The changing landscape of Lee and Collier counties and what it means for the panther wlrn.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wlrn.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
As agriculture gives way to planned developments, many worry the Florida panther is on a path to doom.Environmentalists say planned communities Kingston in eastern Lee and Bellmar in eastern Collier and both the size of small cities could hurtle the Florida panther from the Endangered Species List to extinction.
A federal court has ruled in favor of environmental groups, determining that the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated federal law when they greenlit Florida’s takeover of the Clean Water Act wetlands permitting program.
Finding that the agencies had made an end run around the Endangered Species Act, the court on Thursday struck down Florida’s program for reviewing the impacts that wetland permits have on imperiled species. Under the court’s new order, EPA, Florida and those seeking permits to impact wetlands must use Endangered Species Act provisions to ensure that threatened and endangered species are protected in Clean Water Act permitting.