.

Going forward, the needs of Stuart’s citizens will change.  As a society, we will be less car centric. Reliable and affordable mass transit will be needed and should be encouraged. The CRA should have greater but smarter density criteria. The building of smaller apartments should be encouraged so that young couples starting out in life and older ones looking to downsize have options. There will be more people working from home. We will need to have more reliable, faster and less expensive internet including universal WiFi.  We should look at connectivity as a utility the same as we do our water and sewer.

Stuart has a natural advantage when it comes to attracting both the marine and aviation industries. These businesses have good paying jobs for an educated workforce.  With modern production design and manufacturing, such as 3D printers, they are relatively clean as compared to other industries. However, all environmentally friendly businesses should be encouraged.

Stuart and Martin County cannot build a future on real estate development and construction. It is not only bad for the environment but unsustainable. That does not mean we do not develop and grow to accommodate our needs.  But, we shouldn’t though build just to build so that a few may become richer but the county and city as a whole becomes poorer. Our future is more reliant on a pristine waterway than on a paved-over savannah.

Stuart is a city that should encourage change and innovation in keeping with our past and present. We need to look to our past for guidance but not be blind to the world of the future. We must direct and shape our city plan toward the world that will be. This will no doubt require much discussion and deliberation among all our citizens. This future will, in no way, be as hard for us as Stuart’s founders had when they established this city on the Saint Lucie a century ago.

 

 

 

 

THE COST OF OUR SWEET TOOTH

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I keep hearing that all politics are local. However, there is much more to that phrase than one might think. One of the prime reasons that we cannot re-establish a flow way south from Lake Okeechobee is nothing more than the political clout of the sugar cane industry. Our rivers and lagoons on the Treasure Coast are being destroyed so that a few families can continue to live in a baronial manner. Big Sugar has blocked every attempt to correct our flawed earlier ecological mistakes when their inexcusable business practices are at all threatened. Floridians’ futures are being stymied by one interest group that is impeding us from economically moving forward.

Like no other state in the U.S., our waterways are the thing that brings billions of dollars to Florida each year. Tourists won’t come if they can’t fish or are afraid to go to our beaches or just paddle a canoe on our rivers. Without clean water, new development won’t happen, commercial and sport fishing will disappear and other types of agriculture will be harder to sustain.

So how does the sugar industry manage to stand against the interests of the rest of us? Political power is the answer without a doubt. A few sugar families located in Palm Beach County receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year in tax payer subsidies, supports and grants. That enables Big Sugar lobbyists to “contribute” to the campaigns for president, senators, congresspersons, governors and state legislators.  Political party, ideology or rhetoric is never an impediment to receiving that money. A vote that is cast for corporate welfare and crony capitalism by a pol calling himself or herself a liberal, conservative, Democrat or Republican is all the same.

Yes, the sugar cane industry is local but the politics are national. Not only do we, the citizens, support the industry with our tax dollars, we also pay well above the world price for sugar in America.  If the U.S. stopped producing sugar tomorrow, each of us would be better off. We could import our sugar at cheaper prices. Tax dollars would stop flowing to multi -millionaires. Politicians would have to get over having a sweet tooth for those contributions. And our state and its waters could stop being polluted for the benefit of the chosen few.

 

THOUGHTS ON THE RIVER

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My wife and I live on the Saint Lucie River in Stuart. We own a boat, but I am not much of a boater. I have a few poles, but I really don’t fish. In fact, I am not a recreational water person. However, I live on the river because I am mesmerized by its currents and flows.  The sheer majesty of the river at times takes my breath away while at other times it relaxes and soothes.

Water is a powerful force of nature. It shapes the shore where it runs. The river nourishes not only ecosystems of plants, fish and birds but also the human soul. It takes us on journeys of the imagination. Close your eyes and let the mind drift on its currents. The water in the Saint Lucie is connected to the lagoon and then to the oceans throughout our planet and eventually back to us.

I had a country place on the east branch of the Delaware River. Just like the Saint Lucie, water was controlled by a series of gates. But that is where the similarities end. The gates on the Delaware held back the water from winter snows.  There were no chemical pollutants from farms and septic systems as exist currently in Lake Okeechobee. Water released from the Delaware was clean. It was fresh water into fresh water. My kids swam and fished and played in the river. We all gazed at the deer drinking in the evening, an osprey searching the water for dinner or even the occasional bear trudging along the banks in fall.

But now a bit older, I have chosen to live here on this river. We all mouth the correct words and attend meetings. Politicians continue to tell us what we want to hear, and the blame and the promises continue. But our river is still abused today as it has been since it was connected to Lake “O” 80 years ago.

Yet it is a magnificent sight to see the sunset against the water. A peaceful daydream can still be had by gazing at the Saint Lucie from my back porch. Perhaps it really will someday be devoid of life. All the birds, dolphins and manatees will cease to be part of the scene. But the river will still flow… only with the detritus and sewage of man.