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Responsible
Growth Management Coalition
PO Box 1826
Fort Myers,
Florida 33902
November 2003
Dear RGMC
Member:
George Washington Carver once said that, "no
individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without
leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed
through it." If the definition of a good life is in leaving the world at
least a little bit better off the Gene Boyd lived an exceptionally good
life. Currently we mourn the loss of this wonderful human being who
devoted his life to the well being of all of us. Those who knew Gene for
many years will miss his presence, his commitment and his selfless
devotion. Those of us who didn’t know him quite so long will miss the
opportunity to learn all that we could have from him.
But the fruit of every good life is a meaningful
legacy. The RGMC is a part of Gene Boyd’s legacy. As a founding member
and president of the RGMC Gene helped set the standard for contending
with responsible growth issues in our community. He knew that
environmental degradation leads to the degradation of our quality of
life. Our health as individuals, as families, as a society and as an
economy is based on the health of our environment. The environment, if
left in the hands of those motivated solely by profit, becomes nothing
more than object for exploitation and ruin. Only a motivated and
dedicated group of individuals can counterbalance greed. Those who
realize that the environment is not just a resource to be bought and
sold, but rather a home for our families, are best suited to make
responsible decisions regarding growth. Such are the members of RGMC and
such was Gene’s vision.
The Responsible Growth Management Coalition is
currently involved in two major legal battles. The RGMC is an intervener
in the Pine Island dispute over their community plan. Eagle’s Landing, a
profit-motivated developer, has decided that a democratically developed
community plan does not serve its purposes and, therefore, must go.
Eagle’s Landing is pressuring the county to submit to its demands to
amend the community plan in their favor. The RGMC feels that the people
who call Pine Island home should have the final say in how their
community is developed and maintained. The people of the Pine Island
community have demonstrated their willingness and desire to make
responsible decisions regarding the environmental integrity of their
home. This should be lauded and supported, not challenged.
The RGMC is also a party with Florida Power and
Light, which is defending itself from a lawsuit brought by the Collier
family. Florida Power and Light went through a public process to
determine where to extend additional and necessary power lines into
Collier County. They chose to make the responsible decision, at extra
cost, to skirt environmentally sensitive lands rather than plow through
them. Once again, decisions that should be commended are the subject of
legal posturing and intimidation. Why should businesses make responsible
decisions if they will only result in lawsuits from the greedy?
The RGMC is continuing its participation in the CR
951 extension project. The RGMC opposes the extension of CR 951 through
sensitive environmental lands when alternatives are at hand. Such
alternative include widening I 75, creating an access road that hugs I
75 or opening up corridors to the west of the interstate. A CR 951
extension would only serve as a major artery for development and
increased sprawl.
When a developer was attempting to open the Estero 60
to development, the RGMC opposed development in that area. Though the
developer was successful in his bid to amend the comp plan to develop in
the Estero 60, the pressure put on by environmental groups like the RGMC
ensured that this would be done in a responsible manner, preserving the
wetlands, creating a conservation easement and clustering the project on
only half of the land.
Despite the sheer volume of challenges to the health
of our environment by those who would rather drain the wetlands and set
up a golf course or condo complex, the RGMC remains committed to
responsible growth. Our presence is often a determining factor in
preserving our ecological heritage. Gene Boyd’s legacy is assured. The
rest of us must now pick up where Gene left off, to build on Gene’s
vision and to create our own legacy.
Of course, all of our thoughts and prayers go out to
Ellie Boyd and their family. May they find comfort in each other as well
as the wide community of friends that Gene and Ellie have gathered
around them and inspired over the years. Our annual meeting, which will
be held on January 12, 2004 will include a retrospective of the last
fifteen years of the RGMC provided by Bill Hammond.
Sincerely
Michael Andoscia
President, RGMC
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