Recently, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) deemed a $24,300 donation and signage sufficient to satisfy the public interest criteria and returned the proposal to SouthWestFloridaWaterManagement District's Tampa office for continued processing. However, we believe this raises ethical concerns, as the donation directly benefits a sub-agency of their own and does not address the public interest requirements under Administrative Code chapter 18-21 (54):

 “Public interest” means demonstrable environmental, social, and economic benefits which would accrue to the public at large as a result of a proposed action, and which would clearly exceed all demonstrable environmental, social, and economic costs of the proposed action. In determining the public interest in a request for use, sale, lease, or transfer of interest in sovereignty lands or severance of materials from sovereignty lands, the board shall consider the ultimate project and purpose to be served by said use, sale, lease, or transfer of lands or materials.

THESE ARE TO BE PRIVATE DOCKS where manatee frequent and depend on the seagrass in this quiet estuary.

We solicit you petitioners for direct donations to (StevensonCreek.org) for our cause. We need environmental lawyers for administrative hearings and/or appeals,  water and manatee experts to speak/write on our behalf, offer of aid for similar fights that have succeeded.  Again contact StevensonCreek.org or me, a member, directly at SherDayTampa@gmail.com