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Response to the last two issues of Bay Soundings has been overwhelming, so we cede this space to letters from our readers, with thanks for sharing your views and opinions.
Sustainable development
While stormwater management is a very important aspect of low-impact development, it is just one part of the larger sustainability discussion. The reality is that if we are to have a sustainable quality of life, we must think differently – and then create building codes, growth management laws and environmental regulations that support smart growth.
Real sustainability begins with mass transit-linked, zero carbon, mixed-use, dense urban developments and redevelopments that are built with environmentally friendly products and processes. These healthy communities provide walkable paths and workable public transportation that move people to their offices, shopping and leisure activities. Fewer cars on the road means less air and water pollution. Lowering energy, water and sewer demand will create additional cost-of-living savings and reduce carbon emissions.
This is the new model for workforce housing.
Mixed-use developments provide residents with affordable, healthy homes close to work and life amenities. These low-impact developments are good for business, too. Employers have discovered that happier and healthier workers have less sick time and are much more productive.
Other features of low-impact development include green roofs, the use of alternative energy, native landscaping and zero-waste recycling. All of these environmentally friendly products and technologies reduce the impact we have on the environment around us. Low-impact developments conserve water, conserve energy, reduce air and water pollution, and create urban wildlife habitat. And, contrary to what many believe, green building products are not necessarily more expensive than traditional building products. In fact, many of the costs associated with low-impact development can be deducted through grants and incentives. Also, the lives of many “green” products are substantially longer than traditional building products.
We need to work together to educate buyers and political leaders about the benefits of low-impact development. Low-impact development is right for Florida. When we have smart growth, we all win.
Grady Pridgen III
President, Grady Pridgen, Inc.
I enjoyed your article on Low Impact Development (Fall 2006), and am glad to hear about the regulatory shift from a mechanical view of stormwater management to a broader biological understanding.
Much of LID and sustainability is common sense, and just good practice. Instead of taking out all the trees on a site and filling and compacting the soil so stormwater can’t soak into the ground, it is worthwhile to acknowledge a basic premise of sustainability which is to “use what you’ve got.” Trees and natural vegetation can do a great job of modulating and filtering stormwater, not to mention sequestering carbon and making oxygen.
At River Forest, the idea was to insert a human community – a neighborhood, within an existing forest.
As it approaches build out, I’ve observed that there is real attraction in living in a natural environment. A recent lot re-sale showed a strong appreciation in land value, even in the current down-market. Another good validation is that 30% of the homeowners here are developers and contractors.
Sure, changing and adapting stormwater requirements is unfamiliar territory for most developers, but shouldn’t we always be trying to improve our knowledge and practices? It’s what we do. I’m reminded of the story of the head of the U.S. Patent Office in the 1890s who said there wasn’t much left for him to do – everything had been invented already!
Joe King
Architect/Developer
River Forest, Manatee County
Biofuel Alternatives
In the last issue of Bay Soundings, a story on biofuels briefly mentioned “e-grass” or “Arundo donax” as a potentially viable option for biofuel propagation in Florida. Quite the opposite is true. Arundo has been named one of “The Top 100 Worst Invasive Species” in the world by the Invasive Species Specialist Group. It is a wildly exotic, invasive species known to create monocultures and wipe out large swaths of water-friendly habitats.
Arundo does exhibit alluring qualities. In fact, its rapid growth rate, extreme durability, resistance to pests, and ease of propagation are among the characteristics that have made it a “perfect storm” as an invasive exotic species. But its downsides far outweigh its potential for biofuel production.
Biomass Investment Group hopes to plant over 15,000 acres of Arundo north of Lake Okeechobee in Highlands County using tons of fertilizer and millions of gallons of water for irrigation. If Arundo either were to escape nearby waterways such as Lake Okeechobee, the Kissimmee River and Caloosahatchee River, and eventually The Everglades would be at grave risk.
The Florida Public Service Commission recently approved Arundo as a biofuel and the company’s contract with Progress Energy the Department of Agriculture has also given the green light to the project. It begs the following questions: Why did the Department of Agriculture exhibit such poor oversight considering the history of Arundo donax? What other potentially hazardous biofuels or biological agents are in the offing? Will the rubber-stamping by governmental agencies continue?
Organizations, including the Florida Native Plant Society, Sierra Club, Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council and Nature Conservancy, have all renounced its cultivation as a biofuel.
While we need to find alternatives to dirty fuels Arundo is not the answer. Furthermore, we need greater scrutiny of state agencies rendering decisions about the use of biofuels. Arundo is a pariah, not a panacea, and it should be culled from the state’s biofuel list.
Ray Wunderlich III MS
Tampa Bay Estuary Program
Community Advisory Committee
Hog Wild
Regarding Hogs Gone Wild (Fall 2006), although the article was generally correct, I would like to comment on a few items, drawing on 35 years of natural resource management experience in Florida and involvement in most of the feral hog research.
First, the term “pigs” refers to young swine up to about weaning age. The 500,000 population estimate referenced in your story is a number I came up with for a co-authored technical paper in the 1980s. While it’s the best we have, it needs to be updated to reflect changes in statewide distribution and abundance.
While hogs eat a variety of foods, they are primarily herbivores and, of the foods you mentioned, frogs and snakes make up only trace amounts of their diets.
As to their impact on native vegetation and indigenous species, what we see today is the result of their long-term influence.
Our research indicates that hogs almost never have two litters per year, and while domestic hogs can be induced to have three litters in a year under intense management, this does not occur with wild hogs.
I enjoy reading Bay Soundings and appreciate the wide range of subjects covered, and hope this additional information is helpful.
Bill Frankenberger
Certified Wildlife Biologist
Avon Park Air Force Range
Vanishing Waterfront
After reading Vanishing Waterfront (Summer 2006), I’m left with mixed emotions. How does Florida strike a balance between modern demand for luxury waterfront with concierge amenities and preservation of working waterfronts full of character and charm that have helped make Florida the place it is today?
Years ago, Florida was a place where anyone could retire to and live on the water. The waterfront was the domain of commercial fishermen, seafood processing plants, fish markets – and large rodents. Only in the last 30 years has the mass migration to the coast occurred, and only in the last 10 years, in any major numbers.
Retiring Baby Boomers continue to fuel the trend. Those who have worked and lived in colder climates want to retire where it’s warm with access to all of life’s best amenities – including waterfront living.
Florida’s condo boom has catered to this target market, and condos have been the biggest culprit in the demise of marinas offering public access. Converting a full-service marina to a luxury condominium complex does eliminate public slips and raise property values.
But what people may fail to realize is that the marina developer who comes in, purchases a run-down marina for 10 to 20 times its value, and then completely rebuilds a “dockominium” and “rackominium” marina is actually preserving public access to the waterfront.
Typically, 30 to 40% of the people who purchase a dockominium slip or dry storage unit are investors, not boat owners. They purchase slips to rent to the public.
Unfortunately, most dockominium developers are not marina people. While they understand the desire for amenities like swimming pools, they’re typically not interested in boat yard services. That is the REAL problem facing boaters in Florida. Essentially, there will be rental slips available, but you may have to tow your boat 80 miles or more for major engine work or a new paint job.
What can government do to help? The biggest pressure is in the smaller boat market and it’s caused by loss of boat ramps and parking. Boats under 25 feet comprise the largest portion of boat registrations and they are the least reliant on marinas, boat slips and dry storage. These boats are predominately trailered to a boat ramp. Of nearly 1 million registered recreational boats in Florida, fewer than 6.5%, or 63,466, are over 25 feet long.
So the real answer is for local governments to:
1. Acquire land for boat ramps and increased parking with spaces up to 45 feet long to accommodate trucks and trailers.
2. Consider establishing a marina advocacy agency or group to coordinate permitting for marinas so that there is a single conduit for owners seeking to build or rebuild. At the very least, foster inter-agency cooperation. Marina owners are more than willing to be good stewards of the environment and will do whatever is necessary to protect endangered species if regulators will work with rather than against them.
Dale Wentzel
Atlantic Marine Management
Grasonville, MD
Kudos and Corrections
Wow! Another great issue. The red tide story on the cover has to be about the most complete treatise I’ve read in the press; truly a great read.
Just a couple notes: Jon Thaxton is not and never has been a developer, to the best of my knowledge, though he is a Realtor.
Also, in the story on wild hogs, I’ve never heard of a 22-gage shotgun; they come, generally, as 12,16, 20 and 28 gage. I happen to have my grandfather’s 10-gage, and that’s a monster I’ll never shoot because it probably isn’t safe.
I would guess your hunter shot his boar with a .22-calibre rifle which, as he found out, is little more than a bee sting to a mad hog, boar or otherwise.
I have killed them with a .22, but you have to hit them precisely - in the ear, eye or on a line between those two organs - or you’d better find a low tree quick!
Allan Horton
Nakomis, Fla.
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