Help Stop the Destruction of the Agricultural Reserve

On Tuesday, March 24, the Palm Beach County Commissioners will hold the final workshop on allowing increased residential and commercial development in the Agricultural Reserve. A large turnout of public speakers is critical for this final hearing in a year-long series. (A final vote could take place at any time following this workshop.)

Watch this quick 5-minute film on the Ag Reserve, made by local citizens.

Sign the Petition to stop the destruction of the Ag Reserve.

___________________________________________________________

MONDAY MESSAGE:

The 22,000 acre Agricultural Reserve is currently protected under statute. The current proposals would gut these protections and render the Agricultural Reserve a relic of a bygone era. The critical importance of this farmland to the County’s economy and open space initiatives was enshrined in a 1999 Voter Referendum where taxpayers voted by an overwhelming majority to tax themselves in order to buy and preserve $100 million of land in the Ag Reserve.

A January 17, 2012 study released by Palm Beach County explains the critical importance of not allowing our farmland to disappear:

· The total economic impact to the county from agriculture is $2.6 billion;

· The industry employs a range of between 9,000 – 12,000 workers in Palm Beach County with agricultural wages reaching $340 million;

· Palm Beach County leads the state in agricultural sales;

· Palm Beach County is among the top ten largest agricultural counties in the United States;

· Palm Beach County is the largest agricultural county east of the Mississippi River;

· Palm Beach County leads the nation in the production of sugarcane and bell peppers.

The proposals being considered are radical and dangerous and clearly being driven by development interests. They include:

· allowing 7,000 additional homes in the Ag Reserve;

· increasing commercial space to the equivalent of 10 additional shopping centers;

· eliminating Preservation Areas to facilitate more development;

· moving development West of Route 441 where it is not currently allowed.

We support the view of many other community groups and the Editorial Page of the Palm Beach Post that these radical plans should not steamroll ahead without proper, independent economic impact studies. The County has failed to perform such studies in the last 15 years as one gated community after another gobbled up the rich farming soils of our Ag Reserve.

An earlier study conducted in 1994 for the County found that each $1 generated from agriculture created an 88 cent surplus. But for every $1 generated from residential, the county would spend $1.10 in services for schools, roads, sheriff, fire protection and the like.

The public is typically allotted 3 minutes each to speak at these hearings. Frequently, a further restriction is placed where you must submit your card to speak before the hearing begins. To be on the safe side, the public should arrive 15 minutes early and submit their card to speak prior to the start of the session at 9:30 a.m.

We urge you to take a stand and let your voice help ensure that a $100 million taxpayer investment is not decimated by special interests. (See date, time and location below.)

Sincerely,
Audubon Society of the Everglades

Agricultural Reserve Workshop
Tuesday, March 24th
9:30 a.m.
Palm Beach County Governmental Center
Jane M. Thompson Memorial Chambers
6th Floor
301 N. Olive Ave.
West Palm Beach, FL 33401