’We don’t get a second chance.’ Buchanan wants to protect panthers near new roads backed by Galvano
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan on Wednesday expressed concerns over how a series of toll roads championed by Florida Senate President Bill Galvano might pose a threat to one of Florida’s most threatened animals.
In a letter sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, urged the Florida Department of Transportation to proceed with caution and careful planning related to one of the three proposed highways. A 140-mile roadway connecting Polk County to Collier County would through land inhabited by the endangered Florida panther.
“Modernizing our infrastructure to deal with continued population growth is important, but so is ensuring the survival of an endangered species that also happens to be the Florida state animal,” Buchanan wrote. “We don’t get a second chance once a species becomes extinct.”
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist predicted that the Heartland Parkway could have “serious impacts” on the Florida panther. Galvano, R-Bradenton, recently called that a “completely overstated” assessment.
The Florida Legislature and DeSantis signed off on the toll roads, meant to stimulate underserved populations along Florida’s west coast, in 2019. Construction should begin at the end of 2022 and be completed by 2030.
“We’re not going to destroy the environment for the sake of particular infrastructure,” Galvano told reporters in December. “But there are ways to accomplish what we need to do in order to sustain our state that takes all of these things into consideration.”
Of the 27 Florida panthers that died in 2019, 23 of them were killed in vehicle collisions. Four more panthers have already died in this year, and there are fewer than 250 alive today, according to estimates.
Reached for comment Wednesday afternoon, Katie Betta, Galvano’s chief of staff, explained the steps laid out to protect the panther and other Florida wildlife.
“(Senate) President Galvano has great respect for Congressman Buchanan, and shares his concerns for preserving Florida’s unique natural habitats and resources,” she said.
The bill already includes provisions that require each corridor task force to evaluate wildlife crossing designs and features that reduce the impact to natural resources. A final report must be presented to DeSantis, the president of the Senate and the Speaker of the House by Oct. 1, and construction cannot begin until that report is completed.
In his letter, Buchanan pointed to a bill he introduced last year, the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act, which would designate National Wildlife Corridors on federal land and set aside $50 million in funding for states and local governments to fund connectivity pathways for native species.
Protection for the Florida panther could come in the form of an underpass that allows the big cats to navigate the wilderness on either side of the road freely, Buchanan said.
“Florida panthers have become our iconic symbol for the wilderness and beauty of Florida. We must do everything possible to protect this treasured species,” Buchanan wrote to DeSantis. “That’s why I’m asking you to instruct the Florida Department of Transportation to devise ways to avoid fatal disruptions to the panther’s habitat.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
