Thursday, February 11, 2010
Important upcoming dates - Reef Rescue News
Hands Across the Sand
is coming to a beach near you - February 13
Hands Across the Sand is a statewide event organized to protest oil drilling off the Florida coastline. This is an opportunity to show opposition to oil drilling as close as 3 to 10 miles off our coast. This movement will be made of people from all walks of life and will cross political affiliations. This is not about politics it is about protection of our shoreline, our tourism, our valuable properties and our way of life.
Suggested dress - wear black to resemble an oil slick
Click here to find an organized event near you
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Court orders Florida to set limits on fertilizer and animal waste pollution in state waters – dates set for public hearing
Background - A federal judge in Tallahassee approved a historic consent decree which requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set legal limits for the widespread nutrient poisoning that triggers harmful algae blooms in Florida waters. The ruling comes 13 months after five environmental groups filed a major lawsuit to compel the federal government to set strict limits on nutrient poisoning in public waters. (Learn more about the court settlement)
The opposition is organized to fight water pollution controls
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Bronson is siding with the polluters to fight against cleaning up polluted waters. Instead of working to make the publics water cleaner and safer, Bronson is spending tax dollars to help special interests like the Florida Pulp and Paper Association and Big Agriculture block the clean water settlement. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services filed a motion to intervene in the case on the polluters side.
Show your support for water quality standards.
Meeting locations and dates:
February 16, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Capitol East
1355 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, FL 32301
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon (new session) 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
February 17, 2010 at the Crowne Plaza Orlando Universal
7800 Universal Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32819
1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (this session has been extended 1.5 hours) 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (this session will begin 30 minutes later than originally planned)
February 18, 2010 at the Holiday Inn Palm Beach Airport
1301 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. (this session will begin 1 hour earlier than originally planned) 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (this session will begin 1 hour earlier than originally planned)
Click here to signup for meeting
Meeting information: http://www.epa.gov/
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More Florida Coral in Danger of Extinction
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces decision to consider adding 7 Atlantic and 75 Pacific coral species to the Endangered Species List.
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The NMFS published their findings to proceed with a review to determine whether 82 species of coral warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The action was taken in response to a petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD). The petition asserts that the species are being affected by dredging, coastal development, coastal point source pollution, agricultural and land use practices, disease, predation, reef fishing, aquarium trade, physical damage from boats and anchors, marine debris, and aquatic invasive species. The petition contends that synergistic threats of ocean warming, ocean acidification, and other impacts affect these species, stating that immediate action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations to levels that do not jeopardize these species.
The seven species of Atlantic coral under consideration are found along the entire Florida reef tract stretching from the Dry Tortugas to Martin County and include: Mountainous Star Coral, Rough Cactus Coral, Lamarck’s Sheet Coral, Pillar Coral, Elliptical Star Coral, Boulder Star Coral and Montastraea franksi.
Deadline for public comment is April 12, 2010
NMFS has opened a 60 day public comment period to solicit information from the public, government agencies, the scientific community, industry, and any other interested parties on the status of these 82 coral species.
Click here to learn about the public comments period
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Upcoming Reef Rescue Events
March 13, Turtle Days at Gumbo Limbo Environmental Center, Boca Raton
http://gumbolimbo.org/ee/home/
May 1, Annual Kayak-a-thon Fund Raiser for Reef Rescue
http://www.kayakathon.com/
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Keep in touch with breaking news at the Reef Rescue Coral Reef Blog
Recent entries:
Juno Beach project kills endangered sea turtle
http://reefrescue.wordpress.
Coral in Florida Keys suffers lethal hit from cold
http://reefrescue.wordpress.
Feds too busy to review habitat protection for Palm Beach staghorn reefs
http://reefrescue.wordpress.
Say ‘no’ to shark fin soup campaign launches in China
http://reefrescue.wordpress.
Palm Beach County Reef Rescue
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Lake Worth Lagoon Living Shorelines Workshop - April 20, 2010
Dear Friend of Lake Worth Lagoon,
The Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative’s Habitat Working Group is pleased to announce a Living Shorelines Workshop will be held on April 20, 2010 in West Palm Beach. Living shorelines use plants and other natural materials to stabilize the shoreline, minimize coastal erosion, and maintain coastal processes while also enhancing the natural shoreline habitat for the benefit of property owners as well as fish and other wildlife.
Space is limited. Please go to http://livingshorelines.
There are two City Commission Work Sessions today - starting at 6 p.m. in the Compass Building
No action can be taken tonight. The CRA is again in the position of having to justify its successes before the City Commission. Note to Commissioner Jennings who at the last regular City Commission talked about the city going bankrupt, what have you done to encourage investment in our community? Why lash out at the very agency that is making the most of multiple opportunities for sustainable redevelopment? Also realize that nothing is sustainable if it cannot survive economically. Looking at another potential double digit percentage decrease in our property values next fiscal year, we really need to find ways to responsibly redevelop our vacant and under-utilized lands. Limiting redevelopment to 3 stories with required public benefits amounts to a defacto moratorium. The following paragraph is a poignant reminder about the importance of re-investment in our community.
They say a picture says a thousand words...
If you have time, I encourage you to read all of the responses. They can be a bit dry, given all the boilerplate qualification forms of the architectural firms, their personnel, representative projects and sub-contractors. But they do a good job showing that we were able to get a well-qualified group to respond. It's also important to realize that, given the fact that this is a RFQ rather than a RFP, price is not discussed. In fact, my concern about this process is that it raises expectations that the project is actually financially feasible - which to this point in time no one has really proven that it is. I am also concerned that, again, the beach may be used as a distraction from the city's real problems and become window dressing for the two campaigns that will follow later this year.
With financing in mind, it would be good to concentrate our efforts on an approach that lends itself to grant funding from either a historic preservation or a green building perspective. There are some approaches that I think would be fundable, given the parameters of a grant program. The ones that provide a 1920s-esque facade only fall short of that mark.
Don't forget that the City Commission will be hearing presentations from all the respondents this coming Saturday at CITY HALL. It's an all day affair. Given the importance of this project, I hope the city is making some effort to videotape the entire proceeding so that those who cannot attend can view what went on at a later time. I think we have the technology for this.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
This is a mistake...again from the City Manager's 2/5 report:
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
At the January 26, 2010 Commission Workshop, the City Commission discussed the
division of the Historic Resources Preservation Board from the Planning and Zoning
Board and requested that Staff present the item at a March Commission meeting.
Staff has begun the work to re-write the Historic Preservation Ordinance to amend
the Zoning Code and create the new board. Further updates will be reported as
further progress is made.
At the January 26, 2010 Commission Workshop, the City Commission discussed the
division of the Historic Resources Preservation Board from the Planning and Zoning
Board and requested that Staff present the item at a March Commission meeting.
Staff has begun the work to re-write the Historic Preservation Ordinance to amend
the Zoning Code and create the new board. Further updates will be reported as
further progress is made.
From the 2/5 "re-instated" City Manager's Report
CASINO UPDATE
The City of Lake Worth will be hosting a Special Meeting on February 13, 2010, to
hear presentations from all of the firms that submitted responses to the Casino
RFQ. The Meeting will last from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm; during this meeting we will
hear from 14 different architectural/engineering firms. The firms will explain their
proposed project teams, describe their conceptual drawing of the casino site, and
answer City Commission questions. This will be a public meeting, and will be a great
opportunity for residents to get a “first glance” at the future of the Lake Worth Municipal
Casino Building. Below is a schedule of presentation times.
Casino Rehabilitation Presentation - Special Meeting
8:00 – 8:30 Arrivals
8:30 – 9:00 REG Architects
9:00 – 9:30 Architectural Dimensions p.a.
9:30 – 10:00 Donaldson Group
10:00 – 10:30 Break/catch up
10:30 – 11:00 Bessolo
11:00 – 11:30 Beilinson Gomez
11:30 – 12:00 Living Designs Group
12:00 – 12:30 West Architecture
12:30 – 1:00 Gestalt
1:00 – 2:00 lunch
2:00 – 2:30 David Godwin
2:30 – 3:00 RS Architects
3:00 – 3:30 Slattery & Associates
3:30 – 4:00 Zeidler
4:00 – 4:30 BRPH
4:30 – 5:00 Song + Associates
The City of Lake Worth will be hosting a Special Meeting on February 13, 2010, to
hear presentations from all of the firms that submitted responses to the Casino
RFQ. The Meeting will last from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm; during this meeting we will
hear from 14 different architectural/engineering firms. The firms will explain their
proposed project teams, describe their conceptual drawing of the casino site, and
answer City Commission questions. This will be a public meeting, and will be a great
opportunity for residents to get a “first glance” at the future of the Lake Worth Municipal
Casino Building. Below is a schedule of presentation times.
Casino Rehabilitation Presentation - Special Meeting
8:00 – 8:30 Arrivals
8:30 – 9:00 REG Architects
9:00 – 9:30 Architectural Dimensions p.a.
9:30 – 10:00 Donaldson Group
10:00 – 10:30 Break/catch up
10:30 – 11:00 Bessolo
11:00 – 11:30 Beilinson Gomez
11:30 – 12:00 Living Designs Group
12:00 – 12:30 West Architecture
12:30 – 1:00 Gestalt
1:00 – 2:00 lunch
2:00 – 2:30 David Godwin
2:30 – 3:00 RS Architects
3:00 – 3:30 Slattery & Associates
3:30 – 4:00 Zeidler
4:00 – 4:30 BRPH
4:30 – 5:00 Song + Associates
West Architecture rendering included in the RFQ response re Casino building
This is a Lake Worth firm.
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