MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (SNN TV) – When Manatee County commissioners met in August to discuss changing the county’s rules regarding wetlands, county consultant Dan Delisi was front and center advocating for the change. But not everyone in the audience was a fan of what Delisi had to say.
“I want to say unequivocally that these amendments do not cause impacts to wetlands,” Delisi said. He was then met with laughter from the attendees.
Why the laughter? Delisi argued in favor of reducing the county’s wetlands buffer- the protective space between any development and natural wetlands to protect greenspace and wildlife. Manatee County currently has a buffer of 30-50 feet between development and wetlands. Delisi told commissioners that buffer could be cut down to the state’s requirement, which is 15 feet.
He made the same argument when representing developer Carlos Beruff in a lawsuit against the county in 2015.
Dozens of people who spoke at the meeting opposed reducing the buffer. Delisi was the only speaker other than six commissioners who supported the change in policy.
Commissioner Kevin Van Ostenbridge said the current rule may unfairly limit property owners.
“I think we should have to justify to them why it’s necessary for the public good to take their land from them,” Van Ostenbridge said.
But Glenn Compton with the environmental group Manasota-88 said cutting the buffer is bad for the county’s wetlands.
“Manatee County not only has development pressures from coastal and inland development, but they also have to deal with phosphate mining impacts on wetlands, which is unique in the state of Florida,” Compton said.
Why are wetlands so important for the ecosystem?
“On the coast they provide protection from storm and wind, especially flooding in areas that normally would not flood except that there are wetlands nearby,” explained Compton.
These sentiments were shared by Sarasota’s Climate Adaptation Center CEO and former NASA scientist Bob Bunting.
“The wetlands act as a buffer. We can’t afford to lose any more than we’re losing through sea level rise and increased storms,” Bunting said. “Every time we lose even a foot, that means the damage from these climate induced events is going to be worse than it would otherwise be.”
Van Ostenbridge argued that reducing the restrictions helps reduce the size of government. This Thursday commissioners will decide whether making a change that could help developers won’t damage the county’s greenspace in the process.
Commissioners will meet to take their final vote on this issue this Thursday, Oct. 5 at 9 a.m.
SNN reached out to several Manatee County Commissioners, including Mr. Van Ostenbridge, for comment. We were told that none of the commissioners would be available for an interview until after they have already voted.
