| Give me a break
March 9, 2003 By Jesse Hardy 6000 Naomi St. Naples, FL 34117 239-250-1871 (Sent to the Editor, Naples Daily News, Naples, Florida) To submit a Letter to the Editor: letters@naplesnews.com On March 13, Gov. Jeb Bush will be deciding the fate of my 160-acre homestead off 52nd Avenue Southeast in Southern Golden Gate Estates. I purchased the property in 1976 and have lived here since 1977, for the wonderful peace and quiet of a natural Florida setting. Most people bought land here for investment and hoped the area would one day be developed. As time went by after the initial drainage and platting of the Estates in the 1960s, it became clear the South Blocks would not become suburbanized. Conservationists saw an opportunity for the state to buy the land and restore it to a natural state. For those who never lived on their land in Southern Golden Gate Estates, the willing-seller program was a great solution, as long as people received fair market value. But I did not sell then because money is not the issue for me. Now the state Department of Environmental Protection is asking the governor to send my property to an eminent domain hearing. I am 13 feet above sea level -- higher than many properties in the northern Estates -- and will still be dry after the area is rehydrated by the South Florida Water Management District. Since my home will not impede the state's restoration plan, I am asking the governor not to [exercise] eminent domain [on] my land. If anyone out there supports my situation, please e-mail Gov. Bush before March 13, at: jeb.bush@myflorida.com. Thank you so much. Jesse Hardy/Golden Gate Estates |