Opposition By Sierra, Other Green Groups Build For State Forest Golf Course Land Swap

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) 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 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 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
Tom Unrath, 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


WWALS Watershed Coalition
John S. Quarterman, Suwannee Riverkeeper
Posted in Group Conservation Issues.