Our fight continues in the wake of “Rural Lifestyle” vote
Residents against the Rural Lifestyle amendment protest ahead of the Martin County Commission meeting Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, in Stuart. Martin County is the dividing line between South Florida’s sprawl and less-intense development. On Tuesday, in a very close vote that Friends of the Everglades opposed, the commission voted to open thousands of acres of rural land to suburban-style development. Kudos is owed to Commissioners Sarah Heard and Ed Ciampi as the only two commissioners to hold the line during the vote to move forward with a new land-use designation known as “Rural Lifestyle,” marking what’s arguably the most significant change to the county’s Comprehensive Plan since it was established under the leadership of Maggy Hurchalla. The [...]