With an initial vote in support of a large housing project in a protected area, the majority of the Palm Beach County Commission is following a nationwide propensity to “pave paradise and put up a parking lot,” as singer Joni Mitchell famously described it in her song “Big Yellow Taxi.”
In the case of Palm Beach commissioners, the paving of paradise is not a parking lot, but a project by GL Homes to build over 1,000 luxury homes and 277 workforce homes in the Agricultural Reserve, a protected area in the western part of the county. The reserve provides benefits by preserving agriculture land and filtering water, as well as bestowing rural beauty and open space to Boca Raton, Delay Beach and Boynton Beach.
On May 3, the board voted 5-2 to grant a “privately initiated text amendment” to allow GL Homes to swap land from outside the reserve for development rights for its project on a 682-acre site across U.S. 441 west of Boca Raton. A final decision is expected on Oct. 24.
Opponents fear the swap mechanism would set a precedent for other developers to build in the reserve to the point of destroying it.
One speaker who opposed the project at a May hearing pointed out that Miami-Dade and Broward County have become overdeveloped. She implored the board to prevent what she called “the Broward-ization” of Palm Beach County.
Critics who see the GL proposal as lacking a good rationale believe that the project’s progress in the approval process is another example of development interests succeeding in their ability to support persistently well-funded campaigns for county government.
Sondra Levin, Boca Raton
Why can’t we get a response from members of Congress if we don’t vote in their district?
I have tried to send letters to Rep. Matt Gaetz, but it does not seem possible.
As a Floridian, I am really against his tactics to stymie the federal government by himself and a handful of other disruptors in the House.
Gaetz’s main goal seems to be to attract attention and undermine the federal government and agencies.
He does not seem interested in working with Democrats or even other Republicans for the benefit of all the American people.
Our national debt is too high, but why isn’t Gaetz complaining about Donald Trump’s contribution to the debt by giving huge tax cuts to the wealthy? Shutting down the federal government is not how you balance the budget.
I surely hope Gaetz is voted out of office by his constituents for being a self-centered, do-nothing, nasty representative.
Marie Webster, Boca Raton
Four weeks into this National Football League season, here’s what we’ve learned about the Miami Dolphins: Coach Mike McDaniel hasn’t matured much.
Allowing his team to score 70 points against Denver was wrong on many levels. The game was out of hand after Miami scored four times, and piling on points was disrespectful.
This team needs to draft and sign players specifically to beat the Buffalo Bills. The current roster lacks the depth and talent on offense and defense to do that.
Their entire preseason and spring training should be dedicated to defeating Buffalo.
To quote Dolphin Jerome Baker after last Sunday’s 48-20 blowout loss: “I’m tired of losing in Buffalo.”
Howard M. Singer, Plantation
I expect that one day Donald Trump will finally utter a sentence that is truthful, and it will go something like this: “I didn’t do so well in court today, but I had the highest rated TV show in history.”
Jay Rechtman, Boynton Beach
