June 2nd, 2022; my heart is broken, but my resolve is not. Tonight I watched Gov. Ron DeSantis sign Florida’s $109B annual budget. I also watched as he proudly (almost giddily) proclaimed that he line-item vetoed $3.1B of “frivolous spending.” Spending for Parks, Museums, Sports Complexes, Nature Preserves, Community Improvement projects, were all struck down across the state. In the same breath he exclaimed that the Florida rolls were flush with cash, never better. 2.8% of the budget dedicated to community improvement and land preservation…stricken by his hand.
One such effort, assured to be protected by our local lawmakers, was part of that massive veto. And now the West Klosterman Preserve, something that I attached myself to, is destined to be sold, stripped bare, and developed into high-density housing. Thousands of indigenous species will be indiscriminately decimated for the almighty dollar.
This little 14-acre ecosystem, all the species of life that reside there and migrate through there, have survived thousands (if not millions) of years, from hurricanes, lightning strikes, fires and floods. Death and rebirth. This ecosystem will not survive “man.”
Unless we can save it without the government’s help. $3M in 30 days. Stay tuned and weigh in. https://wkpreserve.com/
*Photo contributed from the WKP web site. Gopher Tortoise, a state protected species and symbiotic contributor to several other species that use its vacated burrows as shelter.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-west-klosterman-preserve
By Don Scott
44 pages, published 5/12/2022
