Gulf County Citizens Coalition
Informed Involved Proactive
Gulf County Citizens Coalition
Working to protect and restore our land, waters, and unique ecology while educating and inspiring the next generation of guardians.
We will:
-
provide fact-based information to our elected officials and the community about the benefits and hazards of proposed projects.
-
raise awareness of issues impacting public and environmental health and develop community-based solutions.
-
build communication between decision-makers, businesses, and citizens to advance our natural resource-based economy and recovery from industrial blight.
-
plan, fundraise, and advocate for an educational facility to increase knowledge and appreciation of our waters and the life in and around them.
Our Vision
An informed, involved, and proactive citizenry that is dedicated to safeguarding our lands and waters and passing down a healthy Gulf County to future generations.
It’s not just a vision; it’s a responsibility we all share.
Building an Engaged Community
We are an all-volunteer, 500-member-strong, non-profit, grassroots coalition.
-
We seek to build an atmosphere of transparency and cooperation between government, businesses, and the public so we are not at odds but working together to protect our cherished lands and waters.
-
We believe that education is critical to fostering environmental preservation.
-
Knowledge leads to understanding, which leads to appreciation, connection, and caring.
-
People who care are willing to fight for conservation as opposed to exploitation for short-term gains.
Over 500 Coalition Members Strong
Working for a healthy Gulf County
Current Actions and Alerts
DISBANDING OUR PORT AUTHORITY IN FAVOR OF A MULTI-COUNTY BOARD
We will lose control of our own Port!
Our State Representative, Jason Shoaf, drafted a local bill for this legislative session (HB 4105) to give Gulf County a 2 in 5 vote on what occurs at our port. When so many of you wrote to House Committee members, the bill was amended to add another Gulf Count Seat. That was a big victory, but it then passed through the committee. The other 3 commissioners on the New Port Authority will come from Liberty, Gadsden, and Franklin Counties, all appointed by the Governor. The stated plan is "to reopen the port at PSJ, bring industrial opportunities, and connect all 4 counties with a return of the railroad." The general public and our elected officials have had no input on this new "regional port." Rep. Shoaf and Sen. Simon have conducted zero public meetings since they announced the bill 6 months ago. The GCCC believes that Port Commissioners who live as much as 50-100 miles away will be concerned with their own counties' benefits not the environmental and economic risk Port St. Joe will be taking by dredging through the dioxins we know are buried at the port from the paper mill days. Nor will other counties be concerned about the detrimental effects on our city infrastructure by port expansion.
It is too late to contact Rep. Shoaf or Sen. Simon. It will pass in the Florida House likely on March 3rd. This is a "local bill" which means it can be "bundled" with other local bills in the Senate and passed with a simple yes/no vote. Our last chance to stop this is to appeal to Governor Ron DeSantis. He will likely not consider a veto if he does not get around 1000 emails asking for one. That alerts him that there is a problem. We urge you to Contact the Governor immediately! Use Veto HB 4105 in your subject line so that all our requests are counted together. If he does not veto it, it will become law fifteen days after it is sent to him. You can only write a few sentences on the contact form. His staff will be looking for a simple reason he needs to veto. Here are a few to think about: (1) It is pork spending; hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to create a port when one exists a few miles away in Panama City. (2) There is no requirement for the other three counties to help pay for any of the Gulf County or Port St. Joe City infrastructure that will be impacted by a port. (3) We have ship repair already that would be displaced, and a current Port Authority working on a vocational workforce training facility so our kids can get good jobs there. (4) We have higher levels of toxic dioxin in the bay than Rep. Shoaf knew; the three other counties will not care about our environmental risk or be required to pay for any cleanup or have liability for the destruction of our tourism and fisheries if the contamination penetrates the food chain. (5) The bill had zero public input. No agenda or bill text at the legislative delegation meeting where it was introduced, no other public hearings, one House Committee meeting where the public was allowed to speak for one minute. (6). No County or City Commissions in any of the counties signed off on the bill, but the only funding mechanism for the three new counties must come from these Commissions. Only Gulf County can use gas tax or millage increases, which is hardly fair cost-sharing.
GET INFORMED ON CURRENT PORT PLANS!
Keep watch as we post on our Facebook and get signed up for our newsletter.
.jpg)
