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Published in the Fort Pierce Tribune, Sunday, April 2, 2000, Pg A5

The St. Lucie Waterfront Council has spent much time and money over past years attempting to stop expansion of industrial cargo port operations here in Fort Pierce, the most sensitive area of the most biologically diverse marine estuary in all of North America.

It now appears as though our efforts, along with those of many fine people in the St. Lucie Conservation Alliance, the St. Lucie Chapter of the Audubon Society and The Marine Resources Council of East Florida have been thwarted.

Just at the time when our waterfront has been selected as one of the 12 most scenic and endangered sites in the United States and when the Trust for Public Lands has told our civic leaders it would purchase the same port property on favorable terms, a Mr. Bell from the Bahamas is going to buy 67 acres at the harbor. Reports indicate that he is planning to develop a container shipping operation on a part of this land and is looking for additional space nearby for a container marshalling yard.  The reports also state that he plans to import fruits and vegetables from the Bahamas and then transport these commodities by truck and rail to their destination where they will be sold in
competition with our own farmers' fruits and vegetables.

Also, as we understand, Mr. Bell will apply, in conjunction with our local City and/or County government, for Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Council (FSTED) funds; these funds to be used to supplement the cost of a railroad spur, roads, possibly a bulkhead and other ship berthing needs, and perhaps a container crane.

We find it to be remarkable that our local farmers are accepting the possibility of State grants and loans being used to help someone market foreign-grown fruits and vegetables in the U.S. in direct competition with their "home grown" produce.

Additionally, it should be noted that if Mr. Bell's container operation isn't the most unique on earth, our waterfront will be loaded with highstacked containers, our roads will be impacted by added truck traffic, rail traffic will increase and any notion of developing our County property at Harbor Point in an upscale manner can be forgotten! Once the industrial container port door is open, who knows what will follow Mr. Bell?  We're certain that the economic benefits from a foreign produce and container trade will not compensate the environmental losses, or the risk of such losses, caused to businesses dependent on the continued health of the Indian River Lagoon.

We would like to take the opportunity at this time to congratulate our civic "leaders" especially Mayor Enns. They finally will have the cargo port he's always wanted. We'll be anxiously waiting to see the positive impacts to our city and environment along with those promised new high paying industrial jobs.

In closing, we would like to mention a few words of warning. Port operations have a way of promoting drug traffic, red light districts, and according to numerous authoritative scientific sources, pronounced environmental degradation to match the undesirable social effects. We trust that this plan won't risk our vast potential as a relatively pristine mecca for biological research facilities. We also pray that this isn't the stupidest, most self-destructive endeavor we could allow in our community after we have worked so hard to upgrade downtown Fort Pierce.