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Regulators, developers too cozy
By Times editorial
Published July 31, 2006
So the man who heads the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Florida is going to take a new job with a developer who might want to build on some Pasco County wetlands. And which agency issues permits to destroy wetlands? If you guessed the Corps of Engineers, you're starting to understand the revolving door between government regulators and those they regulate. Not that there's any prohibition against Col. Robert Carpenter becoming president of Grubbs Emergency Services, which owns a coastal rock mine that could become a resort and marina one day. No law says Carpenter can't retire from the corps and join Grubbs. Still, the odds are already stacked in favor of developers when it comes to destroying wetlands. A St. Petersburg Times investigation found that Florida lost 84,000 acres of wetlands to development in the past 15 years, all through permits issued by the corps. No doubt Carpenter is a skilled administrator who will be an asset to Grubbs, especially if the company decides to develop its land. But it is this kind of coziness between government official and developer that makes taxpayers wonder whose side the regulators are on.
[Last modified July 31, 2006, 05:38:22]
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