GTM-NERR needs more federal protection as part of a St. Augustine National Historical Pakr and National Seashore. "America's Best Idea," our National Parks, points the way to preserving and protecting what we know and love in St. Johns County.
Good letter in the Record by Wesley S. Coddou, Ponte Vedra:
LETTER TO THE EDITOR | Vista Tranquila a killing ground
Posted Aug 3, 2019 at 5:54 PM
Updated Aug 3, 2019 at 5:54 PM
St. Augustine Record
Vista Tranquila a killing ground
EDITOR: Ponte Vedra Corporation’s proposed Vista Tranquila (currently known as the Outpost) is irredeemably unsuitable for the Guana River Wildlife Management Area (GRWMA). It is a hunting ground. The Outpost is 97% surrounded by it. Why encourage residential development in the public hunting ground? In the GRWMA hunters may shoot all along the perimeter fence of the Outpost. Shooting begins at dawn. Anyone over the age of 16 years may shoot game with pistols, rifles, shotguns, bows and arrows, crossbows and air guns.
Further, Lake Ponte Vedra is designated the Guana River-Lake Ponte Vedra Public Small Game Hunting Area. Hunters may walk along the lake, its shores and the private property lines shooting deer, wild hog, gray squirrel, quail, rabbit, raccoon, opossum, armadillo, coyote, skunk, nutria, bobcat, otter and migratory birds in season. There is no law or regulation setting a minimum distance between hunters and private property. Throughout the hunting seasons, ear-splitting gunshots punctuate the natural pulse of the GRWMA. Errant gunfire is inevitable.
On opening day of duck season, our home on Lake Ponte Vedra was peppered with 12 gauge birdshot. Several years ago a man and his dog were shot in the GRWMA. The shooter thought the man’s dog was a deer and opened fire. The man was air-lifted to a hospital. His dog died.
Will Ponte Vedra Corporation warn purchasers that their families and pets are at risk of errant gunfire? If a shooter mistakes a dog for a deer, the same can happen to a child. The smallest caliber recommended for hunting deer is the .243-caliber. The bullet can travel the waterfront of the Outpost in just over a second, with a muzzle velocity three times the speed of sound. At that velocity, the child will not hear the shot before the bullet strikes her down.
St. Johns County must take seriously its governing principle to protect the health, safety and welfare of its residents. Say “no” to the ill-advised Vista Tranquila.
Wesley S. Coddou, Ponte Vedra Beach
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