Now Let's Really Set the Record Straight

The project proposes a narrow channel (60 feet wide) that will be a dedicated area in which small boats can travel. Boats frequently stray outside the channel.This channel will only be five feet deep and will be the only access point from land to the existing channel which is quite far away. The straight line distance from the present shore of LBP to the Inter-Coastal Waterway is over 1.5 miles. The distance to the closest "deep" water is over a half mile, but leads only NW. The balance of the 2.9 miles (hundreds of acres) of sea grass will then be designated a poll and troll area to ensure there is no further risk of prop scarring and damage. Good idea and should be done regardless. This proposal of a narrow designated boat channel is in huge contrast to the current “drive your boat anywhere you want” status quo which has drastically scarred the existing sea grass beds. In addition, remediation efforts to restore the existing damage will be done before the developer owned property is turned over to the State (How can you turn State property over to the State?) to be protected in perpetuity.

The Long Bar Pointe plan proposes an impact of less than 10% of the existing mangroves. Look at the map. It appears that approximately one-third of the mangroves will be removed and that most of the rest along the shoreline will be cut down to six feet. Mangroves will then be replanted (mitigated) at a site (that means someplace else maybe even in another county and the success rate is VERY low) where they will provide high environmental benefits. Currently the mangroves are competing with non-indigenous, nuisance species of pepper trees. These trees can keep the mangroves from developing a healthy wetland system. Part of the Long Bar Pointe project includes removal of the nuisance pepper trees allowing the mangroves to regenerate, growing stronger and denser, further protecting the shoreline from erosion and supporting the ecosystem. In our plan, a significant number of the mangroves will remain (we need more specific information about this) in their natural state and not be trimmed.

The channel is going to be 60 feet wide (last week they said 45 feet) and will simply connect an inland basin to the existing shallow channel and therefore will only accommodate small boats (how big is "small"). The proposed 5 foot channel depth will simply not accommodate yachts or other large boats. A boat with even a 3 foot draft could be quite large.

The majority of the acreage in this project is inland. It is also important to note that there is a substantial difference between water view and water front. The portion of this project that is closest to the water will still be water view because they will cut the mangroves down to a height of 6 feet . This simply means, you can see the water from where you are at, not that you are actually on it. This method of building is what will allow us to preserve a small number of the mangroves and damage its ecosystem.

The reality is that right now significant amounts of pollutants are entering the Bay and harming the sea grasses. As part of the master plan we will be creating retention basins that will intercept the existing runoff of pollutants from the surrounding agricultural sites. Most of the land will be covered by buildings, streets, parking lots, and other impermeable surfaces. Nitrogen from fertilized land, pesticides, and more form sediment and trigger algae blooms that kill sea grasses and other wildlife. The establishment of retention basins will provide a means of capturing agricultural runoff, preventing untreated pollutants from continuing to be discharged into the Bay. Yes, in the past this was farm land and chemical fertilizers were probably used. Much of that has already been leached out, but tests need to be done to see just how much if any remains and what remediation is required. Runoff will continue from lawns, vehicle-liquids, and other pollutants found in densely populated areas.

The plans would include 80 boat slips in an inland basin and would not include any “marina style” amenities such as fuel, etc. Your map indicates boat slips along the canals too, so how many do you really plan, not just in the marina?

We are only asking for an amendment to the existing Comprehensive Plan (“Comp Plan”), which is almost 30 years old. The comprehensive plan is not something that should be changed on a whim especially to satisfy the demands of two individuals in the county. A change to the Comp Plan does not mean approval of the project; it only means that we would have permission to submit our plan to the County Commissioners. At that point, in a public forum, we would be able to request review of our site plan. You know as well as we do that a comp plan change would affect the entire county not just your project. We cannot and will not allow that.

We only seek to amend the Comp Plan for items specific to the Long Bar Pointe Project and only if we can prove a positive impact on the environment. You know that isn't possible. Who do you think we are? Who told you that this would even be a possibility?

A team of expert, experienced, environmental scientists who are very familiar with our waters have been brought in to design the improvements we intend to make to the environment. Names please, so we can check their credentials. These are the same consultants the Manatee County Commissioners hired at the Port of Manatee to make sure that the dredging and replacing of sea grass that the port was required to do would not harm the environment. And they should know that the seagrass replacement was a dismal failure. These efforts won awards for their environmental preservation and mitigation. Really, what awards? From whom? They will do the same for Long Bar Pointe. That's what we are worried about. We have a REAL expert who will speak at the hearing, and he isn't even being paid unlike your "team of expert, experienced, environmental scientists".

Proper trimming of mangroves does not reduce the environmental function or values of the mangrove forest (Did you check with the Audubon Society about that?) , nor does it reduce the utilization of the mangrove system by fish or wildlife. The mangroves filter water and trap sediments at the root system. Trimming and pruning does not affect the mangroves ability to filter the water, trap sediments or provide critical fragments for the food chain. Proper mangrove trimming, and a healthy root system results in a healthy mangrove system. What do your experts say about the failure of mangroves to reproduce when they are trimmed? Also, we will be building most of the development behind the mangroves similar to the design at Long Boat Key. Have you considered other more environmentally friendly options?

Only a small section of the project, along the Bay, is in the CHH. Not according to FEMA maps. Most of that area will be filled or raised to facilitate the buildings in compliance with FEMA requirements. Conservative estimates indicate that will require 2.5 million cubic yards of fill and that is probably the primary reason you want to dredge the boat basins and canals. Accordingly, the land will effectively be removed from the CHH.

A combination of the decrease in pollutants into the Bay, the revitalization of the mangroves by cutting out the nuisance species, the replanting of sea grass, and the restriction of propeller motors through the sea grass areas, will result in a healthier sea grass bed and healthier and more vibrant ecosystem. Probably not with the runoff from a 550 acre area that has a population of 10,000 people (+ or -).