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Briny Breezes offers a chance to end subsidies on barrier Islands

By Thomas B. Evans, Jr., Florida Coalition for Preservation

Those who live and work in Gulf Stream, Ocean Ridge and the other surrounding communities are extremely concerned about the “Developers” plans for the redevelopment of Briny Breezes, a small, 43-acre town situated between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.

Despite a blitz by developers willing to spend millions of dollars to get their way, our community spirit is strong and our resolve will not be broken by the attempt to fast-track an intensive development that is irresponsible and totally inappropriate for this area.  That is why we have asked the Florida Department of Community Affairs to conduct an intensive review of the proposed development, despite the developer’s contention that any state review of their plans is unnecessary.

The Florida Coalition for Preservation does not oppose the sale and redevelopment of Briny Breezes. We do, however, passionately oppose the current plan to build multiple high-rise buildings that will greatly increase the population density, strain our infrastructure, burden taxpayers and degrade the environment.

It is most important to remember that the small town of Briny Breezes contains 43 acres and is situated on a narrow, storm prone and vulnerable barrier island.

In order to make their purchase economically viable, the Developers are proposing a 5,000,000-square-foot development that will jam on this tiny site huge towers going up as high as 20 stories.  These “towers” will include 900 condominium units, a 349-room luxury hotel, 300 timeshare units, restaurants, shopping and a yacht marina.  This plan will dramatically increase the population density of Briny, making it one of the most dense developments on the entire eastern seaboard and totally incompatible with the surrounding community.

A potential catastrophe

The proposed plan will dangerously stress the surrounding infrastructure.  South Florida’s water supply is already in a critical state and massive development like this, using hundreds of millions of gallons of water per year, must be stopped.

The congestion on A1A, as a result of the proposed development, will create a serious safety problem for school children, for those who live here, as well as those who work here.

This irresponsible development also presents a real problem for emergency response personnel, further endangering the safety and the lives of many citizens.

One can only shudder at the potential catastrophe in the event of a forced evacuation.  We live in “hurricane alley,” and it is not a question of if but when we will be hit by a major storm.

The developers should not be permitted to play “Russian Roulette,” imperiling the lives of so many people.

Evacuation is a vital consideration and we should avoid, wherever possible, potential disasters.  The lack of planning in New Orleans is a case in point.  The American taxpayer always foots the bill and as a consequence, this is not just a Florida matter.  I hope Senator Bill Nelson, Senator Mel Martinez and Congressman Ron Klein will provide leadership on this important issue affecting all taxpayers.  They have an opportunity to establish a precedent here in Florida that could benefit America.

A national problem

There’s another area for the involvement of Florida’s entire Congressional delegation and it relates to the subsidies given developers who build on storm prone barrier islands.  We should not encourage development like this but rather discourage it.

The Coastal Barrier Resources Act should be expanded to include any new high-rise construction on Barrier Islands where such development substantially increases the population of an area.  This should be especially true where a new development like Briny Breezes places a dangerous stress on the surrounding infrastructure.  Taxpayer dollars should not be used for this purpose and yet they are.  Federal flood insurance is the most well known of these subsidies, and that is fiscal insanity given our Federal Deficit today.  (Prior to becoming a U.S. Senator, then Congressman Bill Nelson spoke in support of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act during its consideration on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.)  If we take away the flood insurance subsidy, it will decrease the developer’s ability to sell the units.  Taxpayers deserve nothing less.

Since Briny Breezes sits in the middle of “Hurricane Alley,” I doubt seriously if any private insurer would underwrite a multi-billion dollar project of this nature.  That means Florida’s state-sponsored Citizens Property Insurance Corp. would be called on for the underwriting and a disaster would seriously jeopardize the integrity of the fund.  Therefore, I hope that Gov. Charlie Crist, who has been a champion of Citizens, will exercise leadership on this matter.

A threat to nature

In addition to the proposed development’s seriously negative impact on people, we must speak for those who have no voice.  We must speak for the sea turtles.  The high-rise development planned for Briny Breezes seriously threatens the destruction of their nesting grounds.  Mother Nature does that cruelly sometimes, just as it did recently just north of Briny. We should not add to that destruction as a result of greed.  The price we may pay is incalculable.

The proposed development area is also a fertile feeding ground for manatees, who are also threatened, just like the sea turtles.  And the increased demand on the region’s offshore-draining sewage system would further choke nearby coral reefs.

For all of these reasons and more, the proposed plan must be radically and responsibly altered to sustain our infrastructure, preserve the environment and protect the character and quality of life in surrounding communities.

We cannot accept less, not only for ourselves, but for future generations of Americans.  We must not betray their trust or destroy their future. 

Tom Evans is a former U.S. Congressman and Chairman of the Florida Coalition for Preservation, a not-for-profit organization committed to curbing irresponsible growth and protecting barrier islands.  In 1982, he authored the Coastal Barrier Resources Act which has helped to preserve over 500,000 acres on hundreds of miles of coastline.  In the process, this legislation has saved the American taxpayer over 3 billion dollars by eliminating Federal subsidies on these barrier lands.