Sawgrass Rebellion Launched...
The Transformation of Florida
The Wildlands Project targeted Florida as a priority state to transform into its
vision of wilderness, more than ten years ago. The three maps show Florida in 1992 as 90-percent privately owned, and only 10-percent owned by government (represented in green). When the transformation is complete, 90-percent will be owned by the government, with only 10-percent remaining in private hands.
The center map shows what the Wildlands Project expected the government/private land distribution to be in 2002. They were pretty accurate in their projections. If the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan is imposed, South Florida will become the green area shown on the center map.
Other projects throughout the state, especially in the Jacksonville area, and the central part of the state, have acquired land for wilderness corridors and additional core wilderness (green) areas.
Private land owners are being forced off their land by a variety of coersive land-use policies, being imposed under the banner of "Everglades Restoration," endangered species protection, open space, Heritage areas, and a host of other programs, all designed to displace people, or severely restrict the use of private property.
While this initiative has been underway nationwide for more than a decade, the intrusion into South Florida is becoming the last straw - as far as the affected land owners are concerned.
Cries for help from the people in South Florida were heard by the Paragon Foundation in Alamogordo, New Mexico, which agreed to help organize a national campaign to help stop the transformation of Florida, and indeed, the transformation of the nation.
Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee on July 20, 2002, the third annual Freedom 21 Conference adopted the "Sawgrass Rebellion" as a priority project to launch its national plan of action to reverse the negative impacts of the Wildlands Project and and its counterpart - so-called "Smart Growth." Leaders from more than 50 grassroots organizatons in 34 states and two foreign countries were present, and adopted the project and the plan of action unanimously.
This web site reports the situation, and steps being taking to find alternatives that do not displace people, trample property rights, and destroy the dreams and lives of thousands of people.