Developers are after area @ south end of Skyway!

[dunfly]

It think you'll find we all moved to Florida, Bucarroo, some just did a earlier than others, maybe a few generations earlier, but we all moved here.

Right you are John. Excuse the pajoratives from my post and it reads far less pot stirring though. Comes down to my love of private property rights and those that have no skin in the game determining the outcome. Also my facination with how the mob is manipulated.

I love property rights also, but this has nothing to do with property rights acquired when they purchased the land. The land was undevelopable when they purchased it, therefore, it had no development rights. They are trying to obtain development rights they did not purchase and never had, at the expense of the citizens of Florida.

[justabucup]

These guys knew this land was not able to be developed when they got it and now they want something different in exchange for their own personal greed and want.

You really need to look more into the "PURELY" theoretical gambit of corporate manipulation of the public to achieve political goals for greater profits.

or is it

The "PURELY" theoretical gambit of a corporation extortion of the state by playing the heartstrings of small vocal groups. Kind of like coal giving money to the NO NUKES CROWD.

[Rik]

You're assuming that these guys will boo hoo about not being able to develop the land and will therefore end up forcing the govt to buy the land they own but can not develop.

That may happen. However the price we pay would not be 'develop-able land' prices. Depending on when they bought it, it's unlikely they'd even get back what they paid for it, especially with the current admin in Tallahassee. They want to stop virtually all environment/conservation land purchases.

However, it just one more thing that citizens should be watching for. These things tend to hatch in the proverbial smokey back room.

[Heywood]

The "Mammal Research Center" will get this project done.

[Tide1on]

The "Mammal Research Center" will get this project done.

Not to mention the $$$ that will be collected by the county on property taxes.

[justabucup]

You're assuming that these guys will boo hoo about not being able to develop the land and will therefore end up forcing the govt to buy the land they own but can not develop.

That may happen. However the price we pay would not be 'develop-able land' prices. Depending on when they bought it, it's unlikely they'd even get back what they paid for it, especially with the current admin in Tallahassee. They want to stop virtually all environment/conservation land purchases.

However, it just one more thing that citizens should be watching for. These things tend to hatch in the proverbial smokey back room.

I have just noticed a trend of this same type of thing that has been happening in the past few years. Robinson's Preserve (stage I and II) is an example as well as Desoto Monument Neal park Perico Bayou park.... The only reason I know about these few examples is they are all within 5 miles of my home.

[sfurman]

If one has bought the land I do not see why they should not be allowed to go about getting the best use out of it. (See make money from their investment) However if you do not agree with it please feel free to purchase it yourself and donate it to the state. But do not change the rules for people after the fact. This may not be popular but the world changes and if you yourself do not want it to change buy it yourself.

Ok, back on topic.

Buc, so you feel it is ok to buy mangrove islands, sea grass beds and tidal area and fill that in because, in your opinion, that is the best use? Read the last line of the article, it is not permit permit able land.

Do I agree with buying such areas? No because there are so many laws, rules and regulation about their developement that it is too far of a gamble. This is where a gruop is taking a gamble by buying such an area and fostering an agreement to get the permitting to develop the area. My guess here is that the group really does not want to develop this land rather they wish to get the public (like mushyheaded swarmers) to demand it be stopped and to have the government buy it for the future of the children. This way the developers can either :

A) Get some relief on other permits from other properties they own

or

B) Sell the property for a good profit to the state or feds and then have a chariatble tax receipt for an amount equal to that as a developed property. Giving the developers an enormous tax rightoff.

However do not get me wrong If I owned a peice of property and was going to enhance it not only my private use but that which would enhance the community as well I am in favor of it and would hate having to battle every treehugging myopic that moved to Florida from somewhere else.

Correct.

If I owned property and was paying taxes on it and the government told me I could not develope it then the government had better damn well buy it from me and they had better damn well pay me a premium for it too.

[1okbyme2]

Yessir, beware when the "swamp" word is used. I remember when all mangrove areas were referred to as "worthless mangrove swamps".
Ask a duck hunter about filling in the "worthless swamps" up north how important habitat is for your respective outdoor sport.
Every developer operates on the flawed thinking that he can improve on God's creations, especially when sniffing a profit.
Looks like this one gambled & lost......too bad. I'll do what I can to block this one.

[Rik]

If I owned property and was paying taxes on it and the government told me I could not develope it then the government had better damn well buy it from me and they had better damn well pay me a premium for it too.

Even if it you had been told you couldn't develop it before you bought it?

[shamus]

Damn Manning Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee, don't you ever go anywhere nice

[sfurman]

How long have they owned it? Are these new owners? If thye bought it knowing they could not develope it, then they must have had a plan as in a land swap or another popular move these days is (i forget what they call it right now) where they get what they want if they give the land up for non-use, kinda like where they get to dredge a new canal if they reserve the flats for no-entry.

A lot of this land has been owned by someone for a very long time, well before the wet lands protections went into effect.

[Rik]

I don't know when they bought it Steve. My question was more a hypothetical question as opposed to a questions specific to this issue.

[dunfly]

They bought the land in September of 2007. David Smolker is a real estate attorney who does a lot of eminent domain work. Other members of the ownership are seasoned real estate people in Tampa. They knew exactly what they bought and what they planned to do with it. They paid $1,250,000 for it and if they can pull off the swap it could be worth 10+ times more than that.

If the state wants to do the swap, they should take the land offered plus an additional $10,000,000 for the profit that would be created. They can then take the $10,000,000 and build kayak launches all over the state.

[Rik]

So no boo hoo games from them!

[TerryW]

Buc - People have bought un-buildable property in FL for 100's of years. Just because they are dumb enough to do so doesn't mean we should be dumb enough to allow them to trade out their property and crush our environment.

This was in another article:

Mariella Smith of the Tampa Bay Sierra Club says the group opposes the deal.

"Acres that they're proposing to trade to us, is nothing but these mangrove islands out in the bay. They're largely undeveloped. They consist mainly of mangroves knee-deep in Tampa Bay, and so they're planning to trade us some swamp land in Florida. The proverbial bull -- bad deal in order for us to give them some of this high and dry land at the foot of the Skyway," said Smith.

Read more: http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/r ... z1mgpRbWcO" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Todd]

I agree it does look like a long shot, but it is not dead yet, and with the Media praising it, I am still worried.

And i don't even fish down there

Nice to see not all media are behind it-

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editori ... da/1215953" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;