Carol - it would be a good idea to go over this with the attorney, and make sure he sees the proposed easement language. I'd be interested to see if this is a means for the county to acquire wetlands for the purpose of mitigating wetlands development somewhere else. If that's the case, I'd think there would need to be fair compensation from the county for the easement (according to something I read on the net recently, an acre of tropical forest is worth $817 for its ecosystem benefits. An acre of open ocean is worth $103. An acre of wetlands: $6,017.......http://www.emagazine.com/view/?825).
We, as a family, should talk about whether or not we are OK with going this route if that's the case. The plus is that the Consigny Place wetland would probably gain a measure of extra protection from future development - not that it is likely to be drained, filled, and paved if it were to be divided up with the Consigny Place lots - but if it were in a County sponsored mitigation deal it would be more formally protected.
The philosophical downside, in my opinion, is that if this is part of a mitigation plan then this wetland serves as a pawn in the land development shell game where wetlands are drained and paved in one area and "set aside" in another area in order to satisfy the letter - but not the spirit - of the laws regarding wetlands preservation. Wetlands in this country are disappearing due to development pressures at a rate of about 15 acres an hour. I couldn't find recent data on how much of those are in Florida, but I would guess we've got a big share of that total. To "set aside" the Consigny Place wetlands, which are highly unlikely to ever be developed, in order to allow a developer to plunder a portion of the rapidly vanishing pristine habitat that still exists in Lake County wouldn't be something I'd be eager to go along with. Re-writing the deed restrictions seems like a much better approach if that's the case.
Let me know what you hear from Mr. Newman on this. I may be totally paranoid and way off base. I'm also copying the brothers on this, and would like to get their thoughts as well. On this subject, OK guys?
I thought a lot about Mom today too, and in the previous few days. I forget the exact circumstance, but a couple of days ago someone asked me, after a tense discussion at work, how I was able to keep from losing my temper when the person I was talking to kept making some pointed personal comments. I immediately flashed back to an incident when I was a little kid and Mom and I were out somewhere - a grocery store, shoe store, something like that - and there was an irate shopper going off on the poor clerk, and everyone else within earshot. I was shocked at the language he was using, and surprised at how Mom kept her eyes on him, half smiling even when the guy was shoving his way past her and out the door. I remember that after he left she looked down and smiled at me and said something like "well he certainly is having a bad day...I'm glad we didn't get up on the same side of the bed that he did!". I also remember one time she told me that you don't have to look very hard to see the ten year old boy in any man, and those kinds of memories sure help me sometimes when I'm faced with difficult or unpleasant situations. I hope that I inherited a tenth of her, uhmm, I'm having trouble putting my finger on the right term.... inner peace? Perspective? Sense of humor? Wisdom? All of those things and more, really, I think. I see something of her in you, and Jim & Pat, and I think I'm really lucky to have been born into this family.
Love you. Say hey to Lee for me, and let me know what you hear from Mr. Newman.
----- Original Message -----
From:
To: bigdogandy@earthlink.net
Sent: 4/19/2006 8:37:38 PM
Subject: Fwd: Consigny Place
Hey,
I received this from the county late this afternoon. I am not sure we want to deed the conservation area to the county. I'll contact Rick Newman, the real estate lawyer, tomorrow.
I hope all is well with you all. I have had your Mama on my mind all day today.
Love,
Carol
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