SUBJECT: Opposition to Development in the Little Manatee South Community and CPA 26-11
Email: dcpexter@commerce.fl.gov
Dear Florida Department of Commerce Staff,
I am writing to express my strong opposition to any current, future, proposed, contemplated, or potential development within the Little Manatee South Community of southeastern Hillsborough County, including but not limited to:
• Hillsborough County Comprehensive Plan Amendment CPA 26-11 related to the proposed I-75 interchange at Fort Hamer Road/Valroy Road
• The proposed Fort Hamer Road extension
• Any residential, commercial, industrial, logistics, data center, infrastructure, or urban expansion projects within the Little Manatee South Community
• Any future amendments, rezonings, sector plans, transportation projects, or development proposals that would facilitate urbanization of this rural area
The Little Manatee South Community represents one of the most environmentally significant remaining rural landscapes in Hillsborough County. It serves as a critical area for wildlife habitat, wildlife movement corridors, wetland protection, aquifer recharge, flood mitigation, agriculture, and open space preservation.
This area supports numerous native and protected species, including:
• Florida panther
• Gopher tortoise
• Bald eagle
• Sandhill crane
• Eastern indigo snake
The loss and fragmentation of habitat resulting from road construction, interchange development, residential subdivisions, commercial projects, and associated infrastructure would have permanent and irreversible impacts on wildlife populations and ecological connectivity throughout the region.
In addition to its ecological importance, the Little Manatee South Community provides significant public benefits through groundwater recharge, protection of wetlands, natural flood storage, water quality protection, carbon sequestration, agricultural production, and preservation of rural character. These functions become increasingly important as development pressures continue to intensify throughout the Tampa Bay region.
Equally important, these proposals conflict with the vision that residents established through the Little Manatee South Community planning process. Community members spent considerable time and effort developing a plan intended to preserve the area's rural character, agricultural heritage, environmental resources, open spaces, and natural systems. The community's stated vision has consistently emphasized conservation, agriculture, low-density rural land uses, and protection of wildlife habitats rather than urban expansion.
The proposed I-75 interchange and Fort Hamer Road extension would create a growth-inducing corridor that encourages urban sprawl and opens previously protected rural lands to large-scale development. Such projects would fundamentally undermine the purpose and intent of the Little Manatee South Community Plan and would disregard the expressed desires of residents who have repeatedly advocated for preserving the community's rural character and environmental resources.
Beyond the direct impacts of any individual project, the Florida Department of Commerce should carefully consider the cumulative impacts that would result from opening the Little Manatee South Community to urban development. An interchange, roadway extension, or comprehensive plan amendment does not occur in isolation. These projects are growth-inducing infrastructure investments that inevitably lead to additional rezoning requests, residential subdivisions, commercial development, utility expansions, increased traffic volumes, and further pressure to convert agricultural and conservation lands into urban uses.
The cumulative effect of these actions would be the gradual loss of one of the largest remaining rural landscapes in southeastern Hillsborough County. Wildlife habitat would become increasingly fragmented, wetlands would be degraded or isolated, aquifer recharge areas would be covered by impervious surfaces, flood risks would increase, agricultural operations would become less viable, and the rural character of the community would be permanently lost. What begins as a single interchange or roadway project ultimately becomes a catalyst for widespread urbanization.
The Little Manatee South Community also serves as an important rural and environmental buffer between the rapidly developing areas of Hillsborough and Manatee Counties and some of the region's most valuable natural and conservation resources. Preserving this landscape helps maintain regional ecological connectivity, protects wildlife corridors, and limits the outward expansion of urban sprawl. Once this buffer is compromised, the resulting impacts extend far beyond the immediate project area and affect the broader regional environment and quality of life.
Approving CPA 26-11 or any related development proposals would set a precedent that community plans and citizen-led planning efforts can be disregarded whenever development pressures arise. If community planning is to have meaning, then the goals, policies, and vision established through that process must be respected and upheld.
I respectfully urge the Florida Department of Commerce to oppose and reject any actions that would facilitate urban expansion into the Little Manatee South Community, including CPA 26-11 and any related transportation or land use amendments. The Department should support policies that preserve this area's environmental resources, wildlife habitats, agricultural lands, wetlands, aquifer recharge functions, flood protection benefits, open spaces, and rural character for current and future generations.
The Little Manatee South Community is not an appropriate location for additional urban development. Its environmental, agricultural, cultural, and natural resource values far outweigh any short-term development interests. All proposals that would encroach upon, fragment, or urbanize this area should be denied.
Thank you for your consideration and for your commitment to protecting Florida's natural resources, agricultural lands, and communities.