This time the governor is pushing a lopsided land swap to benefit a Canadian golf course developer.
There’s a tradition among Florida developers of naming their projects after any natural attributes obliterated by the development. That’s why you see subdivisions with such monikers as “Cypress Woods,” “Panther Trace,” and “The Canopy.” My personal favorite, found in Naples, is “Wilderness Country Club.”
That’s why I’ve been trying to figure out what the Canadian developers from Cabot should call the Hernando County golf course development they plan to build on what’s currently a thriving part of the Withlacoochee State Forest north of Tampa.
The Burrows,” for all the imperiled gopher tortoises to be destroyed? Maybe “The Rookery,” in honor of the sandhill cranes? Or how about “The Habitat” for the black bears?
No, wait, I’ve got it. They should call it “Good Sense.”
That’s what was tossed out by Gov. Ron “None of My Administration’s Foul-Ups Is Ever My Fault” DeSantis and the Cabinet when they approved deeding this well-wooded acreage over to the Canadians in exchange for some less-worthy land further north, in Levy County.
“This deal was added to the Cabinet’s agenda the day before the meeting through an unusual, last-minute process typically reserved for natural disasters and other extenuating circumstances,” the Tampa Bay Times reported on September 13. “Emails show DeSantis’ deputy chief of staff, Cody Farrill, drafted agenda language with environmental agency officials a day before the rest of the Cabinet was officially notified of the new item.”
But surely, our top elected state officials were cautious about making such a drastic decision, right? Nooooope.
“The Cabinet’s June 12 discussion, which lasted less than 30 seconds, did not mention golf courses nor the state forest where more could be built. There was no debate, no public comment. No mention of endangered wildlife,” says the Times.
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