Complete FLORIDA TODAY coverage delivered to your door. Subscribe now.

Oct 22, 6:08 PM

Saving what's left

FLORIDA TODAY Readers

Saving lands will cost no more

A "yes" vote on the Environmentally Endangered Lands and Water Areas Bond Referendum on Nov. 2 is a vote in favor of increasing the quality of life in Brevard County.

Passing the EELs referendum will not increase our taxes, but will allow the funds now being spent on the voter-approved Beach and Riverfront Preservation Program to be switched over to purchase of other irreplaceable natural areas.

Approval will let the successful EELs program purchase and conserve environmentally important wetlands, coastal scrub and old-growth maritime hammocks.

If lost to development, they are gone forever.

This program buys these endangered habitats from willing sellers, and manages these lands with the help of volunteers, to provide outdoor recreation and environmental education opportunities for Brevard.

Many of these conservation lands help the Indian River Lagoon by enhancing water quality, providing public access to the estuary and enriching sportfish populations and the lagoon's unmatched biodiversity.

Vote "yes" on Referendum 2 and keep Brevard the unique place we are proud to call home.

Troy Rice
Rockledge

Benefits of preservation go beyond present day

Preserving our natural areas has far-reaching effects not only on the quality of life we enjoy on the Space Coast, but also on preservation of assets for future generations.

Our grandchildren will thank us in the years to come if we take action to ensure our water recharge areas are protected, enhancing the important resurgence of the Indian River Lagoon and providing for green space as an integral aspect of smart growth.

The mission of the Brevard Nature Alliance, for which I take this stand, is to protect our natural and environmental resources in Brevard County.

We accomplish this through education programs targeting smart-growth issues and natural-resource preservation. We assist in needs, assessments and strategic planning in both these areas and join with organizations that are stakeholders in the future of the Space Coast.

We strongly urge that Brevard County voters consider the importance of the Environmentally Endangered Lands Bond Referendum, which is Referendum 2, as they complete their ballots on Nov. 2.

Ron ThorstadChairmanBrevard Nature Alliance
Titusville

Preserving land saves, doesn't cost, taxes

A recent letter writer said "taking property off the tax rolls automatically increases taxes for everyone else, due to the reduction in the tax base."

Although many parrot his claim, it's simply another myth.

The distortions of the pro-development crowd range from portraying anyone who doesn't agree with them as a "tree/manatee/scrubjay hugger" to inventing financial relationships that don't exist.

Despite their claims, growth does not pay for itself. It makes taxes go up due to increased need for services.

Developers can't dispute this, so they shift the blame by repeating the mantra that "government doesn't manage its funds properly."

Developers' claims should be taken no more seriously than anything said by a used-car salesman.

There are management costs associated with publicly held land, but no park ever made a school go over capacity.

That's why I urge people to vote "yes" on Brevard County Referendum 2, supporting the Environmentally Endangered Lands program and our quality of life.

Tim Kozusko
Melbourne Beach

Tax base less vital than quality of life

"Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize that we can't eat money."

That proverb from the Cree nation is appropriate as the argument over the Environmentally Endangered Lands referendum continues.

A recent letter writer cared only about the tax base. Apparently, he approves of the current development methods of clear-cutting property and building high-rise condos, simply to obtain more tax revenue.

It does not seem to matter to such a mentality that clear-cutting property displaces and kills wildlife or that the uncleared land was important as a wetland for filtering run-off, or that every last tree is destroyed merely because it annoys the developers to have to work around them.

The environment was what made this state a desirable place to live.

Vote "yes" on the Environmentally Endangered Lands referendum on Nov. 2.

Dawn Meyer
Cape Canaveral