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Our Halpatiokee Fight

The Alliance and the Indian Riverkeeper are deeply committed to defend our Preserve State Parks. Once it became apparent to us that the legal safeguards designed to protect them were not engaged and Route 1C was selected for the bridge route as a result, we felt we had no choice but to pursue legal remedy though the courts.

We are indeed fortunate that good-hearted and highly competent attorneys have taken up our cause. Jason Totoiu, Esq., of the Everglades Law Center in Winter Haven, Florida, drafted the original assessment of the 4(f) challenge, and got the ball rolling with his letter registering our protest to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in April of 2012. Robert N. Hartsell, Esq. and Sarah M. Hayter, Esq. of Hartsell Law in Pompano Beach and Rachel S. Doughty of Greenfire Law in Berkeley, California took the ball from there, beginning with a letter to the FHWA in November of 2013, and the first filing in May of 2014.

We’ve come a long way already but we need your help to keep our momentum going. Please donate whatever you can to this noble cause.

Here’s a list of important milestones:
  • May 12, 2014: Complaint for Declatory and Injunctive Relief filed by the CASLC and the IRK against the DOT and FHWA.
  • August 19, 2014: Request for Administrative Proceeding filed by the CASLC against the South Florida Water Management District for granting a permit for “pre-construction” surveys at Halpatiokee Trails. This was a successful action: the city withdrew its permit application.
  • August 19, 2014: The CASLC and the IRK held a “Move the Bridge, Save the Park” protest at the entrance to Halpatiokee Trails, with both print and media coverage.
  • December 29, 2014 letter from the CASLC and the IRK establishing our rebuttal to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in re: permit application to fill wetlands at Halpatiokee Trails by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the city of Port St. Lucie. (See also CASLC member Beverly Yoshioka’s December 20, 2014 letter to the ACE.)
  • March 16, 2015: Initial brief filed in the case of the CASLC vs. the DOT and the FHWA.
  • April 21, 2015: Plaintiff’s response in opposition to motion to intervene by city of Port St. Lucie filed.

Word has spread of our fight to the offices of permitting agencies like the ACE, the SFWMD, and the Coast Guard. Any contemplated permitting action has now been given the status of “Heightened Public Concern” and agencies are seeking additional and concise information as to how the construction of the Route 1C bridge is not violating federal and state laws. We are paying attention.

If ever there was a David and Goliath fight, this is one. We are counting on your support.  Whether it is through contacting your elected representatives, agency heads, including from the FDEP (!), to express your concerns with the taking of Preserve State Parks for things like road infrastructure, or actual dollars contributed to our legal defense fund, we are profoundly grateful to you.

Thank you!

Lawsuit, Petition, Public Comment Documents
  • CASLC Letter to the Coast Guard
  • Lawsuit to Move Bridge Location
  • Petition to Stop Test Bores
  • Legal Brief filed by the Conservation Alliance and the Indian Riverkeeper
  • Conservation Alliance and Riverkeeper Appeals Court Brief
  • Public comment—Shari Anker, President of the Conservation Alliance
  • Public comment—Beverly Yoshioka
  • Appeals Brief​
  • ​North Fork St. Lucie River Floodplain Vegetation Technical Report" (WR-2015-005)
  • ​SFWMD water reservation plans for water rules to preserve fish statewide.
  • Letter to Greg Oravec, mayor of Port St. Lucie, from Anne Cox, president of the Florida Native Plant Society ​
  • "Biological investigation and review” by ecologist Greg Braun, for the DOAH hearings re: easement and Environmental Resource Permit issued by So. Florida Water Management District​

Additional Information

Visit John Bradford’s Blog: A Trail to the River
https://halpatiokee.wordpress.com/author/cyperaceae/

Facebook Page by Citizens to Move the Bridge:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Citizens-to-MOVE-the-CrossTown-Bridge/562207930549605?fref=ts

Evans Creek Video – Creator Unknown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM8yqzACXeA

Save the Halpatiokee Trails video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oY4acxDCDQ

Fighting bulldozers in a Florida state park
http://floridahikes.com/fighting-bulldozers-in-a-state-park
News

Conservation Alliance responds to Unit Management Plan proposal for the Savannas Preserve
(March 15, 2017)

Halpatiokee Fight mentioned in Sierra Club Newsletter

(January 2017 issue)

​Dr. Grant Gilmore - You Can't Catch Fish with a Robot
(December 4, 2016)

TCPalm "Port St. Lucie 'assault' on land along North Fork 'obscene,' alliance says"
(December 23, 2016)

TCPalm guest column by Alliance President Shari Anker - "We must demand eco-literacy from our leaders"
(October 25, 2016)

​10 PARKS THAT CHANGED AMERICA – PBS video about parks in America that includes a section on the landmark Supreme Court Overton Park decision that said no to building through parks when other alternatives are available. Open the video and scroll to about 31 seconds to see the Overton Park story and why it relates to our case.
Click here.

​Noted Local Scientist Dr. Grant Gilmore Speaks out about  Proposed Crosstown Bridge Route

Letter to the Editor,  TCPalm newspaper 
(December 10, 2015)
​
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/columnists/anthony-westbury/anthony-westbury-love-in-the-st-lucie-river-boat-tour-reveals-sounds-of-spawning-and-silence_85201855  (September 29, 2015)

http://www.tcpalm.com/franchise/shaping-our-future/our-roads/judge-denies-port-st-lucies-request-to-join-crosstown-parkway-lawsuit-sets-hearing_65759367  (September 4, 2015)


http://www.tcpalm.com/opinion/shari-anker-lessons-from-our-battle-to-save-two-preserve-state-parks_67688320   (September 8, 2015)

http://www.tcpalm.com/franchise/shaping-our-future/new-petition-could-hold-up-crosstown-parkway-bridge-project-in-port-st-lucie_28277069   (August 21, 2014)

http://www.tcpalm.com/franchise/shaping-our-future/port-st-lucies-crosstown-parkway-project-could-face-more-litigation_51283083   (December 30, 2014)

Links to Television Coverage

http://www.wptv.com/news/region-st-lucie-county/port-st-lucie/environmentalists-protest-file-new-lawsuit-against-crosstown-parkway-bridge

Editorials by Palm Beach Post Columnist 
Sally Swartz


Palm Beach Post, Swartz: Officials foolishly forge ahead with Crosstown Parkway Bridge    (January 17, 2016)
​

http://opinionzone.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2014/12/28/port-st-lucie-tries-new-route-to-get-bridge-through-savannas-preserve/    (December 14, 2014)

http://opinionzone.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2014/05/25/swartz-to-preserve-halpatiokee-road-and-bridge-should-be-re-routed/  (May 22, 2014)

http://opinionzone.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2013/03/29/crosstown-bridge-breaks-promise-to-preserve-halpatiokee-wilderness/   (March 29, 2013)

http://opinionzone.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2014/08/24/st-lucie-bridge-opponents-seek-help-from-gov-scott/    (December 24, 2014)

http://opinionzone.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2014/09/14/is-reprieve-from-bridge-building-for-savannas-state-park-temporary/   (September 14, 2014)
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​Together we can make a difference!
Conservation Alliance is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization, under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code, and is incorporated ​and registered in Florida. All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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