Dear Mr. Boxold,

I am writing in regard to the SJRWMD Land Swap in Indian River County with the Corrigan Family. This land swap is a pending disaster and must be stopped. Would you please help the citizens in Indian River County have an opportunity to have their concerns heard by the Governor and Cabinet? I believe that the Water Management District made a self serving decision when they voted for this swap and it had nothing to do with long range water conservation planning for the State of Florida. If in fact the District is at fault and owes damages to the Corrigan Family for poor water management then they should face their day in court. There are other ways to generate funds for damages ˆ including selling the subject property to the county.

In light of our pending water crisis, it makes no sense to trade away land that becomes the gateway to urban sprawl down the west side of I-95 in Indian River County. The City of Fellsmere seems to have a bad case of envy for new towns like „Tradition‰ and „Viera‰. Right now, Indian River County is one of the few remaining areas along the east coast that have managed to contain its growth within the urban service area. We are struggling to set policies that would preserve the rural landscape and the farming culture and yet provide the farmers a way to sell their development rights.

Indian River County has already been informed by the SJRWMD that we have only a few more years of potable water in our wells. The western part of our county is the source ˆ the headwaters ˆ for the entire District‚s water supply. We are going to need as much area as possible for surface water retention in the future in order to supply the citizens currently living within the SJRWMD. To trade away 1,265 acres of conservation lands and to facilitate urban sprawl is poor water management practices. Please let our case be heard in Tallahassee.

Sincerely,

Judy Orcutt
Sierra Club Representative
IRC Land Acquisition Advisory Committee

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