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- Updates to the Comprehensive Plan
- Evaluation & Review (EAR)
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The Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Initiative's mission is to conserve and protect water resources and natural systems in the Loxahatchee and St. Lucie River watersheds; with a primary focus on the Atlantic Ridge Ecosystem located within Martin County, FL
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Proposed Amendments to the Comp Plan (EAR) are on Tuesdays Agenda, 9 a.m. Commission Chambers. See Agenda items Ph-2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8.
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"The Martin County Board of County Commissioners will consider seven amendments to the Comprehensive Growth Management Plan at Tuesday’s meeting. The amendments are lengthy, complex, and make significant changes to the Plan under the guise of the Evaluation and Appraisal Review (EAR) process which requires local governments to periodically revise their comp plans to comply with new state statutes.
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Discussion of the amendments was shared last year when the amendments were approved for transmittal to the state for review by affected agencies. Harold Jenkins and Doug Smith were sitting commissioners during the transmittal hearings. Commissioners Blake Capps and Eileen Vargas are now seated as replacements for Jenkins and Smith, respectively, and will participate in the vote to adopt amendments to the Comp Plan Preamble (Item PH-2), Transportation Element (Item PH-3), Intergovernmental Coordination Element (Item PH-4); Housing Element (Item PH-5), Recreation Element (Item PH-6), Arts and Culture Element (Item PH-7) and Public Schools element (Item PH-8).
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Staff has made changes in the amendments which range from “tinkering” with language in the Plan to outright elimination of some protections against overdevelopment. It is highly unlikely that any of the Commissioners, with the exception of Sarah Heard, fully understand the impact the so-called EAR amendments will have on our Plan. Very few of the changes are related to new state statutes.
At some point this year, the Commission should consider retaining an independent consultant with managed growth credentials – such as 1000 Friends of Florida – to do a thorough examination of the Comp Plan and recommend revisions to restore the protections which were once provided but have been eroded in recent years. The County paid the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council to assist staff in preparing the EAR amendments, but despite several well-attended public workshops and an on-line survey of residents’ top priorities, the amendments that will be presented for approval on Tuesday fail to maintain and preserve the Martin County Difference." Summary provided by Ginny Sherlock (Littman, Sherlock & Heims, P.A., www/LSHLaw.net.
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After several state-wide organizations have taken a closer look at the State Parks Protection Act their comments indicate it will not accomplish its goals without some addendums to the proposed language. In my personal opinion the Sierra Club has a condensed, concise overview, incorporating input from multiple groups. Below are their comments and a link for you to send your comments to the drafters of this proposal. (Note: Our January edition had a link to the proposed amendment.)
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STATE PARKS PROTECTION ACT- Sierra Club Comments
February 19, 2025
.. "It appears that the letter did not move the bill sponsors to immediately embrace the needed amendments.. The good news is that we have time to mobilize."
Cris
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---------- Forwarded message ---------
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[The Sierra Club offers] .. "these tools to help get the grassroots involved:
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A variety of talking points from which to choose:
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- As currently written, the bill fails to prevent the very same harmful development projects we stopped last August.
- We will be forced to oppose the bill as-written right now. We would rather support it with our proposed changes.
The bill needs to be amended to:
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- List prohibited uses.
- Forbid any use that would cause “a material disturbance to the resources of a state park.”
- Take out terms such as “to the maximum extent practicable”, “significant harm”, and “avoid” which will allow inappropriate development rather than prevent it.
- The bill has significant holes that will render it completely ineffective in preventing the development threats we fought last year.
- The bill language does not go far enough to prohibit developments that pose the greatest threats to our parks, the ones citizens opposed most strongly.
- The bill does nothing to protect state forests and state wildlife management areas from the same development threats. The bill would be much stronger and more effective if it included such language and would gain much broader and deeper public support.
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The LLHI is pleased to announce we are actively fundraising for our 3rd parcel. We are closing in on our goal of bridging the gap between the Atlantic Ridge State Park and Jonathan Dickinson State Park. We thank you for your support & wish you a bountiful New Year!
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