The short video below includes highlights of Betsy Roberts public input to the Sarasota County Planning Commission on proposed 2050 changes. Betsy’s public advocacy includes work with the Sierra Club and the Sarasota County Public Interest Coalition (PIC).
Ms. Roberts begins by noting how 2050 policy was created with a lot of community input, while the proposed changes have not. Betsy objects to the reductions in greenway standards and burdening taxpayers with infrastructure costs of 2050 development.
Then she raises a good question, a question, as she puts it “no one is talking about”.
What about water?
“Florida’s groundwater has been overallocated — not just in South Florida, but all over the state,” says Cynthia Barnett, author of Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern United States. “In addition, we just haven’t taken conservation as seriously as other parts of the country.”
Sarasota County imports water from Manatee and other counties to meet our water needs. What are the ramifications of proposed changes to 2050 on our water supply and our need for water? Has the County examined this issue and given it the attention it deserves? The impact of 2050 changes on our water supply has not specifically and clearly explored at County Commission meetings.