Loxahatchee Group signed on to the Oct. 2, 2024 Letter:
Opposition to proposed swap of 324 acres of the Withlacoochee State Forest (WSF)
October 2, 2024
Rick Dolan, Director
Florida Forest Service
3125 Conner Boulevard
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1650 Via email at Richard.Dolan@fdacs.gov
RE: Opposition to proposed swap of 324-acres of the Withlacoochee State Forest (WSF)
Dear Director Dolan:
We, the undersigned sixty-seven (67) organizations and businesses, vehemently oppose the proposal to declare as surplus a 324-acre parcel of land in the Withlacoochee State Forest (WSF) in order to facilitate a swap of the parcel for a privately owned 860-acre stand of pine plantation (Jtmr Timber parcel) in Levy County.
Our attention is directed to you, because the Governor’s and Cabinet’s June 12, 2024 decision related to the Cabot Citrus OpCo LLC proposal is not the final word; it is in the power of the Florida Forest Service (FFS) to stop it before it is taken up by the Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC).
Our partners at Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) have determined the parcel has substantial conservation value and therefore does not qualify to be declared surplus pursuant to §253.0341(1), F.S. FNPS also determined the proposed exchange would not result in a net conservation benefit. If the FFS review includes the same level of scrutiny—field visits and a review of the Florida Forever Conservation Needs Assessment spatial data maintained by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI)—we know you will come to the same conclusion. There is no doubt that this swap proposal should be rejected when contiguity with other publicly owned conservation land, significant habitat connectivity within the Florida Wildlife Corridor, overlap with the sandhill component of Under-represented Natural Communities data, High (Priority 1) recharge value, and the protection of endangered species are taken into account.
Moreover, the Florida public’s recent overwhelming display of across-the-political-spectrum-outrage over development within state parks should signal that this type of proposal is anathema to our collective dedication to protecting Florida’s wild places from development.
Please stop this ill-conceived proposal now by making it clear FFS will not support it.
Sincerely,
Adventure Coast Group, Sierra Club Tom St. Clair, Conservation Chair
Ancient Islands Group, Sierra Club Tom Palmer, Chair Apalachee Audubon Society Kathleen Carr, President
Apalachicola Riverkeeper Susan Anderson, Executive Director
Avian Research and Conservation Institute Kenneth D. Meyer, PhD., Executive Director and Senior Research Ecologist Bear Warriors United Katrina R. Shadix, Executive Director
Broward Group, Sierra Club Leah Weisburd, Chair
Cactus Island Nursery James Freeman, Owner
Calusa Group, Sierra Club Rhonda Roff, Conservation Chair
Calusa Waterkeeper Captain Codty Pierce, Waterkeeper
Cape Coral Wildlife Trust, Inc. Lori Haus-Bulcock, Board of Directors
Center for Biological Diversity Ragan Whitlock, Staff Attorney
Coastal Plains Institute Ryan C. Means, President
Creative Environmental Solutions, Inc. George Foster, Owner
Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant Laurilee Thompson, Co-owner
Earth Ethics, Inc. Mary Gutierrez, Executive Director
Earthjustice Alisa Coe, Deputy Managing Attorney, Florida Office
Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida Becky Ayech, President
Environmental Matters Contracting & Consulting, LLC Pauline Irene Stacey, President/CEO FL
National Organization for Women (FL NOW) Debbie Deland, President
Florida Birding and Nature Festival Joe Guidry, Vice President
Florida Defenders of the Environment Jim Gross, Executive Director
Florida Ecotours Weeki Wachee LLC dba Get Up and Go Kayaking Weeki Wachee Taylor Masnjak, Owner/Operator
Florida Keys Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America Michael F. Chenoweth, President
Florida Ornithological Society Ann Paul, President
Florida Rights of Nature Network Joseph Bonasia, Chair
Florida's Right to Clean Water Capt. Karl R. Deigert, PAC Chairman
Food &Water Watch Brooke Ward, Senior Florida Organizer
Friends of Etna Turpentine Camp, Inc. Robert F. Roscow, President
Friends of Split Oak Forest Valerie Anderson, President
Friends of the Hillsborough River Phil Compton, Chair
Friends of the Pelicans, Inc. Jeanette Edwards, Founder/CEO
Friends of the Polk County Parks Foundation Marian Ryan, President
Gopher Tortoise Council Eric Sievers, Senior Co-Chair
Greater Orlando National Organization for Women (Greater Orlando NOW) Penelope Canan, Climate Justice Chair
Healthy Gulf Martha Collins, Executive Director
Homosassa River Alliance Brad Rimbey, Vice President
Humane Society of the United States Kate MacFall, FL State Director
Hundred Acre Hollows TomUnrath, President
Kissimmee Waterkeeper John Capece, Waterkeeper
Labor Community Alliance of South Florida Lorenzo Canizares, Co-Coordinator
Loxahatchee Group, Sierra Club Linda Smithe, Chair
Martin County Conservation Alliance Donna Melzer, Chair
Matanzas Riverkeeper Jen Lomberk, Esq., Executive Director & Riverkeeper
Merritt Island Wildlife Association Charlie Venuto, President Miakka Community Club Cathy Lewis, Vice President
Moms in Nature's Defense Catalina Lemaitre, Founder
National Wildlife Federation Joe Murphy, Wildlife Policy Specialist, Gulf of Mexico Program
Nature Coast Conservation, Inc. DeeVon Quirolo, President
Our Santa Fe River, Inc. Joanne Tremblay, President
People Power United Laurie Woodward Garcia, Leader
Polk Clean Energy Alliance Katherine Sutherland
Progress Florida Mark Ferrulo, Executive Director
Residents United for Rural Levy (RURL) Laura Catlow
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation James Evans, CEO
Save the Manatee Club Beth Brady, Senior Science and Conservation Associate
Sea Turtle Conservancy Stacey Gallagher, Policy Coordinator
Sierra Club Florida Susannah Randolph, Chapter Director
Speak Up Wekiva, Inc. Chuck O’Neal, President
Stone Crab Alliance Karen Dwyer, Ph.D., Co-founder
Suwannee-St. Johns Group, Sierra Club Maryvonne Devensky, Executive Committee Chair
Tampa Audubon Society Mary Keith, PhD, Conservation Chair
Thaell & Associates Property Management, LLC Cliff Thaell, Senior Partner
The Downriver Project Gil Damon, Director
The Paper Bear Inc. Arix Zalace, President and Co-Founder
Volusia-Flagler Group, Sierra Club Steve Wonderly, Chair
WWALSWatershed Coalition John S. Quarterman, Suwannee Riverkeeper
cc: Wilton Simpson, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Wilton.Simpson@fdacs.gov