In the December issue, John Dunn did an admirable job of pointing out the serious threats to Florida's springs ["Threat From Below"]. Specifically, he identified nitrates and over-development of recharge areas as contributing to the reduction of both water quality and quantity.
One part of the article, however, was very misleading and must not be left unanswered. The article says that "bottled water companies are increasingly helping themselves" to water from Florida's springs because they are not subject to the state's "local sources first" laws.
Trend readers should understand that all of Florida's spring water bottling operations combined take less than 2 million gallons per day from these sources. By comparison, there are single farms, dairies and mining operations that use far more of the resource.
The fact is springs in our state discharge about 8 billion gallons of water per day. That means spring bottled water companies use less than .025% of the resource. The water is taken at or near the source, and scientific testing and monitoring confirm it does not impact the recharge area in any adverse way. Furthermore, bottled water companies have a vested interest in protecting the source water.
Zephyrhills Spring Water Co. actively assists the Florida Springs Task Force in its mission to protect these magnificent natural treasures. We have been and will continue to be an important force in helping find solutions. But by no means are we causing the problems.
Meg Andronaco
Natural resource manager, Perrier Group of America
Zephyrhills
Weston
Finally, someone gets honest about Weston! Thanks for the balanced article ["Sprawling Contradiction," December 2001].
As president of Weston during its formative years from 1987 through 1990, I was lucky enough to be a part of creating a new "hometown" in south Florida. From Chuck Cobb and John Temple's original vision, Sandy Miot's startup, my tenure as president, my successor Jim Motta and those that followed, Weston was a dream project that gave us an opportunity to create something special.
No, we didn't try to embrace the elitists' "new urbanism," a concept that in spite of the endless hype by Duany & Plater-Zyberk and other promoters has yet to create a community that even comes close to Weston's success and acceptance. Given a blank canvas, we were determined to create a place, corny as it sounds, that was a real "hometown," that was logically designed and where people could safely raise a family, go to school, work and have a great time with their neighbors. It was not revolutionary, but evolutionary based on great cities and towns such as Coral Gables, where I grew up. Is it the perfect place to live? Nowhere is, but 16,000 homeowners from many income levels and diverse backgrounds made it their choice for one of their most important decisions -- where to live and raise a family.
As to the environment, there isn't a shred of scientific evidence that Weston has done anything to harm the natural water flows. To the contrary, Roy Rogers has made Weston an environmental model for other projects to emulate.
While the partnership that owned Weston might not have made great returns due to some of its other holdings, I can assure you Weston was a financial success.
I guess I can finally go to an Urban Land Institute meeting and not have to suffer any more Weston-bashing. Nah, probably not, but I can smile every time I drive through Weston and feel good every time I meet someone who loves living there, and that's what really counts.
Patrick Sessions
President, P.E. Sessions & Assoc.
Miami
Ryder System
Ryder System has no plans to move its headquarters from south Florida to Memphis -- or anywhere else for that matter.
David Villano's article in the November issue ["Shaping Miami"] begins by stating, "Ryder System, one of Miami-Dade's last major corporate residents, moves its headquarters to Memphis." While this was a sure way to get people's attention, I'm concerned that some readers may not have read on to find that this account was, in Mr. Villano's own words, a "purely fictional" scenario contained in the Collins Center for Public Policy's recent thought piece, "South Florida 2010: Four Scenarios for the Region's Future."
Ryder applauds Florida Trend's efforts to cover strategic community leadership initiatives that innovative groups such as the Collins Center are undertaking to help shape Miami-Dade's future. At the same time, our company wouldn't want readers to have undue concerns that Ryder is planning to move from the community that has helped it grow from one $35 Ford truck in 1933 to a $5.3-billion global leader in transportation management and supply chain solutions in 2001.
David Bruce
Corporate communications director, Ryder System
Miami