Pulling the wool
To the editor:
The Lee County Board of Commissioners held a Zoning and Comprehensive Plan Amendment Hearing on Aug. 19 at 9:30 a.m.
A number of years ago, the state required counties to draw up such plans to address and hopefully reduce our natural resource destruction due to over-development. Our Lee Plan was designed for the benefit of our citizens with environmental concerns a major requirement. But, as politicians do, they put the following loophole in it.
This plan, including the Future Land Use Map, may be amended in accordance with Florida Statutes and administrative procedures adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in Lee County Administrative Code 13-6. In accordance with 163.3177(1)(f), Fla. Stat.; all amendments must be based upon relevant and appropriate data and analysis.
The fact that the Plan was set up for the best interest of Lee County’s citizens and as a protection for the environment has meant little to the commissioners. In order to acquiesce to the developers, the commissioners, over the years, have continued to amend the Plan in accordance with developers’ wishes. These new amendments are designed to eliminate any/all bad press the Commissioners get by doing an inordinate amount of tweaking via the amendment process to avoid bad press in the future.
I’m not sure why the public had been advised of this hearing other than it is probably a legal requirement. It seems a certainty that the public’s freedom of speech will continue to be curtailed. Don’t expect our three minutes to get a minute more. It’s those who petition the board for economic favors that have carte blanche. If you view videos of certain hearings, you will notice the County Attorneys’ office aiding the applicants in composition and language as well as “take all the time you need.”
As usual, the public commentators’ right to free speech was limited to three minutes. They voiced their objections. Commissioner Petrosky mentioned that she had a large volume of E-mails expressing concern.
Commissioners Pendergrass and Mulicka summarized by stating that the public was misinformed. Does this mean that the county failed to communicate in a clear-cut manner?
Bottom line, if you think development has been bad up until now, hold on to your hats. This opens the door to development without any real safeguards. Development to this point has been done with little common sense; there will be less in the future.
Ultimately this falls on you and me; we elect these people time and again which ends up playing to the developer’s interests instead of our natural resources as originally intended and makes a mockery of the very reason for the Lee Plan. So, Commissioners, why are you telling us about a “hearing” when it matters not what we say?
Norman Cannon
Fort Myers