Miami Dade should be honored by the recent Ken Burns' documentary on America's National Parks and the simultaneous release of a new PBS documentary featuring the creation of Big Cypress National Preserve. The Everglades features prominently in both, including the formation of Biscayne National Park: both treasures distinguish the county as the only in the nation to border two national parks.Yet the county commission did not even lift its voice in appreciation. Instead, it is advancing two hair-brained schemes as though in spite: one, to create a playground for off-road vehicles (ORV's) and another, to rock/gas/oil mine, in the middle of the historic Everglades. Forty years ago, it took an enormous effort from citizens to the White House to protect this area; stories featuring the significant civic contributions of passionate volunteers against very wealthy special interests. A recent state-wide public opinion poll conducted by the Everglades Foundation showed overwhelming public support for restoration of the fabled Everglades.
Does anyone really believe that there is a point to fighting the same battles over and over again, over unsustainable and damaging uses to the Everglades?
Here is the article in Miami Today on the hair-brained scheme for mining:
MINING FOR MONEY: Miami-Dade is looking to enter the mining business. Commissioners voted at an Airport and Seaport Committee meeting last week to allow Miami-Dade Aviation to negotiate an agreement with Collier Resources Co. and any others who hold mineral rights to land at Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, which the county owns and operates. Collier Resources owns about 70% of the mineral rights there. An agreement would clear the county for petroleum and mineral exploration and production. The county is looking to generate revenue from exploring and producing oil and gas. Projections show Miami-Dade could earn up to $7 million annually over 20 years, plus up to $5 million over the next decade through related endeavors. The full commission is to consider the legislation Nov. 3, and will also have final approval of any agreements that result. Here is county legislative text.
26 comments:
HOLY SHIT!
ARE THEY NUTS...ARE THEY OUT OF THEIR MINDS?
Why am I still surprised. When I saw where this was I was shocked!!
Didn't this same company try to blast for oil in Big Cypress in 2006?
I read that in 2002 the federal government agreed to spend $235 million to buy out the mineral rights COLLIER owns:
At a press conference in Washington DC, President George W. Bush and his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, announced the administration's plans to acquire the mineral rights under Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and Ten Thousand Islands NWR - all located within the historic expanse of the Florida Everglades - from Collier Resources Company.
LOOKS LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT MIAMI DADE COUNTY TOO!
I read in Miami Today that the mining issue goes before the County Commission on November 3rd.
My father-in-law was the Assistant Director of the Department of Interior Parks when the jet port was being planned. He fought for the preservation of the Everglades on behalf of the Federal Government and the people. Sadly he has passed away, but I know in my heart what Harry would think.
If the county, state and the feds had gotten stopped their continuous foot dragging and bickering this would not be an issue. There were NUMEROUS options given for parks over the past 6 years...none of them as damaging or as stupid as this plan.
Miami Dade County elected officials should be flogged for their blatant disregard for conservation of natural lands.
They gave the world the Marlins and the tunnel and then they take away God's own lands. SHAME on them and the nitwits from Collier county.
This is a great election year to vote ONLY for officials who understand that our special environmental elements in South Florida are the only thing that draws tourists and that there isn't much left unsullied.
VOTE new officials in AND immediately recall them out, if they don't get the message.
If the Federal Government did purchase the mineral rights under big cypress and this property is in Big Cypress, then wouldn't the Federal Government control the mineral right...how does Collier think they still have any?
Miami Dade County and Miami sold their souls to the Marlins - everything they do now is to round up enough money for that stadium - no matter the cost. They've already proposed gambling at the airport, now this. Is there someone in County Hall actually in charge of proposing these schemes? They have no shame.
Hey folks,
A few comments:
+ The federal government never followed through on their intent to purchase the mineral rights in Big Cypress. An agreement was negotiated with the Colliers, but funding was never appropriated by Congress. Thus, the Colliers own mineral rights throughout Big Cypress, as does the Miami-Dade Airport Authority, around the jetport.
+ Neither Collier Resources nor Collier Enterprises have an agreement to do any work with Miami-Dade at this time. The Commission may be voting to APPROACH the company to consider some kind of joint-agreement, but no such agreement exists today. The County is not yet in any kind of negotiations with Collier. It appears the Commission is hoping to pursue such a relationship.
+ Collier Resources is and has been extracting oil out of the Big Cypress at their Raccoon Point field for decades. This is just north of the Tamiami Trail. They have eight active wells that produce roughly 775,000 barrels of oil annually. Two pipelines totaling 28 miles carry the crude oil out of the Preserve to distribution points elsewhere.
+ Our organization, the Everglades Foundation, just completed a statewide opinion poll of registered voters and found very intense support for Everglades Restoration across the state. The support for the Everglades is very bi-partisan and crosses all demographic groups.
Feel free to check this out on our website: www.evergladesfoundation.org
I hope this information is helpful!
Kirk Fordham
Everglades Foundation
Thanks Kirk, good information. We appreciate you educating us, and we are thankful for all the work the Everglades Foundation does.
The loser commissioners don't have the balls to cut the budget so instead they are going to enter into SHORT SIGHTED bad deals wherever they can find one. Why don't they disband that bogus VNS travel agency and save the money that way.
Learn more about mineral rights and some of the consequences by going here:
http://www.splitestate.com/
You will find it very interesting.
The Colliers and Aviation have been talking for months.
Kirk: you are wrong on one thing, I know that they are/have been in contact.
Wasn't this the plot of Carl Hiaasen's recently published book "Scat"?
We've got motivated bloggers...the Internet can shine a light on the nonsense.
"showed overwhelming public support for restoration of the fabled Everglades."
There's also public support for universal health care.
Michael Moore was right that democracy can trump capitalism but it's not Obama that's the answer. I think the Internet will help organize.
Or we'll all be addicted to Facebook quizzes. We'll see.
Is this to make money for the money losing Miami International Airport? Who is the point person for these negotiations at the County. Someone should do a public records request
Some additional information to add to the discussion:
There is oil drilling going on in that area already because the Colliers retained mineral rights in the area. The Aviation Department is looking to extend the current extraction activity onto the property at the touch-and-go airport out at the edge of the County.
Aviation is indeed looking for additional funding opportunities to make up for a huge future deficit and they're trying to avoid imposing it on the airlines. Remember, no taxpayer funds go to the operation of MIA or the general aviation airports - it all comes from rent from store operators in MIA and leases to flight schools and such, with the biggest contributor being landing fees of the tenant airlines. If the fees go too high, carriers start dropping their gates and we have fewer flying options.
There are other funding streams like leasing farmland at Homestead General and now this nutty idea of gambling and horse racing at MIA, but that's just a tiny sliver of the total.
Aviation is also supporting a proposal by Miami-Dade Parks to allow off-road vehicles at the Dade Collier airport too, but the income stream from renting to Parks isn't expected to bring in any real money to Aviation.
They need revenue and there's a ton of pressure to find it. If you want the Commission to say no to $7 million a year to plug that hole, you'd better start writing letters by the thousands.
What's next for Miami Dade County to make up for years of mismanagement and corruption that has resulted in loss of millions in taxpayer funds? How should the community pay for these "mistakes?" Why not sell off all its public assets? Selling off Crandon Park for Hotels? Matheson Hammock for a housing development? Auction all the library books on Ebay?
Careful! Don't give them anymore ideas. It really seems like they will do anything. In other countries people are illegially logging in protected areas. Maybe we need to do just the opposite-- Begin a rebellion for pretecting the lands.
Perhaps they could sell off the Miami-Dade County Commission Chambers to Ringling Brothers. It's already a circus.
The Ken Burns film that aired a few weeks ago profiled individual Americans who played an instrumental role in the creation and designation of our national parks. In the 1960s, similar passionate individuals, particularly sports-men and -women, fought to create Big Cypress National Preserve to protect the beautiful cypress swamp from an impending airport and urban development. Unfortunately, this protected area remains at risk today, as Miami-Dade County seeks to destroy precious lands near our treasured preserve. It is a shortsighted perspective for the county to look at the small portion of Big Cypress Swamp that the county owns as a means for profit, rather than consider the unique and fragile ecosystem that will be jeopardized.
The National Parks Conservation Association calls upon Miami-Dade County to pull back their attempts to mine rock from the middle of the Big Cypress. We ask that the residents of Miami-Dade County, and all of the heroic individuals that supported the creation of Big Cypress National Preserve, tell the commissioners that it is not acceptable to harm our natural wonders for monetary, short-lived gain. We must work to ensure the places Americans love remain protected for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.
John Adornato III
Sun Coast Regional Director
National Parks Conservation Association
I never did understand how any state or local authority could screw with a national park. It doesn't make sense to me. I am so tired of things not making basic, common sense.
There are dozen’s of reasons that this is hair brained idea.
Three top reasons include:
1. Transportation issues: To move rock from the jet port site will require constant year around heavy equipment moving along the Tamiami Trail precisely at the same time that the Park and Corps are working to turn the Trail into something like a scenic route into the Everglades.
2. Wetland’s loss: This is sensitive wetlands habitat. Destroying thousands of acres of wetlands in the middle of the Everglades Ecosystem is a colossally bad idea in terms of its impact on wildlife and all wetlands functions.
3. Seepage: Enlarging the lakes will result in seepage of fresh water away from the surrounding wetlands adversely impacting those wetlands, even if they are not directly cleared by the mining activities.
It used to be said that jazz was the only truly American art form. That's no longer true, for we now have greed plus stupidity as a great American "art." How fortunate for SFL that some of the foremost masters of this discipline are right here!
I find the idea of mining in Big Cypress as a repulsive and abhorrent activity driven by panic because Miami Dade County Commissioners can't seem to handle money effectively ! Thus, they resort to utterly stupid means of rectifying the budget gaps rather than following through on their own recommendations to rectify fund shortages through enforcement of cutbacks. Doesn't anyone on the Commission have the self-discipline to be prudent with public funds...I think not, with the possible exception of Carlos Gimenez (the budgetary "angel" of the county commission)!.
Unfortunately, the elimination of this jetport coincided with the nadir of America as a technological power ... and is a sad precursor to the slow and inevitable decline of this country ... from supersonic jets to the snail darter and now Al Gore. How low can you go? Back to bicycles is guess.
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