Message from the Chairman
<back>When the Lake Jesup Restoration Task Force (1987-1994) gave up and folded, the chairman stated then "A lake restoration here is impossible". He said it would cost too much and take way too long. But most importantly he stated that the government agencies that control it would never coordinate and allow it to happen. To this day I respect this man and his opinion, and he remains skeptical. Although the lake is still full of mud and devoid of vegetation, today there is some hope for improvement. The circumstance surrounding Lake Jesup has shifted greatly since the Friends of Lake Jesup was formed.
After 10 years acting as chairman of this group I want to believe that the lake has turned the last corner, which it can not go back to that hopeless place that we found it. But not because there is any less pressure today to act as though it's a dumping ground or a worthless obstacle to be overcome. That segment of the population and government are still powerful in Seminole County, many still abuse and sully this lake every day. But more and more thinking people are realizing each day that Jesup is a massive untapped resource, a legacy that we should care for and pass along to our grandkids. I am encouraged by these new 'Friends of Lake Jesup'.
I wish to speak with you about the 'Old' Friends. While there are too many to mention by name here, each of them will know in their hearts that they contributed to today, Several have died since we started, others have moved on to pressing matters elsewhere. But I wish all of them to know that their time and effort was well spent. I am so very proud to know each of them, to have had the chance to work together with every one. Each of us had our day of frustration; each reached their limit, the threshold of BS tolerable. But each of them is my hero for getting us here today. I regret none, and I will not single one out, all heroes I tell you. I only regret wearing every one out over these last 10 years, pushing true friends to their limit and then further. So with the event of the Interagency Strategy, and the BMAP process going on right now, it was decided to give all of those faithful members a rest. We are now meeting on an as-needed basis for the immediate future.
The Basin Management Action Plan meetings bring the agencies together each month to work on the lakes nutrient budget and provides opportunity to share information. It has made some other meetings about Jesup redundant. The Interagency Strategy has limited the pace of the restoration exponentially, and supersedes any effort to repair the lake quickly. So for now we wait (years) for stormwater nutrient loads to be reduced, and then we wait again (years) for the impact of those reductions to be monitored and evaluated. Then we wait for the decision (who knows how long) of the agencies that the stormwater reductions are not miraculously cleaning up the muck residing in the lake already. Then, and only then, will we begin again to work toward removing the mud that fills the lake. This is the path we are on.
You probably wonder about now, what gives me faith that this is some improvement over absolute hopelessness. We have a commitment by the agencies to clean up the lake. Folks, this is huge. They have said that when the waiting around is over, they will permit the muck removal. Well, someday the excuses may run out. But there is no one in government assigned to watch the gate; the agreement is only as good as the citizens that will hold these agencies to their agreement. So while I am standing down as the leader of 'Friends of Lake Jesup' today, the need to be vigilant will remain indefinitely. The work of the last 14 years may rely on whoever is keeping watch 10 years from now. I do hope that the Friends can keep going, keep focused and hold the agencies to their commitment.
There is much work to be done regarding Lake Jesup. There is work the Friends have not finished. And each day some new destructive proposal rears its head. FDOT will find a way to pound more pilings across the middle of the lake soon with the SR417 bridge widening, and they have no intention of fixing the mess they made with the last job. The Sanford airport is building straight toward the lake, and Sanford will follow suit with inappropriate land use changes and development right into the floodplain. Housing projects are still being permitted by the county right into the shoreline wetlands. Sanford's sewage sludge dump site still flushes huge amounts of nutrients into the lake with each rain. Noise and speed is unregulated on the lake itself. Aircraft noise engulfs the lake regularly. And who knows what rotten proposal will surface tomorrow. There is work for a next generation of Friends to do.
The immediate task at hand is to help the USACOE finish their evaluation of the reconnection of Jesup to the St Johns River underneath the newly built SR46 bridge. There will be a public information meeting to present the status and options soon. Look for the notice on our webpage and in the local newspapers. This would be a great time for anyone who would like to reestablish the work of the Friends of Lake Jesup. Bring ideas and energy. And optimism. Hopelessness must never be allowed to return.
Respectfully,
Robert King