I was invited to Biscayne National Park's 40th Anniversary (for $150 per person). Not going unless you guys out there want to send me some money.I ALWAYS look at the sponsors of these events. I found two troubling or amusing sponsors (depending on how you want to look at it). White and Case is the law firm of choice for rock miners along the fringe of Everglades National Park. They might also be representing the rock mining near Biscayne National Park. The intensive rock mining so close to the National Park poses a threat to the park (and our water supply).
U.S. Century Bank is the bank controlled by developers who are always hot to trot developments on the other side of the Urban Development Boundary...also endangering Everglades National Park. We have a file entry on U.S. Century Bank if you want to know more about them.
These two entities can throw all the money they want at either National Park: It doesn't make them National Park supporters!
9 comments:
Yes, it is kind of pathetic that the national parks are actually sponsored by corporate entities and executives who have thrived by pushing the edge of the law into the ground and grinding it with their heels.
US Century, the bank you should not deposit with.
us century: founded by crooks.
Boycott US Century.
The most unethical among us will always polish their image with philanthropy. They hope the well-advertised "good" will stick in the public mind while their back room sleeze barely gets a mention. It's not so different when neighbors say of the mass murdered, "but he is such a nice guy". The cherry on top is that the businesses get to deduct it from income taxes. Which would you rather do, pay taxes or make a few corporate sponsorships and get tax-free "good will"?
At least, the National Parks Foundation has some smart people who can't be bought by a donation on the Board of Directors. And they are doing 3 days of events, some of which are free.
During the recent Palmetto Bay Village Center expansion hearings, the Everglades Foundation, which is housed in the center sat there and let Scott Silver, the owner/developer, draw plans on the wetlands right outside their lovely Foundation office overlooking the mangroves and Biscayne National Park. They were very impressive environmentalists. NOT.
The Everglades Foundation group left it up to a couple of neighborhood non-hockey moms to defend the wetlands. Duh. The Everglades Foundation ought to be ashamed. (Of course, this particular group was too busy sneaking meetings with Crist and Big Sugar to protect the wetlands outside on the property they work at daily)
Yup. Century Builders or not, I will take the National Parks Foundation over the Everglades Foundation, any day. I trust in the National Parks Foundation board not to be so dumb with century/evil ones when it counts.
And note -- the Palmetto Bay Village Council, without need of any large presence or protest, said no to any development in the wet lands area.
Isn't there a White and Case prominent lawyer on the board of National Parks Foundation?
That is not true.
The council did that AFTER DERM put the city on notice about a possible lawsuit. There is a letter that was written prior to the hearing.
You may as well mention, that the village council removed ALL the deed protections for the surrounding community, without notifying the community of the fact that they were doing that.
It is a shame that Scott Silver also offered to place that fire station on protected hammock or wetlands... not much generosity there. And the village council went right along with it.
Don't discount the petitions that were turned in... It was well over a hundred petitions and they WERE collected from the adjacent property owners.
I guess it was for the public good that the village council took 2 acres of land 2 months before hearing?
I seriously hope that the horses next door do not mind the looming library and lights at night while they are trying to sleep. OR is that a plan (a 2+ story building about 25 feet from the property line?)to help the next door neighbors move before they are ready?
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