HomeMy WebLinkAboutRes 1972-14 Urging Trustees of Internal Improvement Trust Fund to Make No Agreements for Dredging or Filling in Lake WorthRESOLUTION NO. 14-72
A RESOLUTION OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF NORTH PALM BEACH,
FLORIDA, STRONGLY URGING THE TRUSTEES OF THE INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT
TRUST FUND OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA TO MAKE NO AGREEMENTS WITH BANKERS
LIFE & CASUALTY COMPANY OR JOHN D. MAC ARTHUR, ITS PRESIDENT, WHICH
WOULD PERMIT ANY DREDGING AND/OR FILLING IN SUBMERGED LANDS IN LAKE WORTH
THAT ARE CONTRARY TO EXISTING BIOLOGICAL REPORTS OR STUDIES AND SETTING
FORTH REASONS THEREFOR.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF NORTH PALM BEACH,
FLORIDA:
Section 1. The Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust
Fund of the State of Florida are hereby earnestly and strongly requested
to make no agreements or deals with Bankers Life & Casualty Company
or John D. MacArthur, its President, which would permit dredging and/or
filling in submerged land in Lake Worth for the following reasons:
(1) The Florida Board of Conservation has formally recommended
against such action and has recommended that the bulkhead line in this
area be relocated to the line of mean high water.
(2) The State Interagency Advisory Committee on Submerged
Land Management has officially recommended to the Trustees of the Internal
Improvement Trust Fund that the bulkhead lines around Munyon Island and
vicinity be relocated to the line of mean high water.
(3)
Conservation groups and knowledgeable interested citizens
staunchly and uniformly oppose any such filling of submerged land in
Lake Worth which would destroy marine life for the entire length of Lake
Worth and be contrary to the best interests of the public and the entire
area.
(4) The Trustees, the United States of America, the U. S.
Army Corps of Engineers and the Village of North Palm Beach have stood
united in court battles to prevent such filling, as being illegal, and
believe that the Law and the Courts will protect the public and Lake
Worth.
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(5) The submerged land sought to be filled is owned by the
Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund for the people of Florida
and should not be taken from the public and given to one who seeks to
kill and destroy the vegetation and marine life located there.
(6) The Village Council has consistently supported a public
park on the oceanfront area of North Palm Beach under the control of
Palm Beach County or the State of Florida. It has passed numerous resolu-
tions to this effect and has never opposed such an idea. It has always
publicly offered to cooperate with any governmental body toward establish-
ment of a public oceanfront park in North Palm Beach and resolved to forego
taxes if this could be done. The Village Council and the residents
of the Village of North Palm Beach favor public ownership or public
leasing of the entire oceanfront area in North Palm Beach, but not at the
cost of destroying Lake Worth by filling the marine productive submerged
land as requested by John D. MacArthur.
(7) A ten-year lease of oceanfront land, some of which time
must be used to develop the area with utilities and other facilities at
substantial public expense, is not sufficient consideration for (a)
filling in thousands of feet of State-owned land in Lake Worth, destroy-
ing the ecology of Lake Worth; (b) depriving the public of taxes for
services rendered to the property for ten years; and (c) then returning
the property to Bankers for its substantial gain at the expense of the
people of North Palm Beach, the people of Palm Beach County and the people
of Florida.
Section 2. For the reasons set forth above, the Trustees of
the Internal Improvement Trust Fund of the State of Florida are further
requested to publicly negotiate with John MacArthur in the public in-
terest to lease all the oceanfront land and all lakefront land on the
Cast side of Lake Worth in North Palm Beach.
Such action will merit the support and approval of all the
citizens of Florida
Public control of this land, together with the continued
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public ownership of the submerged land surrounding same is entirely
in the public interest.
Section 3. The Village Clerk is directed to send copies of
this Resolution to Governor Reubin Askew, to each member of the Trustees
of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, to the Chairman and members
of the Palm Beach County Commission, to the members of the 1972 Florida
Legislature from Palm Beach County, and to the public media seeking their
help to conserve our natural resources in Lake Worth and to create a
State or County Park on the oceanfront of North Palm Beach.
PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS 4 DAY OF APRIL, 1972.
ATTEST:
/s/ Dolores R. Walker
Village Clerk
/s/ H. Mallory Privett, Jr.
MAYOR
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