July 09, 2016 at 10:00am - 1pm
The destruction of this wetland, which is located on University Parkway and Honore, goes directly against Sarasota County’s Comprehensive Plan, an official public document adopted by the Board of County Commissioners to guide decision-makingrelated to the physical development of the County.
The plan states that destruction of wetlands will only be allowed if there is no “reasonable alternative”. The County’s own staff have recommended against destroying this valuable habitat, stating that wetlands are “very rare in Sarasota County” and have “a high degree of environmental importance”.
Despite this, Sarasota County has chosen to approve the re-zoning of this land for development. Local elections in Sarasota are largely controlled by Political Action Committees, which are funded by developers and special interests. The commissioners in office do not represent the residents of Sarasota County, they represent developers, builders, and big business.
The Comprehensive Plan is currently being updated, and the draft of the new plan severely weakens controls on developers as well as environmental regulations. This is largely due to the fact that each amendment to the plan is reviewed and submitted by the Planning Commission, which includes two developers and four top executives of construction companies.
In addition to a pending lawsuit being pursued by Manasota 88, ANSWER Suncoast and others will be taking to the streets to raise awareness about the need to protect this wetland, and to fight developer control over the local government.
#SaveTheWetland
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