LATEST ATTEMPT TO GET ACTION FROM OUR
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES ABOUT FIND'S
PLANS IN OUR COMMUNITY- SEE HAL GOFORTH'S
E-MAIL BELOW:
From: Hal Goforth
To: debbie.mayfield@myfloridahouse.gov
; tom.goodson@mymyfloridahouse.gov
; haridopolos.mike.web@flsenate.gov
; negron.joe.web@flsenate.gov
Cc: Dustin.paulson@myfloridaahouse.gov
; jflescher@ircgov.com ; bsolari@ircgov.com
; pobryan@ircgov.com ; wdavis@irc.gov.com
Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2012 5:16 PM
Subject: 12 months and inadequate progress on FIND's Sediment
Sampling!
Sebastian area Elected Officials,
Our State and County elected officials have been
well-informed by the media and citizens, through out the year
about FIND's failure to properly sample and analyze the
IR-2 sediments.
The latest "effort" by FIND was a sham. Three 3rd
party experts say that the RFQ eliminated highly qualified
bidders and the proposed sampling design would not properly
characterize the level of toxic contaminants in deepest layers
of muck. (below please find History & Problems that require
action)
History: FIND was approved to dredge the
Indian River section IR-2, in 2006.
Approval was based on sediment data collected and analyzed in 1997.
FIND tried 3X to properly collect and analyze sediments and failed.
Their latest attempt is a sham. In Dec.they advertised a Request for
Qualifications (RFQ) that excluded all but their "good ole boy" network of
contractors (e.g., Taylor Engineering).
Historical Problem: Dr. Bruce Taylor, founder of
Taylor Engineering, has been employed by FIND since 1997. Potential
conflict of interest ? The Florida State Ethics Committee will be
informed and asked to investigate this obvious appearance of conflict of
interest. State or County elected officials have historically turned a
blind-eye to this... even after they were provided the
facts about Dr. Bruce Taylor and contracts to Taylor Engineering by
FIND. Because the failure for any official to intervene, there most
likely will be another contract to Taylor... because very few companies
could even qualify to bid on this RFQ due to the "taylor-made"
specifications.
More History: The RFQ advertised in Dec.by FIND was
limited to companies who performed the same type work, 5 times over the
last 5yrs. They also required inflated and unnecessary qualifications
/certifications,limited the bidding to 20 days during the Holidays (great timing
Mr. Roach). What's amazing is that
Roach took from early July to December to develop this
very brief and inadequate RFQ...How dumb does he think the public is??
Problems: This December, the Sebastian area
citizens had 3 highly regarded third party experts in the field of
sediment sampling review FIND's latest RFQ. All three
agreed the sampling plan was flawed and inadequate and would
not properly characterize the sediment to be dredged from the proposed ~2.5
mile section of IR-2.
More Problems: Dredging toxic sediment will
cause re-suspension of contaminated particles into the water column and
...these will be taken up by filter and deposit feeding animals
and ... the contaminants will end up in our Indian River food
chain.
These (potentially) toxic contaminants must also be properly treated
and placed in containment sites that will have no possibility of
release into the Indian River (via the weirs and/or the ground water and
wells).
Solution: The bottom line is that FIND
has yet to provide or advertise a sediment sampling plan that 3rd party sediment
experts can approve. This is after endless months of
negotiations and communications with our elected State and County
officials. You know what to do...however, there appears to
be a significant deficit of will.
Open Question: What do the citizens do now?
Do we continue to allow conditions to be business as usual with
FIND while we watch our environment and tax dollars be used without
public oversight and/or input? Who is looking out for us?
If the answer is "no one", then I am living in a very different state than when my grandfather took me on vacations to the Driftwood in V.B. and we walked the beach looking for shells and sand crabs. And the state where my other granddad drove us from Orlando to the ICW and taught me about the Indian River as we fished for speckled trout near beacon #52.
If the answer is "no one", then I am living in a very different state than when my grandfather took me on vacations to the Driftwood in V.B. and we walked the beach looking for shells and sand crabs. And the state where my other granddad drove us from Orlando to the ICW and taught me about the Indian River as we fished for speckled trout near beacon #52.
How can we sit by quietly and let our shorelines, water, physical and
biological environment be contaminated and misused without being heard and
respected. What about our grand kids ....and their kids ??? What legacy
are we leaving them?
Contrast this with what your parents and grand parents left you.
Can any of us honestly be proud of what we will leave for them?
Conclusion: This
letter includes several very specific recommendations that
are required to protect the
Sebastian area citizens from a very powerful
and under-regulated juggernaut, that is literally cramming
(un-analyzed and potentially toxic) sediments down our
throats, in the form of.potentially contaminated clams, fish,
shrimp and crabs. We must have the sediments properly sampled and analyzed
..how many times do we need for sediment experts tell us this???
How many times do the citizens have to pass this
information on to our elected officials of this "representititive"
form of government?
This sediment issue has not been
scientifically addressed, ever since FIND began this work
(in the last hours before the Governor's
moratorium) a full 12 months
ago.
Sincerely,
Hal W. Goforth, Jr, Ph.D.
Sebastian, Florida Resident
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