Point of View: Martin County still blaming Fanjuls, Big Sugar for all woes

I just finished reading Maggy Hurchallas commentary on Wednesdays Op-Ed Page of The Palm Beach Post. I am not getting into a debate on HB 703. I have always said that our state Legislature rides the short bus. But Martin County continues to embarrass itself by blaming absolutely all of its environmental problems on Florida Crystals and the Fanjul family.

There are 270,000 septic tanks that drain into the Indian River Lagoon. It is safe to assume that Florida Crystals does not own one of them. The counties that border the Indian River Lagoon have all taken great steps in correcting their practices that have for decades had a detrimental effect on the lagoon. The glaring exception to this is Martin County. Their fallback position is, and always has been: Its Sugars fault!

Do they forget that it was Hurchalla that championed septic tanks over a centralized sewer system when she was on the Martin County Commission? The logic being it would control growth. Not very sound logic. The fact that Martin County and Hurchalla fail to accept any responsibility for the condition of the Indian River Lagoon is getting to the point of being comical.

All of their hollering and screaming that the state should clean up the Indian River Lagoon because it is a $4.5 billion economic engine to the area has not gone unnoticed by Tallahassee. I recently attended a meeting where a representative from the Areas of Critical State Concern in the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity laid the blame squarely on the 270,000 septic tanks within the lagoon drainage area. Their position was that, like Apalachicola Bay and the Florida Keys, the Indian River Lagoon is too valuable an asset to the state to leave it up to the five counties to fix the problem. Particularly when it was those five counties land use plans that contributed to the problem.

One solution is for the state to declare the Indian River Lagoon an Area of Critical Concern. This would focus all of the states resources on fixing the lagoon. This option was very successful in saving both the Florida Keys and Apalachicola Bay ecosystems from their septic tank issues.

Hurchalla and the other local officials are opposed to this because it requires them to step up to the plate and face the facts. The sticking point is it will put the state in the drivers seat. Maybe in this case not a bad thing.

J.P. SASSER

Pahokee

Editors note: J.P. Sasser is a former mayor of Pahokee.

Read more:
Point of View: Martin County still blaming Fanjuls, Big Sugar for all woes