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Violation to Pine Island Developer
(Continued
from front page)
Environmental Resource Permit (ERP)
for any of the impacted area, the landowner will submit an ERP application
within 45 days, and will obtain the permit within 180 days. After
180 days, the landowner will agree to pay a stipulated penalty of
$500.00 per day for each day an approved wetland restoration plan
is not in place or an ERP is not issued addressing impacts to the
area.
-Payment of Thirty Five Thousand One Hundred Dollars ($35,100.00)
in civil penalty.
-Payment of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) in staff investigative
costs and attorney fees.
The District is authorized under Section 373.129 of the Florida Statutes
to seek civil penalties and recover costs. This civil penalty amount
was
calculated by using the United States Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) Penalty Matrix,
which the District employs for calculating all civil penalties.
Be
advised that the $35,100.00 civil penalty and $5,000.00 District cost
is proposed for the purpose of settlement. Should you choose not to
accept this proposal, the District will pursue the resolution of this
violation through the judicial process, with an increase in civil
penalties and accumulated costs."
In a previous letter to Mr. Mark White, of the South Florida Water
Management District; Phil Buchanan stated, "A few years back,
the Lee County Government also documented the environmental sensitivity
of the lake and surrounding area. The result of that documentation
was a vote by all five county commissioners to authorize the county
staff to purchase the area for use as a Conservation 20/20 nature
preserve. (Please instruct your investigators to ask Lee County for
the files labeled 20/20 nominations 165 and 166.)
Not
only was the lake very important environmentally, it was also critical
for hydrological reasons. That section of Pine Island drained into
Willow Lake. The lake filtered the nutrients and pollutants from the
runoff before the excess water overflowed via a natural spillway into
the mangroves to the west. There the water was filtered again by the
mangroves before discharge into Pine Island Sound.
(Continued on page 8)
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Randell
Research Holds Grand Opening
Photo above shows County Commissioner Ray Judah
and Dr. John Worth cutting the ribbon at the Randell Research Center's
Dec. 10th Grand Opening of its "Calusa Heritage Trail".
Despite the devastation wrought by hurricane
Charlie, RRC's staff managed to clean up the historic trails and prepare
the Pineland site for the hundreds of visitors that came to see the
descriptions and evidence of the original inhabitants of the area.
A number of local dignitaries listened to opening
remarks by Dr. Bill Marquete thanking the many contributors and contractors
who helped make the opening possible (Continued
on page 3)
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