Tuesday, April 28, 2009

FP&L One Step Closer to Rock Mining in Sensitive Area: Potential Threat of Saltwater Intrusion. By Geniusofdespair

I reported this vote was coming on April 7th. Well it happened and the Planning & Zoning Advisory Board approved FP&L's rock-mining rezoning, as reported in the Miami Herald today. Go to our link to see the map I painstakingly made on where this God-awful rock-mining will occur.

I found it interesting that Homestead Air Force base thought it might be a navigational hazard, if birds are attracted to the massive water pit that Florida Power and Light wants to dig. FP&L are touting the pit as environmental. Yep, as environmental as a Lennar development.

8 comments:

JSKC said...

Do you have a link to the miami herald article?

JSKC said...

Nevermind. Here it is: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/1021029.html

Anonymous said...

No one shows up to the PAB meetings anymore, because there is no way for public comment to influence the majority of appointed commissioners who get their marching orders along with their morning coffee. Pam Gray, Commissioner Sorenson's appointee, is chair of the PAB because the special interests know they have a lock-down on the outcome of any controversial vote that comes before the board. That's democracy in action.

Anonymous said...

Gross.

Geniusofdespair said...

I am keeping my links to the Miami Herald to a minimum -- only when necessary...it doesn't seem to make them happy so why do them the favor?

Judi Kregg said...

Silly question: If airplanes hit the birds attracted to the rockpits, who is responsible? Not FPL I'm sure...

Anonymous said...

And because FPL wants to give the land to a government entity after they rock mine, if there is further salt water or other serious environmental damage, who pays for that clean up? I'm totally sure not FPL because they won't own the land after they mined it!

out of sight said...

Back a few years ago, there was a study called the Joint Land Use Study or JLUS. It actually was a county study for the benefit of the military base that was commandeered by the city of Homestead manager Curt Ivey and past-county manager Steve Shiver and various playmates. The Farm Bureau was well represented at the table with various members "protecting" their own interests. This menagerie included Losner, Richardson, farmers, Keys Gate developers, one person from the Air Force, one person from the national park and one person from the county planning and NO local commissioners from the area. 17 member county board, all representing the Homestead special interests. (ok, all but 5 or 6 people including the Air Base Commander). I always wondered why a banker and business developer were at the table discussing runway clearances with the base; their offices weren't in the flight path.

This study was supposed to help PROTECT the air base from infringement and endangerment from population growth and IMPROPER land uses. A lot of good that study did. Jam packed subdivisions are surrounding the runways everywhere around the base and now, the base is facing a newly created wetland habitat that will require more diligence on the part of pilots and staff to prevent accidents caused by birds?

What part of the Hudson River plane landing did the PAB board members miss?

Will someone please tell the commissioners that if the base goes into full closure, that they will have 4 nuclear terrorism targets and no room for their precious cargo planes to take off.

Birds would be worse in the case of a commercial runway with the nukes at the end. Cargo planes and commercial jetliners are not exactly nimble.