From the Desk of Commissioner Doug St.Cerny

 

 

The devastating water releases from Lake Okeechobee have forced our Lee County Commission to take the lead and become very pro-active in combating this issue which effects the quality of our life, our fisheries, our tourism and our economy.  Presently Lee County, in partnership and with the support of Sanibel is prepared to take drastic action to stop these excessive flows.

 

The nutrient laden outflow from Lake Okeechobee, at the current pace the Army Corp of Engineers has allowed,  is damaging the delicate balance of our estuaries and the chain of life that flows from them.

 

I have a long history with the Army Corp of Engineers that began when I became the liaison to the university from the County Board of Commissioners, a position that I hold to this day,  working to get our Florida Gulf Coast University permitted in Lee County.

 

The Corp keeps other official bodies off-balance while they rotate the colonels about every three years.  That is where we are presently, a new colonel has just taken his post, so dialogue has again been re-initiated. Anyone who understands permitting for large projects, understands it takes at least two years to work through the process and by the time you have resolved all the issues, yet another new colonel is appointed and the dialogue must begin again.  That was the challenge that I faced in getting the permits to build Florida Gulf Coast University.

 

Founding President Roy McTarnaghan has published his book entitled, On Task, On Time, that describes step by step this grueling process that he and I traveled together, to get a university built!

 

By the time Florida Gulf Coast University was permitted and construction begun, we had gone through three colonels!

 

We had to really put the heat on the Army Corp and South Florida Water Management to accomplish the building of the university. 

 

We were as patient as we could be, but after a time our patience ran out…….Southwest Florida deserved to have our university and Federal bureaucrats had stalled the process.

 

We lived through that and today we have an outstanding university with an enrollment of over 8,000 students.

 

We were patient and it paid off, we have a four year state university to show for it.

 

HOWEVER, THE DEVASTATING WATER RELEASES FROM LAKE OKEECHOBEE ARE QUITE A DIFFERENT STORY.  OUR PATIENCE HAS RUN IT’S COURSE!  OUR QUALITY OF LIFE AND THE DELICATE BALANCE OF OUR ECONOMY DEPEND ON THE QUALITY OF OUR RIVER, ESTUARIES AND BAYS. 

 

WE HAVE TWO ALTERNATIVES; THEY MUST STOP THE EXCESSIVE HARMFUL RELEASES THAT CREATES THE DELETERIOUS EFFECT ON OUR ESTUARIES AND BAYS OR IN THE ALTERNATIVE WE MUST RESOLVE THE ISSUE IN FEDERAL COURT.  THE COUNTY ATTORNEY IS WORKING WITH A MAJOR LAW FIRM IN WASHINGTON, D.C. AS WE SPEAK LAYING THE GROUNDWORK TO FILE A FEDERAL LAW SUIT.

 

 

(8-18-2006)