Letter: There's still time to fight St. Johns
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Press-Journal

Wake up, people. We are being snookered by one of our own previously respected government agencies.

St. Johns River Water Management District voted to give an environmentally important tract of conservation land purchased with public funds to a private landowner, the Corrigan family, in Indian River County.

We are talking about the Sand Lakes tract, located along Interstate 95 in an area between County Road 512 and State Road 60. This parcel has significant environmental value, according to the district’s own scientists, and since they gave their report, nothing about the land has changed. It is still home to many endangered native species.

Sand Lakes was purchased with state Preservation 2000 money (taxpayer money) to be preserved “forever” from destruction by development.

But the Corrigans were threatening to sue the district, claiming that Corrigan lands had been damaged by water that was under the control of the district.

Instead of inviting the Corrigans to go ahead and sue, and let the courts decide if the district was at fault, the district caved in and settled by trading a prime piece of conservation land, plus $657,300 to the Corrigan family, and taking back a 460-acre parcel of far lesser valuable than the Sand Lakes tract.

Isn’t it interesting that the Sand Lakes tract is the only piece of property standing in the way of the Corrigans’ land reaching all the way to the Fellsmere line? Annexation? Development?

Folks, there is still time to stop this. Go to the Pelican Island Audubon Society Web site — pelicanislandaudubon.org — and find all the information you need on this subject, including the addresses of the governor, Cabinet, etc. Please contact them as soon as possible asking them to overturn the district’s decision.

Patricia Beckwith
Sebastian

Comments(4)

#1 Posted by slr401 on November 10, 2007 at 6:16 a.m.

our county has done some pathetic deals, but this has to be at the top of the list...

#2 Posted by LDouglas on November 10, 2007 at 6:24 a.m.

When you think about the amount of money IRC just spent purchasing "development rights" only on a couple of pieces of agricultural land, it really hits home just how valuable the Sand Lakes tract is, in money terms alone.
What an incredibly raw deal SJWMD, is trying to pull over us- and the wildlife who make the Sand Lake tract their home.

It would be a really bad precedent letting them get away with this. I'll keep up the pressure with another letter- thank you.

#3 Posted by rnelson on November 10, 2007 at 9:24 a.m.

I sent all of them a letter. But given their past decisions, there isn't much hope that this will be fixed. All I can say is, I didn't vote for Crist, I knew he would be just like Jeb.

#4 Posted by kwegel on November 11, 2007 at 7:58 a.m.

I won't comment on other deals the county has done because, honestly, I didn't follow most of them that closely and relied on the judgment of LAAC.

Don't blame the county for this one. The commissioners have been unanimous in their opposition to this deal. They sent a resolution to the District in opposition and following the District’s final order, they filed a separate appeal.

What really stinks in this deal is the Districts total disregard of the county’s conservation plans in deciding Sand Lakes is no longer needed for conservation. Sand Lakes is the center of what is called the Ten Mile Ridge project. This project would connect the Upper St. Johns, Corrigan lands, Sand Lakes, and the Ansin property to the St. Sebastian Buffer Preserve and Brevard county conservation lands in a designated conservation corridor.

The Ten Mile Ridge project has been important to this county since before St. Johns bought Sand Lakes and minutes of the Land Acquisition Advisory Committee probably contain more references to it than any other single project. St. Johns can’t flood it, so they have unilaterally decided it is no longer needed without regard for the county’s conservation planning.

So much for “partnership”!

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