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PABRIS HUM?! m: comma
PM '7 April 8, 1960
H'IOH 0!"
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Florida is not among the states characterised In great almadancs o! extractable
resumes directly convertible into industrial raw nteriale. Yet, its any natural
resources of more or less intangible value are vital to the unusual scoot-w of this
state, and must be diligently preserved and perpetuated through the most intelligent
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Not counting climate which so far has escaped .m'e ability to influence-
Florida's greatest natural resources are:
(1) water
(2) Eater features lakes, streams, springs
(3) Beaches and sea coast
(a) Fish and wildlife 5am and nan-pm
(5) Scenery in general
(6) Forests ard'modlands
(7) Son and minerals
(8) ma {or develop-eat
Probluns of Imaging these resources have beam acutely lnton (Jed IV Florida's
transition from a frontier to an urbanised state. Fortunately, however, throud1
various programs of the federal and state gavel-manta, sourd conservation measures
have been tnst instituted in sass resource fields. Forests and soils, are now
generally well provided for. Other resources, however such as water, ocean
beaches, fresh water lakes and public lands - have often been sadly neglected and
alloesd to deteriorate physically or in importance as a public asset.
without attempting a wholesale analysis and evaluation of Florida 's natural
reams-cu programs, the following items concern issues which are currently of
mor significance. Quite logically, these issues remand. the areas lost
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eueceptlble of atom, end hick ehould receive the menu em cereml ctteMion
of the etete'e Chief Meantime.
l. QMIIVI co-erdmtion. norm'e netuml reeoum function ere
carried out mlier the purview of e doeecn or more wependeut, mph eutonaeoue
egenciee - cue conetitutioml, eoen etetutcrnec- prinrily concerned with
eomd reeouroe nee, eone only incidentally, can not et ell. Sue moment
mtione ere tted capletolq m- thie hepheeud M. he need emote
to drew theee eoettered eotivitiee together unet- Ion efcient Wren
control for joint plenum. coodineted prop-m end ecm of opentioo. Me
wt be inated by giving the preeent inform]. inter-quay ccntenncee en
official end curator-y etetue. leading eventully to e reepn'eieel of the entire
mud Wt otellneturel reeource nctionemere mined
depertnent of neturel Home.
2. ood control end weter gonggol. Since the eteteeponeored dreinege end
rechntion ettorte were ehendomd or reunmneheo to the red-rel puma-n. ecu
thirty yeere ego, oride'e etete govern-em. bee not denomtreted meme
interest in inter-control neede. The state ehould take the initiative 1:: Min;
end overeeelng even such projecte ee the Cut-ml end Southern Florian Flood Control
Project in order to (e) obtain for local interests the lumen. degree or federel
co-opu-euon m: tin-noun pertlcipetion enilnblo through such leene, (b) mm
that the eteteeeelhole levellrepreeentedmwoportioutotbeeloultof
generel revenue mm epproprieted. end (c) prevent cpeciel Lntereet contllctn end
ngiml controvereiee true: impairing propose of the project. Above ell, the
governing hoerd of the Central and Southern Floride Flood Control Dietrict nut be
undo onmmble for its eotion to the people it repreeente, end legitinete amm-
ngerding the Dietrict met be resolved fairly end promptly. even to the point of
complete inveetigetion end re-eveluetion or the entire project. Ne m be done
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ea e function of the State Boerd of Conservation or by expuading the euthority of
the opprowiete stete egonoy. The can degree of finenciel'eeeietence new extended
to the Central end Southern orid: Project ehould be ende eveilehle to other ereee
of the etete if Justified on other grounds, even though e federel project my not
been been euthorieed for the area. Certainly e reserve eccomt for emergency
flood relief should be mint-ned.
3. WM. Some or Yloride'e moot beeutiful ooeetel end intre-
ooeetel eaten here been blighted or ruined by ill-edvieed dredging end filling.
The 1957 Bulkheed lav hee been eucceeeiul in bringing euch questionable operetione
under cloeer regulation. Still, there ere eeverel eepecte thet need further
attention: (e) mum at better discretion by local end etete euthocritiee in
setting bulkheed lines, (b) eeteblietuent of suitable epeciiicatione em regulatione
to govern eotivity permitted within the bulkheed line. (0) better and Dre
consistent eppreieel end price-fixing practices where eelee of sovereignty lenie
ere concerned. and (d) better representation of state-wide public intereete in oeeee
where Jurisiiction over eovereimty lame ie relinquiehed to local gavel-talents. is
the chair-n of the Trustees of the Internel Inproveuent Mud, the governor is in
the poeition to permnelly follow up on theee needs.
1.. Beech eroeion omtrol. Beech eroeion ie a very reel pe-obleu in Ploride. uei one
which he: received elmot no attention within the state goverment. A threetold
program is needed: (a) lemmption by an eppropriete etete emcy of the reeponei-
bility for coordineting local erosion control efforts and providing lieieon with
the federel government, (b) technical end finenciel eeeietenoe in erosion control
meuree, end (c) a beach acquisition program to insure public ecceee to and use of
the beech. An instructed exercise of existing etetutory authority eni e biennial
epqmoprietim rill go fer in ellevietin; this serious problem.
5. ma 521' lobe. Preeh enter lakes have not yet suffered the phyeioel
elteretion typical of no: coeetel waterfront dewlopente, but such e trend is
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indiceted. Woree yet, with the h'ueteee or the lateral lemme-um. and dieoleiniru
em intereet in or responsibility for any but the 190 meendered lekee, the public
any Icon be denied the use of retaining thoueende to which it has e legitinte
right. Severel praising opportunities exist for courting public righte in treeh
inter lekee, but the eucceee of my depende on the degree of initiative teleen by
eppropriete egeaciee of the etete 3mm. An ecoelereted ecceee prop-en now.
before cunt-chip, dieputee eriee. would 30 e long we: turd acidifying the
public intereet ee well ee new; the lekee incline}: useful.
6. 3392; Mention effectm neth reggurcee. rm- .ny your: the centre].
edeinietretioo at neturel reeourcee hee been hendicepped by the peeeege of epeciel
legislation which, without eeeured review by effected etete eaenciee, hee been
detrimental to the overell pron-m already in progreee. This ie eepeciellv true
where the maement of public lerde end vetere is concerned. Bury euch piece of
legieletian, if not prep-red with the knowledge end co-operetion or the effected
agency, should at lent be thoroughly reviewed prior to the cuetmry eutontio
planes-
7. mg of mag; mount Fund Honey in the lotemel Imov-Ient nd is
eccwleted elmet entirely from the eele em tun-mt or publicly medmturel
reeourcee: eavereignty lende, till neteriel, eend. oil end uinerele. It etude to
reeeon thet theee hulls ehould be re-directed into internal improvement work on
theee publicly owned renounce. In the recent pent, thie m hee been need by
the Meteee and the Legielature for various unrelated purposes such ee re-eodeling
the governor'e office, lib-conditioning the Rhett Wilding, inn-chem Capitol
Center properties, end the like ~ while tenet or these ere \mrthwhile expertlituree.
they would more properly be provided for by epproprietirm from the Generel Revenue
Fund. This would leave Inter-ml Improvement Pund- tor euch neglected purpoeee ee
beech erosion control, purcheee or recreetion eltee an! other peculierls ueerul
propertiee, emergency voter control, etc.
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8. m of 99ggrvation. until such time as Florida has a conservation departamt
in fact, the State Board of Conservation could provide a highly useful service as
co-crdinator and overseer or the scattered stats natural resource ninetions. It
the present tin, the Board plays such a limited part in these tters that it
turd]; justifies its existence as an ex-ci'ticio cabinet body. Although nuainally
the cuetadianoftheoodControlAccmmt,tknBoardhaebeenreluctuttmto
interest itself in the tater resource develomt activities for which these
Ms supposedly are app-uprated. This board offers a rem-ads cpportmity
for the executive branch of Florida's gavel-newt to pull together the state
conservation efforts into a tighter, ms purposeful, and better mapervised
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9. Wrntion education. As mach as any other area of the world, Florida's
welfare in the years ahead depends upon how well its natural resources are nanaged
today. This is an increasingly difficult mpoaitim. skilled technicians in
the various fields of natural resource development, conservation and use are
virtually ea indispensable to this effort as trained public administrators,
political scientists and lawmakers are to the eld of governmnt. Florida
should {011w the lead of other moccasin states and institute a corrioulua of
conservation in at least one o! ite uniwrsities. A null invest-ant no! will
reect countless benefits in the future welfare of this state.
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iraficated .Worse yet, witti the Trustees .-:f Une 1-niet-hal I:liproverer.t Fund disclairrd.Tig any interest 17. ne responci'ci".ity for ar.y t:lit the 31 meardered '.nea, the p-:blic any soon be denied the 11ee of ramidning thnuars;is trwhich it i:as a 1.egitirrista right. Several promising appartunit.les ad at I-ar essertir.g public rights ir fresh water lakes, but the si:ce-eas of ag/ cieperais era the degree of initiative taken by appr-priate agencies of the state pverrzeri. An em trated access pregrar new, refore ownergitp, disparres arise, w.>uld sce i-ig way -.:r.rari identifying the public interest as --ell as takag the lakes tericdia-e'.y usefuL 6, Speelal leginatier -f fe---'ild :Irit 'ra~ru -.urn n. ?:,r irany years the central adrdnistratit.n ->f astGra~. reen:urces M.a 2.en h:Imienpped by t~rs: passage si special legislati.::r which, withe:t aneurra review hy ai'fected stan ageracies, has been detrialensi 2 the avr-rs".". programs already in pr:grem!. This is espedally tr'ae trile -r.-rey nas caen use.3 ty ed purpsees such as re-morelin6 iiding, purchasing Capitol i: arn w -.rthwhil e experds tures,
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