Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Further responses to the Sarasota County Approval of a Shooting Range in Pinelands Preserve

An exchange between homeowner Josh Wynne and Argus ceo / County Commissioner Christine Robinson:



Mrs. Robertson,
You did not address the supposed errors in my correspondence because you are unable. Your petition was adequate for you because it was, in fact, your petition.
I did not ask for anything unreasonable. Taking some extra time to allow expert review in the interest of public health and safety would not have created an issue for anyone in this matter considering that the current pending lease agreement is valid through October of this year. I suspect that you are fully aware that given a bit more time, your petition would have failed.
I am currently in communication with officials from the FDEP. They directed me to the following information:
"...shooting ranges in Florida are potentially liable to the State of
Florida and third parties for causing any pollution or discharging
pollutants or hazardous substances into the environment. In response
to reports of violations, in recent years, the FDEP stepped up its
investigation and enforcement of these laws at several shooting ranges
in Florida. In response to the increased enforcement by the FDEP, gun
clubs in Florida, many of them allied with the NRA and NSSF,
counterattacked by introducing legislation in 2004 intended to
prohibit state enforcement of these environmental laws at shooting
ranges and imposing severe criminal penalties on any governmental
officials who targeted shooting ranges for enforcement."
http://www.floridabar.org/…/1f6ace344c94334485257178006c0fe…*
Strange though, I seemed to have missed that in your petition info pack. It must have been in that information that you read and that I did not.
It was clear and apparent to the entirety of the public during yesterday’s hearing that you are clueless as to the realities and/or the requirements surround lead and noise mitigation. It will soon be obvious to them that you are clueless because you neglected to request a proper proposal. You allowed your decision in this matter to be made based on testimony from the party with vested interest. There were ZERO third experts on hand to provide any evidence that any of the Comp. Plan Requirements in FLU 1.2.1 were addressed, or met. Is that how “quasi-judicial hearings” work? You are an attorney and you are gaming our political process at the risk of public health and safety. Negligence.
Again, my request for expert involvement in the design of this facility and for inner-County oversight is not a an unreasonable one. I will absolutely expose this entire incestuous process and your flagrant disregard for public safety in a manner and with the result the likes of which you have never seen in any local public forum.
I am currently rallying my neighbors and the County at large. My neighbors feel betrayed and mis-led. The County, once properly informed of the risks and my requests, will back me overwhelmingly.
My resolve in this matter outweighs yours by every test. Your negligence has placed my family at risk. Every member of this commission will look back at that hearing as the defining moment of their tenure if no adequate efforts are made to address the obvious noise and health concerns associated with this project. Do not underestimate me.
I invite any or all of you to a public debate on this topic. No “quasi-judicial” nonsense. Just a good old-fashioned talk on the stumps so that you college educated folk can put us ignorant, non-credible types in our place.
My next steps will involve an official complaint to the FDEP and a full and absolute records requests to begin an investigation into potential Sunshine Law violations and ethics violations related to the double standard evidenced by your premature approval of an incomplete submittal, initiated by this very Board.
Since you enjoy family anecdotes, I will share one of mine with you. My dad always told me, “Son, you can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way, you are going to do it.”
I look forward to a productive conversation on how this Board can adequately address the public concerns.
Josh Wynne
Native, Resident, Tax Payer, Business Owner, Veteran, Hunter, Outdoorsman, Conservationist, Knight’s Trail Supporter
On Feb 11, 2015, at 6:33 AM, Christine Robinson <crobinso@scgov.net> wrote:
Dear Mr. Wynn,
There are many, many errors in your comments below reflecting that you did not have the same information that is in the record and that I have read.
I respect that you have a differing opinion from mine. I gave the petition much thought and review. I based my decision upon the testimony, evidence, and credibility of those testifying. Credibility played a big part in this decision. I will let the record stand for itself.
Best Regards,
Christine
Christine Robinson
Sarasota County Commissioner
Sarasota County Government
1660 Ringling Blvd
Sarasota, Florida 34236
941-861-5727
Assisted by Robin Bayus
rbayus@scgov.net
Adrien Lucas

Pinelands Reserve email to the County Commissioners Commissioner Christine Robinson, Commissioner Paul Caragiulo and the rest of the CC's:

County Commissioners,

I was going to write another email after watching yesterday's county meeting regarding the Pineland chop down but why bother when a friend of mine has been so eloquent and accurate. So I will just cut and paste Josh Wynne's letter and say this letter is making the rounds in social media.

This was a sealed deal when you used the shield of "Quasi-Judicial Hearing" and while that was a clever move. The Office of the County Attorney is paid by us, the taxpayers, your constituents. The attorney should not be working to protect your private desires or gifts you bestow upon the Big League Developers or your friends.

Further, Commissioner Robinson, your attempt at shaming the respected Jono Miller, as if it were his fault that the public didn't respond to the Commissioners muddied petition was difficult to sit through. It is your job, all of you, to write transparently, in an understandable manner when posting items of importance for public record. Item 28 - Ordinance No. 2015-002, approving Rezone Petition No. 14-34, may as well of been written in Latin. The words "Pinelands Preserve" were not mentioned. You know, we know, and the petition was filed by you, not by the shooting range which indicates to me,that some of you are very close chums with the gentlemen who run the not-for-profit Knights gun club.

Just for the sake of argument and worst case scenario: if a wild pig eats some clay pigeons (we all know how gluttonous pigs are) and prior to getting sick and poisoned by one, a hunter happens upon it, shoots it in the forest, cooks it up for their family and they all get sick, are county and taxpayers liable for that type of poisoning?

And the SRQ specialist, Matthew Osterhoudt -- the current Manager of Sarasota Conservation and Environmental Permitting -- said that he had not observed any of the endangered species or any species for that matter on the Pineland Reserve inspection he did. Did he go for one day? Did he camp out for 24 hours on an off day? Surely as a Conservation expert he is aware of how difficult it is to observe certain animals in nature. Is his report available for public consumption? Is there a standard observation process that has been created by Sarasota County or is it a state process someone in his position uses to asses animal counts?

We are watching, we will continue to observe and we will continue to protest.

Respectfully,

Adrien Lucas
Sarasota County Resident

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