Item O12
Board of County Commissioners
Agenda Item Summary
Meeting Date: October 16, 2002
Sulk Item: Yes. No []
Division: Soard of County Commissioners
Department: George R. Neugent
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
Approval of a resolution of the Board of County Commissioners regarding the
Programmatic Regulations of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
and approval to send a letter to the United States Army Corps of Engineers signed by the
BOCC addressing specific concerns and support.
ITEM BACKGROUND:
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION:
CONTRACT I AGREEMENT CHANGES:
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
TOTAL COST:
~
BUDGETED: YES [] NO []
COST TO COUNTY: $
REVENUE PRODUONG: YES [] NO [] AMT PER MONTH: YEAR:
APPROVED BY: C
OMS/PURCHASING C RISK MANAGEMENT []
~.
Commissioner GEORG
DISTRICT II
DOCUMENTATION: INCLUDED. TO FOLLOW [] NOT REQUIRED []
DISPosmON:
AGENDA ITEM #
qJ_
OCT-04-02 14,41 FROM ,MONROE COUNTY ATTY OFFICE ID'3052923516
PAGE
1/2
Commissioner George Neugent
RESOlurrON NO.
-2002
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD Of COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF
MONROE COUNTY. FLORIDA CONCEANINli THE PROGRAMMATIC
RE6ULATIONS OF THE COMPReHENSIVE EVERSLADES RESTORATION
PLAN
WHEREAS; Monroe County includes the Florida Keys island chain OS well as a substantial
portion of the mainland Everglades;
WHEREAS; The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan is an $8 billion federal-state
endeavor that aims at restoring America's Everglades including Aorida Bay;
WHEREAS; Florida Bay is an aquatic nursery that provides the breeding grounds for
commercially and recreationally important fish as well as rare birds;
WHEREAS; The Florida Keys are hom~ to a $2 billion-a-year tourism economy largely based
on sportfishing and scuba diving, both dependent on clean woter and a healthy South Florida
Ecosystem;
WHEREAS; The Florida Keys are also home to natural resources of international
significance including the third-largest barrier coral reef in the world - mainland America's only
living coral ruf - three national parks, the nation's most-visited national marine sanctuary, five
national wildlife refuges, Florida's most-visited state park and the nation's largest and most
protected marine reserve;
WHEREAS; The Florida Keys are home to Florida's most valuable commercial fishery, which
in landings value regularly ranks in the top five in the country;
WHEREAS; The Programmatic Regulations are the blueprint for building and operating the
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan projects;
WHEREAS; It is in the interest of the Florida Keys - both the natural resources and the
r-esidents who depend on the tourism economy - that this blueprint provide strong guidance toward
Q healthy, restored ecosystem;
WHEREAS; Both Florida's senators have joined in a bipartisan position of Senators on th~
Programmatic Regukrtions including supporting independent scientific review and strong public
outreach efforts as well as the reinstatement of the 80/20 split of water for the natural system
and Q strong role for the Department of Interior; now, therefore
OCT-04-02 1441 FROM,MONROE COUNTY ATTY OFFICE 103052923516
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BE IT RESOLVED, THAT THE MONROE COUNTY COMMISSION hereby agrees to send
this letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers endorsing the Senators. position and calling for the
Programmatic Regulations to be strengthened 50 as to provide stronger guidance for ecosystem
restoration.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the Board of County Commissioners of Monroe County, Florida,
at a regular meeting of said Board held on the 16th day of Octo be , 2002.
Mayor McCryy
lkJyor Pro Tem Spehar
ComMissioner Nelson
Commissioner Neugent
Commissioner Jimenez
(SEAl)
"'nest: DANNY L.KOLHAGE, Clerk
BOARD OF COUNlY COMMISSIONERS
OF MONROE COUNTY, F1.0RIDA
By
By
Deputy Clerk
Mayor/Chairperson
jdrcs&erglcldes
United States Army Corps of Engineers
Attn: CESAJ-DR-R
P.O. Box 4970
Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019
To Whom It May Concern:
Monroe County, which includes much of the mainland Everglades and the island
chain of the Florida Keys, is the ultimate recipient of the South Florida ecosystem
watershed. As such, the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners, on
behalf of the citizens of the Keys, is vitally concerned with the success of the
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). We are especially
concerned that the Programmatic Regulations - the blueprint for building and
operating the projects under the Plan - be strengthened to ensure the health of
the natural resources and the success of the ecosystem restoration that was the
basis for this project's approval by Congress in 2000.
We endorse the Sept. 27, 2002, letter from Senators Bob Graham, Bill Nelson,
Jim Jeffords, Bob Smith and George Voinovich. Like the senators, we are
strongly supportive of independent scientific review as a cornerstone of CERP
and an important element in public credibility of the plan as implementation
progresses. We are also concerned with the continuation of strong public
outreach efforts, especially for the geographically isolated residents of the Florida
Keys.
As an area whose tourism and commercial fishing economy depends on clean
water and a healthy South Florida ecosystem, we are also concerned with project
assurances and water reservations. Florida Bay and the Keys coral reef
ecosystem needs the right amount of clean water at the right times. We support
the inclusion of the 80 percenU20 percent split of water benefits to ensure the
health of the natural system.
As an area with natural resources of international significance, including
mainland America's only living coral reef, three national parks, five national
wildlife refuges, 22 federally listed threatened and endangered species and
Florida's most-visited state park, we support a strong role for the Department of
Interior, steward of federal lands, in the guidance of CERP projects. Florida Bay
makes up one-third of Everglades National Park and is an important and
threatened estuary that serves as the nursery area for fish and shellfish that
support the Keys sportfishing and commercial fishing industries. The tourism
economy of the Keys is based on the health of those natural resources, for which
the Everglades and Florida Bay are the foundation. The commercial fishing
industry that regularly ranks as one of the top commercial fishing ports in the
nation in value of landings also depends on a healthy bay. As the federal steward
of the natural resources that are the basis of our economy, we strongly support a
full and meaningful role for the Department of the Interior. This role was intended
by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to be more than
mere concurrence.
The Corps has made great improvements to the Programmatic Regulations since
the first draft was released early this year. We support the continued
improvement before the Regulations final draft is released in order to ensure the
greatest possible.protections for the public that depends on a restored South
Florida ecosystem.
Sincerely,