Tomorrrow: Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council (TCRPC) meets. Come out and meet the legend: Drew Martin.

All of you know who Mr. Drew Martin is. He’s a living legend (FYI: the Herbert Hoover Dike was a big topic of discussion at the TCRPC, see below).

However, have you ever had the chance to meet Mr. Martin from the Loxahatchee Sierra Club in person? Maybe take a selfie with him and get an autograph as well? You’ll have your chance tomorrow at the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council (TCRPC). The TCRPC is located at:

• Wolf High Technology Center.
• Address: Indian River State College (Chastain Campus), 2400 SE Salerno Road, Stuart.
• Meeting starts at 9:30.
• For more information call 772-221-4060.

UPDATE!

Drew Martin got published in The Palm Beach Post AGAIN! He writes about the Cape Sabal Seaside Sparrow this time. His legendary streak of published Letters to the Editor and the nearly monthly “Point of View” in the editorial section by Mr. Martin are unparalleled in modern newspaper publishing. Inexplicably, however, Mr. Martin DID NOT make the Broward/Palm Beach New Times’ list of the “19 Best Environmentalists in South Florida”.

How is that even possible?

From the TCRPC meeting in June, on an east/west trolley system in Palm Beach County, Mr. Martin and myself are in complete agreement:

“He [Drew Martin from the Loxahatchee Sierra Club] stated he also attended the mobility conference in West Palm Beach and felt it was well done. He stated there was talk about public transportation and getting people out of their cars, but it was limited to I-95 and downtown West Palm Beach. He stated what we need to look at is some sort of trolley system that will run all the way out to the Village of Royal Palm Beach, because there really is no east/west public transportation. He also noted there was an interesting proposal to have air-conditioned train stations for the public to encourage more use of public transportation.”
—From the “Minutes of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council” meeting on June 16th, 2017, p. 10.

Use this link for the TCRPC list of meetings and agendas, past and present.

However, also at the TCRPC meeting last month Mr. Martin made this public comment:

He [Martin] indicated he attended an Oceans Forum presentation by the Nature Conservancy that showed the value of the reefs off Palm Beach County are particularly significant, because of their huge economic value. He noted another thing that is damaging the reefs is the use of sunscreen.

Not exactly sure what Martin is suggesting. That the public stop using sunscreen? Develop a line of alternative products with different formulas? Maybe we’ll get more information at the next meeting of the TCRPC.

Anyhow, another big topic of discussion at last month’s meeting was about the Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee and these lines stood out:

He [Chairman, Martin County Commissioner Smith] stated one of the concerns is Palm Beach County getting their National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) accreditation, because the [Herbert Hoover] dike is not fixed. He stated the focus needs to be on the section between the Cities of Pahokee and Lake Port, because that will alleviate the accreditation issue for Palm Beach County and Hendry County on the west side. Ms. [Michelle Oyola] McGovern [Sen. Bill Nelson’s Dir. of Outreach] stated they remain in touch with FEMA* and the ACOE† to make sure the moment the dike can be certified it will get done.

Lake Okeechobee and a sobering read:
The Lloyd’s of London “Emerging Risks Team Report”.

Quote by Melissa Meeker‡, “To say that the reservoir [south of Lake Okeechobee] will save the Everglades and prevent coastal discharges is wishful thinking that can’t be backed by science.”

*FEMA  =  Federal Emergency Management Agency. “The agency’s primary purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States and that overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities.”
†ACOE  =  Army Corps of Engineeers. The corps’ mission is to “Deliver vital public and military engineering services; partnering in peace and war to strengthen our Nation’s security, energize the economy and reduce risks from disasters.”
‡CEO, Water Environment & Reuse Foundation and former executive director, governing board member of South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).