Wednesday, 12 July 2006 01:00
Avon Park Immigrants
The city of Avon Park in central Florida is the latest community to weigh in on the illegal immigration debate. The city council is set to vote on a law that would fine landlords if they rent to undocumented workers. The measure would also make English Avon Park’s official language...and remove Spanish from all city documents, signs and automated phone messages. WGCU’s Valerie Alker has more.
Published in
WGCU News
Thursday, 06 July 2006 01:00
Babcock Sierra Challenge
An environmental back-and-forth over the future of Babcock Ranch took a new twist Wednesday. A coalition of ten environmental groups called on the Sierra Club to halt its challenge of the planned preservation and development of the 91-thousand acre ranch in Charlotte and Lee Counties.
The coalition, which includes Audubon of Florida, urges the Sierra Club to drop its legal objections. It says preservation of part of Babcock Ranch is at-risk if the deal with developer Syd Kitson falls through. The deal calls for Kitson to buy the ranch, then sell 74,000 acres of sensitive land to the state and Lee County. He would build a new city on the rest. Charlotte commissioners agreed to change their growth plan but the Sierra club challenged the changes.
The Babcock family sent a press release Wednesday that says it has an offer from another developer. It says that plan could end the opportunity for public purchase forever. No one representing the family would speak on tape.
However the President of the Peace River Audubon Society, Paul Holmes, says starting fresh may be a good thing.
“There’s only a certain amount of the property that can be built on. Kitson and partners are selling the 74,000 acres back to the state – most of it they’re selling because they can’t build on it. It’s swamp. It’s wildlife. It’s protected. It’s panther habitat. It’s lots of things. So when you have this new developer maybe he can build a small town of 7 thousand houses down in the bottom corner which is acceptable.”
The area is currently zoned for 7,000 residences. The Peace River Audubon Society, based in Punta Gorda, backs the Sierra Club. Holmes says the Kitson deal is being rushed through without enough discussion. Florida has been trying for five years to preserve the ranch to help create a natural corridor for animals connecting Lake Okeechobee to Charlotte Harbor.
-----
Ten environmental groups plan to intervene in a legal challenge by the Sierra Club. They want the club to end its fight against Charlotte County’s growth plan amendments for Babcock Ranch so that developer Syd Kitson can develop part of it.
Audubon of Florida, the Trust for Public Lands, Collier Audubon, the Florida Wildlife Federation and others think the alternative could risk the protection of the 74-thousand acres Kitson plans to sell to the state. The Babcock Florida Company admitted Wednesday it has a back-up offer, which doesn’t include public purchase.
However the Peace River Audubon Society president, Paul Holmes, who supports the Sierra Club’s protest, says Kitson’s way isn’t the only way.
““People have been lulled into this beautiful little greenways with people walking home from the baseball game and buying an ice cream. And quite frankly putting a city twice the size of Naples, 2 ½ the size of Punta Gorda in the corner of a nature reserve is from an environmentalist point of view it’s absolutely stupid.”
Babcock Ranch currently links the wildlife corridor from Charlotte Harbor to Lake Okeechobee. Holmes says State Road 31 will become another Alligator Alley in need of wire fences to keep the wildlife from getting killed. A lawyer for the Sierra Club of Florida says the challenge to scale back the size of the development could take up to ten months.
The coalition, which includes Audubon of Florida, urges the Sierra Club to drop its legal objections. It says preservation of part of Babcock Ranch is at-risk if the deal with developer Syd Kitson falls through. The deal calls for Kitson to buy the ranch, then sell 74,000 acres of sensitive land to the state and Lee County. He would build a new city on the rest. Charlotte commissioners agreed to change their growth plan but the Sierra club challenged the changes.
The Babcock family sent a press release Wednesday that says it has an offer from another developer. It says that plan could end the opportunity for public purchase forever. No one representing the family would speak on tape.
However the President of the Peace River Audubon Society, Paul Holmes, says starting fresh may be a good thing.
“There’s only a certain amount of the property that can be built on. Kitson and partners are selling the 74,000 acres back to the state – most of it they’re selling because they can’t build on it. It’s swamp. It’s wildlife. It’s protected. It’s panther habitat. It’s lots of things. So when you have this new developer maybe he can build a small town of 7 thousand houses down in the bottom corner which is acceptable.”
The area is currently zoned for 7,000 residences. The Peace River Audubon Society, based in Punta Gorda, backs the Sierra Club. Holmes says the Kitson deal is being rushed through without enough discussion. Florida has been trying for five years to preserve the ranch to help create a natural corridor for animals connecting Lake Okeechobee to Charlotte Harbor.
-----
Ten environmental groups plan to intervene in a legal challenge by the Sierra Club. They want the club to end its fight against Charlotte County’s growth plan amendments for Babcock Ranch so that developer Syd Kitson can develop part of it.
Audubon of Florida, the Trust for Public Lands, Collier Audubon, the Florida Wildlife Federation and others think the alternative could risk the protection of the 74-thousand acres Kitson plans to sell to the state. The Babcock Florida Company admitted Wednesday it has a back-up offer, which doesn’t include public purchase.
However the Peace River Audubon Society president, Paul Holmes, who supports the Sierra Club’s protest, says Kitson’s way isn’t the only way.
““People have been lulled into this beautiful little greenways with people walking home from the baseball game and buying an ice cream. And quite frankly putting a city twice the size of Naples, 2 ½ the size of Punta Gorda in the corner of a nature reserve is from an environmentalist point of view it’s absolutely stupid.”
Babcock Ranch currently links the wildlife corridor from Charlotte Harbor to Lake Okeechobee. Holmes says State Road 31 will become another Alligator Alley in need of wire fences to keep the wildlife from getting killed. A lawyer for the Sierra Club of Florida says the challenge to scale back the size of the development could take up to ten months.
Published in
WGCU News
Thursday, 06 July 2006 01:00
Construction Break-ins
Authorities in Lee County say they’re seeing a disturbing crime trend. Thieves are breaking-in to new homes and stealing appliances.
Lehigh Acres is the site of the worst break-ins. Authorities say so many homes are sprouting up in the fast-growing eastern part of the county, it’s not surprising thieves are targeting the area. Lee County Sheriff’s Sergeant Larry King says part of the problem stems from construction companies that are outfitting homes weeks before they’re ready to be sold.
“Homes that are not occupied as yet and about to be turned over to owners and then we end up someone going in and taking stoves, washers and dryers and things of that nature that have been placed.”
King spoke on Gulf Coast Live. He also blamed construction firms for relying on insurance companies to cover the losses instead of installing appliances closer to when prospective homebuyers might move in.
Lehigh Acres is the site of the worst break-ins. Authorities say so many homes are sprouting up in the fast-growing eastern part of the county, it’s not surprising thieves are targeting the area. Lee County Sheriff’s Sergeant Larry King says part of the problem stems from construction companies that are outfitting homes weeks before they’re ready to be sold.
“Homes that are not occupied as yet and about to be turned over to owners and then we end up someone going in and taking stoves, washers and dryers and things of that nature that have been placed.”
King spoke on Gulf Coast Live. He also blamed construction firms for relying on insurance companies to cover the losses instead of installing appliances closer to when prospective homebuyers might move in.
Published in
WGCU News
Wednesday, 05 July 2006 01:00
Underwater Music Festival
Scuba-diving Elvis imitators are scheduled to "perform" with a mermaid back-up singer during the quirky annual Underwater Music Festival, set for Saturday in the Keys.
As many as 600 divers and snorkelers are expected to participate in the sub-sea songfest at Looe Key Reef, an area of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary six miles south of Big Pine Key. Music is broadcast underwater via speakers suspended beneath boats positioned at the reef. Here’s a sampling from last year’s festival and coordinator Bill Becker explaining how he makes the picks.
(Music of the Beatles' "Octopus's Garden")
“I try to pick out the music that I think goes well with an underwater experience where you can snorkel and dive along and listen to music that either has a water theme or sounds really good underwater. It’s hard to tell what the fish think. I think they enjoy it. They seem to move with the music.”
The festival is designed to showcase the marine life that characterizes North America's only living contiguous coral barrier reef. The eccentric annual concert carries a serious message promoting preservation of the Florida Keys' unique coral reef ecosystem. The musical broadcast incorporates diver awareness announcements offering tips on how people can enjoy the ocean while minimizing the impact on the reef.
(Sound collected by Andy Newman)
As many as 600 divers and snorkelers are expected to participate in the sub-sea songfest at Looe Key Reef, an area of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary six miles south of Big Pine Key. Music is broadcast underwater via speakers suspended beneath boats positioned at the reef. Here’s a sampling from last year’s festival and coordinator Bill Becker explaining how he makes the picks.
(Music of the Beatles' "Octopus's Garden")
“I try to pick out the music that I think goes well with an underwater experience where you can snorkel and dive along and listen to music that either has a water theme or sounds really good underwater. It’s hard to tell what the fish think. I think they enjoy it. They seem to move with the music.”
The festival is designed to showcase the marine life that characterizes North America's only living contiguous coral barrier reef. The eccentric annual concert carries a serious message promoting preservation of the Florida Keys' unique coral reef ecosystem. The musical broadcast incorporates diver awareness announcements offering tips on how people can enjoy the ocean while minimizing the impact on the reef.
(Sound collected by Andy Newman)
Published in
WGCU News