ATV Florida Forum

Jesse Hardy finaly gave in, I say good for him, at least he got some money out of the State. This now allows the state to start on the Restoration.


Everglades holdout agrees to millions for homestead

Associated Press
Posted April 13 2005, 11:21 AM EDT

A man who fought for years to keep his swampy home in the rural Everglades settled for $4.95 million with the state, which plans to restore the wetlands area.

The deal, approved Wednesday morning by a Collier County circuit judge, allows Jesse Hardy to remain on his 160 acres until Nov. 30.

The former Navy SEAL lives in a clapboard home he built, hidden behind dirt roads about 40 miles east of downtown Naples, with a 9-year-old boy he considers his son and the boy's mother.

Hardy scraped up $60,000 to buy the land in 1976 and rejected offers to sell the land to the state for years, even as offers multiplied to $4.5 million last summer. Hardy said he wanted to hold onto a dying rural lifestyle and pass it on to his son. He did not immediately return a phone message Wednesday morning.

State officials say the land is crucial to the $8.4 billion Everglades Restoration project, which will fill in canals and tear apart roads that carved up the fragile ecosystem decades ago.

Construction at the property will begin in mid-2006, said Ernie Barnett, the state Department of Environmental Protection's director of ecosystem projects.

They've already filled-in the canals. This just means the entire project can now project as planned. BTW, the former Navy SEAL lives in a clapboard home he built, hidden behind dirt roads about 40 miles east of downtown Naples, with a 9-year-old boy he considers his son and the boy's mother. Will that 4.5 million buy a private Neverland?

All I know is that these MO FOS better save us a few thousand acres to ride.  

Restoration come on that BS every body should know that in a year or two they we start building houses there as for restoration for get it money is the key remember this message
because it will happen. restoration hahahahaha ya wright
don't let them feed you that BS. Their are streets there already one less thing for them to do when building houses
keep sleeping on that side of the bed. you will fall down and brake your head  [smiley=BrokenHeart.gif]

Article from Naples Daily News October 17,2003:

. Even Collier County was threatened with eminent domain when county commissioners refused to hand over miles of roads in the restoration area. Commissioners approved a roads deal last month.

Under the deal, the county gave up the roads in exchange for $1 million a year for up to 20 years for maintenance of the county's drainage system and a pledge that the state will find 640 acres for an ATV park for angry riders pushed out by the restoration.

OK...so where is this area?  Can we all remind Mr Bush of his promise?

640 acres that's nothing. croom is 2,500 acres and people don't even like it. besides that with only one place here in south Florida their is going to be 640 atv'/dirtbikes in that riding area 1 atv per square acre that's not wright they take away what 20,000 or 30,000 acres and all we get is 640 acres
that sucks I see my self selling my atv  :'( and getting my self a new toy  :) like a street bike. :-/ dam [smiley=banghead.gif]

It would be 640 acres more than available now.  Guess there is always something to complain about.

Is not about complaining its about been fair to people that have been riding there for more then 15 years. Beside that the people that are setting this up for us more that likely never gotten in top of an atv and don't know anything about atv/dirtbikes.Don't just get the first thing they offer thats how they run all over you.An atv that does 70 MPH can ride that hole park in about an 1hour. Maybe they should ask us for our opinion that would be fair. Badluck is about million or more acres 640 acres sound like they don't give a rats ass about us >:(

OK.  I can see your reasoning.

BadLuck is only a fraction of the 60,000+ acres of Picayune Strand State Forest. But, I'm certain it was more than 640 acres and more than the 2200 acres under consideration for ATV use. Attend the friggin' OHV Advisory Cmte meeting on 26 April 2005 for more info and an opportunity to voice your concern.

http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/picayune_strand.html