SW Florida must balance environment, growth John Cassani, Sound Off 12:30 a.m. EDT July 27, 2014 2013 Cassani.JPG (Photo: Special to News-press) CONNECT TWEET LINKEDIN COMMENT EMAIL MORE Floridas post-recession growth rate is returning to levels that made it so populous in the 1990s and before, and is on a fast track to pass New York as the third-largest state. From April 2010 to July 2013, Floridas population increased by 4 percent, nearly double the national increase of 2.4 percent. During that same three-year period, Lee Countys population increased by 6.8 percent or 42,361 residents. That is comparable to adding another Bonita Springs or six more Sanibels in just three years. Welcome to the next big wave of growth and myriad of issues that will come with it. By 2030, less than 16 years from now or a bit less than a single generation time, medium projections of Floridas population is expected to swell to 23.6 million, an increase of 19.6 percent. Lee County is expected to follow the trend, growing to nearly a million residents (911,479), a whopping increase of 35.3 percent or 237,652 new residents, equivalent to adding an additional Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Sanibel. This accelerated growth will generate more stress on the natural resources that attract so many people and the economy that is so closely tied to it. The challenge of meeting demands for water and open space with public access will grow as new residents arrive, expecting additional public services that are rarely paid for by the added tax base. The cost for compliance with state and federal pollution regulations will rise accordingly and externalizing these costs from the polluting sources to all taxpayers, as is typically done now, will further the inequity between who benefits and who pays. Can we learn from past mistakes in a polarized and dysfunctional political system that is deeply divided over the relevance of critical conservation issues such as climate change, sea level rise and extinction? One need only look back to Floridas history as a harbinger of the future. By the 1980s, Florida had already lost 9.3 million acres of historic wetlands to development representing more than 20 percent of the states land. Lee County has lost 50 percent of its wetlands. It became evident that this trend had to change since wetlands are critical to flood control, wildlife habitat, and maintenance of water supply and water quality. As such, policymakers recognized the importance of balancing growth with sustainable land practices. Nationally recognized programs such as Florida Forever spent up to $300 million annually on land acquisition until 2009 when recession impacted budgets dried up. Despite a current state budgets $3 billion larger than last year, and a rapidly increasing state population, land acquisition in Florida has only been restored to about 6 percent of its previous level. In Lee County, land acquisition through the Conservation 20/20 program has also been greatly diminished in recent years despite relatively low land values and adequate funding. Is Lee County missing the window of opportunity? Much, if not most, of the critical wildlife habitat and wetland resources in Florida and locally remain on privately owned land. Federal support programs that provide financial incentives to private landowners through programs like 20/20 and Wetland Reserve Programs are also diminishing just when they are needed the most. As funding has shrunk through farm bill legislation, so has participation by Florida property owners. Acreage conserved in Florida through these public-private partnerships has shrunk from 224,867 acres in 2007 to only 54,291 acres by 2012. The Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative, Amendment 1, is on the ballot in November. Upon voter approval, it would dedicate 33 percent of net revenues from the existing excise tax on documents to land acquisition in Florida. Voting in favor of Amendment 1 is a major and potentially historic opportunity to help sustain Florida, now at another crossroad to a questionable future. John Cassani is a resident of Alva
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 06:26:27 +0000
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