Three cheers for the Matanzas Riverkeeper, Jen Lomberk.
Thanks for the owners and D.R. Horton who dropped the oyster and left the wharf, for Commissioner Henry Dean, who helped write Amendment with the Sierra Club and two law professors, to former St. Augustine Beach Mayor Sherman Gary Snodarass who came and testified.
Some 50 of us witnesses testified against the destruction of Fish Island. Some waited outside on the loggia, in the heat, without air conditioning, because City Planning and Building Director David Birchim is no planner, lacks sensitivity, and failed to obtain use of the Lightner Lobby for our elders and persons with disability. Some witnesses, like Kathy Deagan, gave up and left.
No thanks to RYAN CARTER, who gave false testimony about bald eagle nests. LYIN' RYAN, we have got your number -- your friends and family should be ashamed of you.
We will be watching LYIN' RYAN CARTER and the stable of whores who testify for developers.
Residents will be rebutting their perjury and reporting on their sins, crimes and torts.
In the future, procedures must allow for extensive cross-examination of developer witnesses by citizens and groups.
Enough lies.
Enough clearcutting.
Enough destruction of wetlands and wildlife habitat.
This is our town and our time. The evildoers who want to pave over Paradise -- we're watching you.
From St. Augustine Record:
Officials reach deal on Fish Island in St. Augustine
HIDE CAPTION
An aerial photograph shows the area of Fish Island, south of State Road 312 and next to the Matanzas River. [CONTRIBUTED]
By Sheldon Gardner
Posted at 5:07 PM
Updated at 6:21 PM
Property owners of Fish Island in St. Augustine have agreed to sell the property, according to the North Florida Land Trust.
The land trust, a nonprofit organization, began negotiating to preserve part of the property in 2018 after the city’s Planning and Zoning Board rejected a proposal to build a residential development of up to 170 homes on about 70 acres at the site.
The land trust’s deal is for 57 acres of the property, which is on the Intracoastal Waterway adjacent to the State Road 312 bridge on Anastasia Island.
North Florida Land Trust President Jim McCarthy said people made a difference by speaking at public meetings in support of preserving the land.
“We truly appreciate the people came out to express their opinions,” he said. “Now they get to reap the benefits.”
The land trust received commitments from the state of Florida to pay for purchase with Florida Forever funds, according to a news release. McCarthy declined to disclose the sale price, but he said the organization will release the information after the sale is final.
It’s up to Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet to approve the purchase, but the land trust is “is optimistic” the sale will go through, according to the release.
“The state and the nonprofit did their due diligence and appraised the property before submitting an offer letter to the owners. After extensive negotiations between (North Florida Land Trust), the seller, the seller’s bank and the state, the offer was accepted,” according to the land trust.
In a prepared statement, McCarthy said the organization wanted to let the community know about the agreement even though the sale isn’t final.
“This was a very complex negotiation given the number and nature of the parties involved,” he said. “The fact that it was in foreclosure was a significant factor. Jim Young (the managing partner for Fish Island Development) was committed to having this property in conservation and worked tirelessly with the bank to make this agreement happen. It is exciting news from both a conservation and historic standpoint, as saving the property is both good for the environment and for the preservation of St. Augustine’s past.”
The bank involved in the foreclosure had been seeking $6.5 million to settle the matter.
The land trust’s main interest in the property is for its history as a citrus plantation in the 1700s, according to the release. People also called for its preservation because of the land’s beauty and for the benefits to the environment of preserving it.
“It is incredibly good to be able to do this for the people of St. Augustine,” he said.
The land trust is still asking for help in paying for the cost of preservation and staff time that has gone into the work, according to the release. For information go to nflt.org/preservefishisland.
Record Reporter Stuart Korfhage contributed to this report.
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