Despite concerns raised by Ancient Islands Sierra and other critics of the move, the Polk County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to allow nearly 500 new residences in the Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern.
The issue was raised by County Commissioner Neil Combee on behalf of some fellow Green Swamp property owners, who said they were facing problems as a result of historic surveying errors.
Specifically, although a section of land is supposed to contain 640 acres, some contain less, which affects the true area of lots that are typically described as a portion of a portion of a section.
The fix will be accomplished by fudging the density requirements by allowing property owners to claim county right of way adjacent to their property when that’s enough to give them the full 10 or 20 acres they need to get a building permit, said county planner Erik Peterson.
Marian Ryan, conservation chair for Ancient Islands Group of Florida Sierra, testified that this violates the densities laid out in the1992 Green Swamp Task Force report that was part of an effort to resolve disputes between Polk County and the Florida Department of Community Affairs, which at the time was in charge of overseeing both the Areas of Critical State Concern and enforcement of Florida’s landmark 1985 growth management law.

The disputes, which continued for years, made Polk County the last major Florida county to have an approved growth plan. Approval of development regulations to implement the plan also lagged by several years.
The Florida Department of Community Affairs was abolished by former Gov. Rick Scott and today all growth and critical areas reviews are assigned to an office with the Florida Department of Commerce.
Ryan said department staff members were unresponsive to her inquiries.
Peterson, who presented the case Tuesday, said he was able to contact department officials and to convince them that the change would be inconsequential.
Ryan countered that this was simply another step in a long-running effort by Polk County officials to weaken state-imposed restrictions on development in the Green Swamp, which they have opposed to some extent ever since they were enacted in the 1970s.

The rare flora and fauna of the Lake Wales Ridge will get more protection thanks to a vote Tuesday by the Polk County Commission to approve a $24 million purchase of 1,225 acres on both sides of Masterpiece Road near Lake Wales.
The property is being purchased from Alcoma Properties and UPCO.
The purchases will occur over three years to allow county staff to seek matching funds from other financial sources to stretch the tax dollars.
It is the first purchase that has been made under the program that was approved as the result of a citizen-initiated referendum approved in 2022 to renew a land- purchase program originally approved by a citizen-led referendum in 1994.

The successful plea for levying .20 of a mill in the 2022 referendum to renew funding for Polk County’s Enviornmental Lands Program appears to be paying off.
On Tuesday the Polk County Commission is scheduled to consider a series of purchases involving 1,225 acres along Masterpiece Road north of Lake Wales over the next three years for $24 million. Grants funds are expected to be used to cover part of the purchase price, according to county officials
The property is owned by Alcoma Properties and UPCO, which are Lake Wales-based agricultural businesses.
The parcels involved in the deal involve a collection of uplands on both sides of the road. south of Lake Pierce Ranchettes and the former Masterpiece Gardens.
When Polk County’s Technical Advisory Group visited the property in March. they noted that it contained a number of rare plant species, particularly one called Pseudoziziphus, one of the rarest species on the Lake Wales Ridge.
The Lake Wales Ridge is a mosaic of uplands in Polk and Highlands counties that contains a number of plant and animal species found nowhere else on the planet
The acquisition, preservation and management of the remaining undeveloped properties along the Lake Wales Ridge has been a high priority for conservationists.
The Lake Wales Ridge contains the only national wildlife refuge devoted to the protection of rare plants.
The site also is home to uncommon animals such as gopher tortoises, sand skinks and crested caracara. Florida panthers have been reported on the property.

Following the completion of the purchases. county officials will hold public meetings to get input on how the property should be managed and what recreational opportunities could be available.

There are no interesting referendums on the Polk County ballot this year but there are in some nearby counties.
Lake County voters are being asked to approve a $50 million bond issue using existing tax revenues to preserve what’s left of its natural lands from the onslaught of development-fueled municipal annexations.
Osceola County voters will be asked to renew authorization for a tax approved 20 years ago to continue to buy and manage environmental lands.
In Orange County the referendums become more interesting and controversial.
One, if approved, would require a supermajority vote to increase intensity or density in designated rural areas. This one plays against the background of what was a proposed annexation by Orlando of the Deseret Ranch property that would have essentially extended Orange County’s urban growth boundary to the Brevard County line. That idea, whose intent may have been a pre-emptive strike against the potential passage of the referendum, has been scrapped for now.
Another referendum asks voters if they agree it should require a supermajority vote of the County Commission to dispose of or to change the approved land use of local conservation lands.
Finally, still another referendum asks voters what they think of the idea of requiring a fiscal sustainability analysis before the County Commission expands the urban growth boundary deeper into rural areas.
These proposed charter amendments were proposed ty Orange’s latest charter review committee.
That is quite a contrast from charter review committees in Polk that are composed of people intent on protecting the status quo, not challenging it.

I’ve been reading stories about flooding complaints in the usual flood-prone areas around the Lakeland areas.
One thing that struck me was the claim that the flooding is unprecedented.
There is no question that the water damage is pretty serious for residents who live in these flooded communities, but things have been worse in some places in the past. during hurricanes and wet El Nino years.
As I was reviewing the data following Hurricane Ian in 2022 and along the Peace River anyway, there was no comparison.
Peace River flow at Bartow,, which appears to be close to peaking, was 1,560 cubic feet per second on Friday. In October 2022 it topped 4,000 cfs.
Downstream om Arcadia , where the river has yet to peak, the flow Friday was 6200 cfs . In 2022 it topped 50,000 cfs.
Stay safe.

Hurricane damage has caused the closing of a number of environmental recreation sites. according to the latest updates.
The announced closings with no planned reopenings are:

Alafia River Reserve
Bone Valley ATV Park
Circle B Bar Reserve
Gator Creek Reserve
Lake Hancock Boat Ramp
Lakeland Highland Scrub
Loyce E. Harpe Park
Panther Point Trail
Peace River Canoe Launch
Peace River Hammock
Sherwood L. Stokes Preserve
Walker Road Park
All Stormwater Sites

No information has been released on Sumica or North Walkiinwater or Bellini Preserve.

Bok Tower Gardens is scheduled to reopen Tuesday.

The U.S. Enviornmental Protection Agency has given Mosaic the go-ahead to incorporate a radioactive fertilizer waste called phosphogypsum into some roads that will be constructed on the phosphate corporation’s property at its New Wales plant south of Mulberry, The Hill reports.
This issue, which had been discussed for decades, came before the Florida Legislature last year and legislators approved a bill directing the Florida Department of Transportation to study the feasibility.
The FDOT study concluded more study was necessary.
The issue is that the waste contains radium, which produces radon. a gas that has been linked to greater risk of lung cancer through indoor exposure. There is no. ambient air standard for radon.
The waste was used to build a road west of Fort Meade decades ago when the idea first was discussed seriously. Follow-up studies reportedly found no environmental of health problems.
The article quoted EPA officials as saying the Mosaic decision should not be interpreted to mean other approvals are forthcoming.
This issue has arisen because Mosaic and other U.S. phosphate companies are required to pile the waste in stacks the size of small hills and monitor them forever at some expense.
One of the unanswered questions is, even if the waste’s use was authorized whether there would be enough demand to significantly reduce the size of the stacks, which continue to grow as phosphate mining and fertilizer manufacturing continue to add material to the stacks.