Monday, November 2, 2009

New director must be mindful of issues

Citizens Not Serfs is writing to reiterate the importance of ensuring that Ms. Hurley, the prospective appointee to the Growth Management Director position, is publicly committed to supporting the Keys' designation as an Area of Critical Concern and equally committed to permanent prohibition of all new structures in excess of 35 feet.

As we have pointed out on other occasions, this designation benefits the Keys significantly and an overwhelming majority of the population supports living within an Area of Critical Concern. A March 2006 scientific poll conducted by Lake Research demonstrated that 82 percent of likely Republican, Democrat and independent Monroe County voters were opposed to the construction of high-rise condos and hotels, and were equally opposed to rescinding the 1974 Area of Critical Concern designation. The Area of Critical Concern designation is the primary reason the Keys are devoid of the wall-to-wall high-rise condos and hotels that blight southeast and west Florida. On May 15, 2007, Islamorada citizens validated the scientific poll and overwhelmingly verified the import of maintaining this aspect of the Keys environment by voting to permanently encode a 35-foot building height restriction in their charter.

Florida Keys residents demand assurance that the growth management director understands the massive opposition to the planning and construction of high-rise condos and hotels in the Florida Keys. They need to know that Ms. Hurley is publicly committed to rejecting any and all attempts to plan or construct high-rise condos and hotels. Similarly, Ms. Hurley must commit to defending against any attempts to change the county's Area of Critical Concern designation.

Furthermore, it is imperative that the ... director appreciates the burdens that Federal Emergency Management Agency's pilot inspection program and subsequent county regulations have placed on the people of Monroe County. Ms. Hurley must be willing and able to find ways to mitigate the community's suffering while remaining in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Citizens Not Serfs is hopeful that Administrator Gastesi, the Board of County Commissioners and Ms. Hurley will be mindful of the issues raised in this letter.

Christen Spake

John November

Summerland Key

Thanks for supporting animal rescue efforts

I would like to thank the Marathon and Lower Keys Association of Realtors for selecting Stand Up For Animals as their charity of the month. What a pleasure it was to walk into the group's recent meeting at the Sombrero Country Club and be greeted by a mountain of dog chow, kitty litter, rawhide chews and other goodies. And the icing on the cake was Realtor Ruth Hemp's donation of her 50/50 raffle cash to SUFA.

The timing could not have been better -- less than 24 hours before the luncheon, a kind person brought in a mastiff puppy he had found under his trailer. The little fellow ... was so anemic from parasites that he needed an immediate blood transfusion. The raffle proceeds enabled us to make it happen ... and he is now on his way to good health and placement for adoption. ...

Linda Gottwald,

Executive director, SUFA

Marathon

Take these measures in the next century

The Keys are doomed; the unfortunate truth:

• Sea Level has been rising for 10,000 years.

• When all global ice melts, water level rises (arguably) 140 feet.

What is a waste of time?

• Attempts to mitigate the global carbon footprint with local initiatives. We just don't have the people or the square feet.

• Policies that encourage more people to move to the Keys.

What should we consider/do?

• Build a seawall.

• Begin a campaign to stimulate/educate a population shift to "above the 40-foot line."

We have a hundred years; let's get on with it.

Arthur R. Szeglin,

Summerland Key