I was greatly dismayed to learn of a proposal to swap 600 acres of land in environmentally sensitive and ecologically unique areas of the Guana Research Reserve in St Johns County with a real estate developer for 3000 acres of far less naturally noteworthy land.
As a resident of St Johns County, I have greatly admired our leaders in their steadfast resolve to preserve and enhance this extraordinary natural enclave in the face of the rapid, massive and frankly rapacious real estate development transforming St Johns County in irreversible and far less than desirable ways. I favor carefully considered development in St Johns County that improves our way of life.
This proposed land swap is the antithesis of that sacrificing irreplaceable natural habitats, apparently because of the proximity of the Guana Research Reserve to the coastal areas so much in demand for high-end housing. This proposal would also further stress the already overburdened infrastructure of St Johns County.
The land received in return for sacrificing unique wetlands cannot justify the proposal. I strongly urge all readers to oppose this proposal. It would not preserve the outstanding quality of life in St Johns County; it would instead destroy something truly worthwhile with dire, irreversible and unnecessary consequences.
Joseph A. Thomasino, MD, MS, FACPM (retired)
Ponte Vedra Beach
