Here's a partial victory for those who speak up and carry on at government meetings.
Staffers at the St. Johns River Water Management District were recommending that board members sell 800 acres east of Eustis because it's "surplus." The land would have been sold with some restrictions on its use.
Local environmentalists and bike enthusiasts, however, say it's just as important that the district hang onto the property as it was when the agency began buying it in 1992 — and maybe more so.
The decision to sell would have been made Dec. 11, but staffers on Monday recommended that it be postponed until summer. They said a group of citizens were going to try to get a consortium of governments to take over the property.
"Clearly, there were a lot of people that had some concerns," said district spokesman Hank Largin. "We're trying hard to look at all angles."
The property was purchased in three chunks to help control flooding and to eliminate muck farming on it. The farm had been pumping nasty, polluted water into Hicks Ditch, which flows south across the land and into Trout Lake, considered the most seriously "impaired" — other than Lake Apopka — in the Ocklawaha Chain by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Trout Lake is still a mess, and the Pine Meadows property still has a role in the cleanup. Also, a bike and walking trail is planned for the property, which is part of an emerging chain of conservation lands just east of town.
Selling it now would be like taking a key link from the chain. The district is doing the right thing in taking the issue off the Dec. 11 agenda.
Fruitland Park sidesteps issue
There they go again — doing nothing.
The chief of police in Fruitland Park has managed to get away with campaigning on duty in uniform. Emergency lights on his vehicle were flashing as he stood by the side of the road in a school zone with a hand-lettered sign several days before the Nov. 20 city election.
Instead of being fired for absurdly bad judgment, Chief Terry Isaacs is getting a little slap in the form of a written reprimand from the city's clerk, who is the acting city manager.
Fruitland Park's real manager is suspended while Lake County sheriff's detectives investigate whether he committed a sex crime against a female employee. This isn't the first time Ralph Bowers has been in trouble regarding the ladies. The city of Jasper paid $20,000 to settle a harassment claim against him and then fired Bowers when a second complaint was lodged. You'd think he'd get the message by now.
The reprimand to Isaacs stated that he failed to follow the direct orders of a supervisor and that his behavior was "conduct unbecoming an employee of Fruitland Park." From here on, the letter said, Isaacs must behave or he could be subject to increased discipline.
Big deal.
That's the same approach commissioners took when they were told that Bowers was having a sexual relationship with an employee — they did nothing. Prediction: Their stony resistance to taking responsibility will create trouble later.
Tips on sending cookies to troops
And finally, here's advice for those who want to send items to Navy Lt. j.g. Laura Cook, a Tavares native serving at a forward operating base in Afghanistan.
The base is so small that it has no store, so Laura and her fellow soldiers have no place to buy toiletries or snacks or the little goodies that make being away from home bearable. Laura, a Tavares High graduate, was hoping for some homemade cookies for Christmas.
Reader Patty Therrien, a water resources engineer, said she spearheaded a drive to send packages to service members in Afghanistan several years ago.
Here's her advice:
"The United States Postal Service has large, flat-rate boxes than can be shipped to any APO/FPO address for $13.45. That is a $2 discount from the regular price. If your local post office does not have these in stock, then a standard large, flat-rate box can be used, and the special price should still apply.
"A completed customs form must accompany each box. There are also restrictions on what items can be shipped. A good source for that information is: https://www.usps.com/ship/apo-fpo-guidelines.htm
"I'm just waiting for the snickerdoodles to cool enough so I can pack them up," Therrien wrote. "This makes baking for the holidays so much more meaningful for me!"
Lritchie@tribune.com. Her blog is online at http://www.orlandosentinel.com/laurenonlake. Lauren invites you to join her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/laurenonlake.
