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here is the latest up date from Jay Walley

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Contact: Jay Walley
The Paragon Foundation News Service (PFNS)
Alamogordo, New Mexico
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Tiny Communities Struggle to Save Their Homes From Federal Bureaucrats

by Danny E. Meek, Esq.

PFNS Pembroke Pines (FL) Ten years ago, Hurricane Andrew blasted the coast of Southeast Florida with the force of a Level Five hurricane, only one of three of that magnitude to hit the United States during the twentieth century. Residents of Homestead took the brunt of Andrew, which had sustained winds in excess of 145 miles an hour. Their homes were destroyed and their lives were devastated.

They fought back and they rebuilt.

Now, those same residents are threatened with the potential loss of their homes and they are fighting back once more. Only this time their enemy is not nature. Their enemy is their own government. On August 25, hundreds of vocal South Florida residents gathered to express their anger, disappointment, and distrust of government officials at C. B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines. The event, part of “The Sawgrass Rebellion," was sponsored by The 15,000 Coalition, Inc., The Everglades Protection Society, the Dade County Farm Bureau, and the 8.5 Square Mile Area Legal Defense Fund.

This regional event was a prelude to a property rights rally to be held in Naples, Florida October 17 and 18 and in Homestead, Florida on October 19. Many participants will journey to Florida in caravans from different parts of the country as part of The Sawgrass Rebellion, which now includes more than seven hundred groups. The movement reflects the growing opposition to the unwarranted taking of property by local, state, and federal governments and agencies. The Sawgrass Rebellion is an umbrella organization founded to protect the property rights of South Florida residents through legislation, litigation, and public education.

Alamogordo, New Mexico’s Paragon Foundation sent Jay Walley, who introduced leaders and representatives of various local groups involved in the Rebellion to an enthusiastic crowd. Parents came with children and grandparents. Picnic lunches were spread out on blankets as they prepared to spend the afternoon learning and listening. Local area activist and well-known writer Alice Pena, Jan Michael Jacobson of the Everglades Institute, and Frank Denninger of the Everglades Protection Society joined other speakers, as Suzette de Armas provided Spanish and English translations.

Gerardo C. Morales, president of The 15,000 Coalition told the crowd he and his family were reliving the horrors of forty years ago. "We lost our property then to Castro and the Cuban government," said the Golden Gate Estates landowner. "I can understand how this might happen in a communist country, but not here, not in the United States."

When Dave Friedrichs of the Dade County Farm Bureau addressed the landowners, he said he was present at the rally to show everyone The Sawgrass Rebellion was alive and kicking. He said the battle must be for all farmers, ranchers, landowners, and recreational sportsmen. "I have seen farmers lose their land to flooding and drought and financial devastation," said Friedrichs. "But, I will not stand by and see anyone lose their land due to some bureaucrat." When he finished his message, Friedrichs left the stage and shook hands with each person in the crowd to solidify his pledge to each landowner that he would fight to the end of the battle with them.

G B Oliver, executive director of Paragon, flew in from New Mexico the night before to take part in the rally and explain the mission of Paragon. "Some forty years ago, the Army Corps of Engineers took approximately 92,000 acres of ranch land from my grandfather," shouted Oliver. "I am here to fight the battle with you, to see that we stop the Corps from doing the same thing to the good people of Florida."

Pena said that the meeting was a “baby step” in a long fight that would end at the October rallies.

"We have an uphill battle, but we are going to win this fight," said Pena. “We must win this fight if we are going to keep our homes and our land. We need the support of landowners everywhere. We need thousands to make the journey to Naples and Homestead."

Caption: "We lost our property then to Castro and the Cuban government. I can understand how this might happen in a communist country, but not here, not in the United States." Gerardo C. Morales

PFNS is a public service of The Paragon Foundation, Alamogordo, NM
1-877-847-3443