Amendments should be rejected out of principle

I am requesting that [Department of Community Affairs Secretary Tom Pelham] reject the most recent Monroe County Working Waterfront Amendments submitted by the Monroe Board of County Commissioners.

The county staff worked very hard to create a fair plan, and the county Planning Commission worked to finalize and package the amendments they felt were appropriate. Both these efforts were with public input. The last-minute presentation of changes by an attorney for one of the developers, and the rapid adoption of those changes by three of the Monroe County commissioners, is not in the best interest of the citizens of Monroe County or the state of Florida.

I, among many, have not seen the details of these last-minute changes. I have heard that the changes gutted the Planning Commission's amendments.

While this may be true, my concern is with the way in which the changes were submitted and rapidly approved without due process.

On principle, I ask that you reject these amendments, regardless of their merits.

Bill Hunter, Stock Island