Commissioners voted 7-0 yesterday to save their jobs, the EPC wetlands division, and implement Dr. Garrity’s compromise Hybrid Proposal. After receiving about 3″ of e-mail from an outraged public (Rose Ferlita held up the stack), and taking a constant beating in the press ever since their preliminary vote in June to eliminate the division, they had to vote for the hybrid. It was clear that a vote to eliminate the epc wetlands division would have been political suicide.
An EPC staffer counted 350 people, which included lots of red-shirted developers, but was clearly dominated by the greener side.
There were some heavy hitters there — Lynn McGarvey flew in from California (with decades of experience working on environmental issues in the bay area, she’s an eco-saint), Tampa City Council person Mary Mulhern, and ex-county commissioners Chris Hart & Jan Platt. Also some big organizations took a stand. For the wetlands: Sierra Club, Audubon, the Suncoast Native Plant Society, Friends of the Hillsborough River, the Agency on Bay Management and the League of Woman Voters. For cement: The Tampa Bay Builders Association and the Greater Tampa Bay Area Realtors.
Tommy’s prediction of outside attacks came true in the form of the Tallahassee based lobbying firm of Hopping Green & Sams calling for elimination of the division.
The crowd was righteously impassioned and many speakers drew hearty applause. I was particularly impressed by the number of people who spoke saying they’d never even been to a public hearing before, but they felt compelled to come speak in defense of our wetlands.
Kevin White, who made the original motion to do away with all our local wetland protections, said he wanted to “Regurgitate” his motives for his original vote as he backpedaled furiously, acting like his motion was a bold move that needed to be made to get the conversation started toward the final goal of the Hybrid Proposal. He didn’t fool anybody, and Marcella O’Steen was particularly eloquent in her extemporaneous thrashing of his “spin.”
Several of the speakers (including me) urged the commission to hold off on the Hybrid Proposal, with some speakers suggesting a Blue Ribbon Panel of independent experts study the idea first. The commissioners ignored that option.
If the vote had been strictly up or down on the wetlands division today, with no compromising Hybrid Proposal in the mix, I feel certain commissioners couldn’t have eliminated the agency in the face of such massive public opposition. Unfortunately, we are now stuck with this Hybrid.
You can read more about yesterday’s meeting in the Tribune and the Times, and Wayne Garcia also has a good rundown of the way it all came down.
We’ll have more about what exactly the hybrid proposal means soon.
Junior
2 years ago
I attended yesterday’s morning session. We had to leave at 7a.m. to get there by 8 to get in the main room on the second floor I did not have to worry about a seat because I am in a wheelchair,so I always have aseat but the tall black suits,called developers stood in front of me,as if to say we have no respect for the little people or what,as in my case,what they sit for. Let me give you aquick description of the room,it was filled with green shirts,those for the wet lands,and red shirts,those against the wetlands one big Christmas tree with the developers in black suits depicting the black bulbs on the string of lights that have blown out and no longer works. Thats all for now,will write more after lunch.
Meredith
2 years ago
Junior, I like your Christmas tree analogy. Thank God the land won a reprieve.
Now, let us formulate a plan to deal with the corrupted commissioners before they back us into another situation like this.
GKR
2 years ago
I think this issue shows the strength of a united Hillsborough County, and we united via blogs and emails and YouTube and Letters to Editor and the press.
It’s high time we take back our County.
Wish I could have been there Thursday.
Lee Nelson
2 years ago
A Rolling Stone’s song seems to sum up this entire EPC fiasco…..
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometimes you might find
You get what you need
Pam
2 years ago
Does anyone know if a recall petition has been started for tag team Blair/Norman/Hagen/White? I’m ready to sign it.
Junior
2 years ago
I am back from lunch to tell you my side. The room was way to small for the crowd on the second floor and the rest on the 26th floor which was really a disservice for any wetlands supporter. Because I am in a wheelchair I had the advantage of sitting very close to the front and one other wheelbound person was closer to the mike,he was lucky no black suits in front of him,but he had to contend with all the cameras etc. The problems as I saw as a novice noticed about the room it is inadequate for large audiences about any legal matter.2.The room and the mike system are at odds against themselves. You can not read the small print on the two monitors in the room and the large screen was not working I was lucky because I was down front. I was so glad that someone brought up that each person were only allowed to speak for three minutes but the commissoners were allowed to speak as long as they wanted to,equality for all is what I wanted to shout out the entire time I was there. I did laugh through most of the speeches. Kevin White used his only 25cent word,regurgitate,WOW. One red shirt got up and said his house was being flooded by the wetlands,did not the builder tell him not to build there,NO because they wanted the other green called money.They lost one or two of the sign up sheets upstairs,that they did not find until almost 12 with the names and voices of persons to speak on the subject at hand the WETLANDS. I wanted to speak,but I have dysphasia and I usually write in metaphors and analogies,I do not think the Commisoners would have understood about EAGLES our natioal bird and how we have to protect our wetlands as Eagles their family and our freedom. They broke for lunch at noon and I went home.
Karen
2 years ago
I was embarrassed by many of the outbursts and signs of disrespect of the ‘green side. I understand this is an emotional issue. But I think it does the green side a disservice when names are called and insults are flung. It is unfortunate because I think a lot of their words are not heard because of their delivery. Many spoke gracefully and I believe their voices were heard the loudest. I want every wetland saved, but I don’t believe all developers are the evil ones. Many love this state and want to build responsibly. The process that EPC had for permitting was arduous and costly. Hopefully the hybrid plan will be a more fair one. Everyone has the right to be treated fairly.
Junior
2 years ago
Just a question,inquiring minds want to know. Why are some of the writters names in red and some in black/
Mariella
2 years ago
Junior, anyone who puts a web address in the URI field turns their name into a red clickable link that takes people to that web site. (Try clicking on the red names and see.)
Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog » Blog Archive » ken hagan gets an idea
2 years ago
[...] in all the hubbub of the wetlands decisions made last week, Ken Hagan actually came up with an idea. How about that! After five years of just [...]
voxy
2 years ago
you should not have let them get away with this lateral move. bad.
voxy
2 years ago
karen, I never like to see the name calling be done. But, guess what?? That’s how we got HERE in the first place …. by being polite. While they are rutting pigs. Yes — they ARE.
Rose (titanic which I only saw for the first time a year or so ago)
“I’m THROUGH being polite GODDAMNIT”
I’ll be happy to return to my lovely, well-bred English manners the moment that I am no longer forced to roll around in the mud with pigs.
Junior
2 years ago
Lee Nelson,I am sorry,but I lost your petions. Can you get me somemore and I will have them copied.
Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog » Blog Archive » haggling over the price of wetlands
2 years ago
[...] next step toward the Hybrid compromise on our local wetlands regulations is a proposed rule change allowing certain exemptions from our [...]
Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog » Blog Archive » hillsborough wetlands now threatened by state
2 years ago
[...] changed the rule to exempt manmade ditches. They voted to do this, as the first step toward the Hybrid, at the public hearing on August 16. (Furthermore, this rule change was simply codifying a [...]
Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog » Blog Archive » destroying wetlands on (so-called) “farm land”
2 years ago
[...] newspapers have all but abandoned the fight now that we’ve saved the wetlands division from elimination. But commissioners continue working to weaken our wetlands protections. They think no one will [...]