Editorial: Last week, Florida’s defenders claimed big wins
For local environmentalists and growth-management advocates, last week was a tumble of triumphs:
The Orange County Commission’s wee-hours rejection of the latest attempt to plunk hundreds of homes on former ranchland in the basin of the sensitive, imperiled Econlockhatchee River.
News that the state is closing in on the purchase and preservation of another ranch on the Seminole County portion of the Econ basin.
The official ribbon-cutting of the Wekiva Parkway, which closes the last gap in the high-speed beltway around the greater Orlando area — while protecting the Wekiva River basin in ways that few thought possible decades ago when it was first proposed.
And a three-pack of manatee-related wins: The rescue of a severely underweight calf in Tampa Bay; the release of a mother-daughter pair that were near death when they were found 18 months ago in Broward County and an annaul celebration of the humble sea cow at Blue Springs.
Amidst all the good news, one ugly stain was spreading. A failure at a Sanford water treatment plant dumped 13 million gallons of partially treated sewage into the broad, shallow Lake Monroe. It will be some time before anyone knows how much damage has been done. But long-term impacts seem unavoidable for the St. Johns River, which flows through Lake Monroe on its way north.
It’s all part of the same story. The ardent defenders of Florida’s unique beauty can build buffers against the development that devours prairies, forests, scrub and even wetlands.
They can look for ways to protect wildlife against the fast cars, trucks and boats roaring through habitat that harbors some of Florida’s most beloved species such as manatees, cranes, bears and panthers.
They can do everything in their power to keep the pollution — the oil and gasoline that rinses off roads, the fertilizer meant to keep millions of lawns an unnatural emerald green, the undetectable chemicals seeping into the aquifer from industrial sites — from fouling Florida’s rivers, springs, lakes and shorelines.
But however valiantly they fight, this band of defenders can never really claim victory. They can only fight, on and on, not to lose.
And pray that promises will be kept. Because all it takes is one defeat to erase decades’ worth of victories.
Familiar battlegrounds
On the facing page, former Sentinel editor and Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Healy talks about the two Econ basin decisions with the authority of someone who chronicled this fight, and mourned the losses, for decades.
We aren’t going to attempt to steal her thunder (as if we could). But we will underscore the point that she makes so well: The Orange County Commission’s refusal to sign off on an 1,800-home development in the Econ River basin is the latest in a long string of attempts to develop the sensitive land that was once known as the Rybolt Ranch.
The developer behind the Sustanee project promised to take every measure to minimize the impact the construction of so many houses would cause. “We believe we’ve created a community that is far surpassing what came to you before, as well as maybe one of the most sustainable communities in the state of Florida,” Sean Froelich told commissioners. But the Econ River can only withstand so much before the fatal blow falls, before too many people push their way into land needed to buffer the river against contamination and protect its shy, wild inhabitants from the noise and danger of human activity.
Will the commission’s 4-3 vote be enough to derail the plans? It should be. We hope so.
Meanwhile, hope is swelling among those who have pleaded with state officials for years to purchase the Yarborough Ranch property, making it a part of the state’s wildlife conservation corridor and another buffer in the Econ basin. The ranch is on the list of properties that could be approved for Florida Forever funding in March. Purchasing it would ostensibly be intended to safeguard it into perpetuity.
But even those promises can be broken. Just ask those who have rallied to protect another chunk of conservation land — the beloved Split Oak preserve, a portion of which is now targeted for an extension of the Osceola Parkway. That would enable enough houses to populate a new city or even county.
And so the call to rally is resounding again.
Celebrate the defenders
In the face of such long odds, in the fight against the inevitable trail of destruction that humans leave in their wake, we have to acknowledge those who have kept the fight going for so long. People like Seminole Commissioner Lee Constantine and Audubon’s Charles Lee, who were on hand for the ribbon-cutting of the Wekiva Parkway after decades of arguing, pleading and shaming state transportation officials into constructing the last leg of the Orlando beltway with environmental safeguards, including underpasses that wildlife can use to safely cross its path without being crushed under the endless flow of car tires.
Like the people who pack commission chambers whenever a development threatens a sensitive space. And to the elected officials who listen to their pleas — and push back against the seeming inevitability of development one “no” vote at a time.
Like Wayne Hartley, who has spent more than half his life working to protect manatees. He was the first one to identify manatees by the white scar tissue that crossed their bodies, the missing limbs and tails from boat strikes. He gave hundreds of Florida’s manatees their names, and as our Patrick Connolly documented last week, he mourns each loss.
Blue Spring: Longtime manatee researcher knows hundreds of sea cows by name
Like Katie Moncrief, perhaps the Wekiva River’s most ardent warrior, who laid down her sword for good at the age of 98 last week. Others will step forward to carry on the battle in her memory. But nobody can ever fill her shoes.
The Katie of the famed Katie’s Landing at Wekiva River has died
These defenders — all of them — are needed. They pressed state and local leaders to buy and preserve 10 million acres of conservation land; now they must fight to ensure that land isn’t sold or given away. They pushed for better protections for Florida’s sensitive springs; now they must insist that those plans are followed. They demanded tighter growth-management controls that minimize sprawl. Now they are pushing back against the Legislature’s erosion of those protections.
At times, they show up, stand up and argue when it’s clear their defeat has been predetermined. Yet they keep showing up.
They understand, these defenders, that Florida will always be worth fighting for. Again and again, as much as it takes.
The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Contact us at insight@orlandosentinel.com
