Politics

Where will we be in 50 years?

By MELANIE AVE, Times Staff Writer
Published January 21, 2008

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker is the chairman of the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida.
	[Lara Cerri | Times (2003)]

Fifty years from now, what will it be like to live in the Sunshine State?

To help make the answer to that question a positive one - where there's enough land, energy and water for future generations - the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida set to work in 2005 at the behest of the state Legislature.

The all-volunteer commission issues its annual report to the Legislature and governor each January.

In its first report last year, the group recommended the state move toward energy independence and identified climate change as the most important issue for the state. Here's what the group's chairman, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, had to say about the commission's recently released second report.

The commission's first recommendation focuses on making sure there is an adequate and reliable water supply. Why?

The commission wants to increase water conservation, especially in areas like Apalachicola that struggle with supply. "You can really go region by region and see there are significant challenges," he said. The commission has called for a statewide water summit to come up with a long-term conservation plan. It also wants the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to prepare a forecast of the impact water shortages if water supply levels dip.

Another focus of the commission is for the state to properly identify its critical lands and waters.

By bringing them all together, Baker said, the state can get a better idea of how and where to focus its conservation efforts.

One of the goals is to bring together the environmental, agriculture and development industries "to see if we can develop a consensus," he said. "It has never been done. If you don't do that, all you're going to do is buy a fight. People are coming to an understanding that there are areas that need to be set aside. In the long run, it makes it easier for everybody."

The commission has called for the state to design sustainable communities and buildings. One way is to strengthen water and energy efficiency standards and make buildings better hurricane ready.

"The purpose of the commission is not to look at small issues," Baker said. Just think if somebody had toughened building codes decades ago, then perhaps the state would not be experiencing its current homeowners insurance crisis, he said. "The insurance issue is not going to go away. We have to have buildings that can sustain hurricanes. This is not to fix everything for the next year. We're looking 50 years in the future."

Is Baker worried about Florida's future?

No. But he noted studies showing that if state leaders wait 50 years to preserve Florida's natural resources, "it will all be gone. It's wise to be planning for it."

Melanie Ave can be reached at mave@sptimes.com or 727 893-8813.

Want to know more?

To read the report of the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida, click on: www.centurycommission.org.

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To read the report of the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida, www.centurycommission.org.

[Last modified January 20, 2008, 23:14:15]