Land-use crusade a `dream job'

Richard Grosso is executive director and general counsel for the
Environmental and Land Use Law Center located at Nova Southeastern
University's law school, where he is also an associate professor.

Q: When was the center created and what is its mission?

A: It was established in 1992 as a not-for-profit firm that works to protect
Southeast Florida's environment. We are funded completely by grants and
donations from people in this community. I actually have three full-time
jobs here because, in addition to running the center and acting as one of
its three lawyers, I am also a fund raiser.

Q: Talk about multi-tasking. Are you a masochist, or what?

A: I have the dream job. I grew up in South Florida. I always wanted to be a lawyer and work through the law to save South Florida's environment. So here I am at age 34 doing exactly that. I hope I'll be able to do this the rest
of my life.

What's even better is that every year I get to teach a new crop of interns
who want to join in this upstream battle. They're eager and enthusiastic
about it, and that helps keep the burnout away.

Q: What are some of the major things you're working on now?

A: Well, on Monday I'm going to trial, literally over the fate of the
Florida Keys. This was the year that Monroe County was supposed to finish a plan that would control the rate of future growth to sustain the Keys' natural resources and maintain safe hurricane-evacuation standards and adequate infrastructure. Instead, Monroe officials created a plan that
actually increases allowable growth beyond the carrying capacity of the
Keys.

Scientists now tell us that the natural resources in the Keys have reached a
point of collapse. So we're going to court to make the county comply with
what the state told it to do originally.

Q: What are some other issues you're working on?

A: There are so many, but a big one is the South Miami-Dade watershed study, and another important issue is the location of the Scripps Institute complex in Palm Beach County. In the Scripps case, the federal Environmental Protection Agency last Thursday sent a letter to Palm Beach County officials that agrees with our position, which is that the present site -- the Mecca Farm -- would be a bad decision environmentally for the Everglades and for the county's own resources.

I'm actually optimistic at this point that the Palm Beach County Commission eventually will decide that the Mecca Farm site is a bad choice and move the development to a more-compatible location.

Q: What about the watershed study?

A: Well, that's really important to the people who live in that area as well
as everyone who loves to visit Everglades National Park or go kayaking or
snorkeling in Biscayne National Park. The quality of water flowing into the
bay and the park is and will continue to be affected by development and
increased traffic in the area, which is booming.

The study is going on right now, and this is the time when people can
participate in a process that will ultimately shape what happens there. You
know, years from now when the results are done and implemented, people will say, ``When did all this happen?''

Well, it's happening now. People need to understand that land-use decisions
and scientific studies like the watershed project matter to their everyday
lives and get involved in time.

You can find out more about the study here. (www.southmiamidadewatershed.com)

Herald Editorial Board member Kathleen Krog prepared this report.