Chapter 1.5
Preservation of Green Space
On this page, there are three key elements:
- Summary
- Full text for this section of the Neighborhood Plan
- Short survey
Summary:
Natural green space on Palm Island is disappearing as more lots are cleared and replaced with shell, stone, and paving. Preserving green space helps protect water resources, supports native wildlife, and keeps the island environmentally healthy.
We recommend:
- Encouraging land acquisitions by conservation groups, such as the Bocilla Islands Conservancy (BICI)
- Discouraging clear-cutting of property for new builds
- Reducing future overdevelopment by limiting how many homes can be built
- Enforcing existing tree and invasive species rules
- Incentivize homeowners to preserve green space
Full Version:
We encourage everyone to read the full version. While we did our best to summarize above, this full version offers much more nuance.
Since the 1950s, the Palm Island Estates subdivision was developed without designated green spaces, leading to concerns over loss of native vegetation and wildlife habitat due to ongoing development and lot-scraping. The island community relies on individual lot owners to maintain natural areas, but the disappearance of natural yards threatens scarce water resources and native wildlife forage. The Bocilla Islands Conservancy, Inc. (BICI), established in 2015, actively promotes preservation of green space and conservation education to address these challenges and encourages green coverage retention and xeriscaping with native and Florida-friendly plants.
Issues regarding the Preservation of Green Space:
- Landscape is not just an aesthetic issue. It is an issue of limited resources – both water for landscape maintenance, and forage-food and habitat for native wildlife. Both resources are scarce on the island and becoming scarcer as natural yards disappear in favor of crushed shell, mulch, stone and pavers.
Recommendations regarding the Preservation of Green Space:
- Support and encourage land acquisitions by BICI, other conservation groups and the County.
- Discourage the clear-cutting of lots by current and future homeowners.
- Reduce future Island density by advocating for the transfer of density units off-island and exploring further options.
- Enforce the County tree ordinance and the ordinance prohibiting invasive species.
- Develop incentives for homeowners to implement suggested practices for the preservation of green space
- Work with the County to explore tax relief incentives and additional or alternative means to provide incentives for conservation easements, habitat preservation and water conservation through native and Florida-friendly xeriscaping.
Survey
Each head of household (up to two per household) may submit the form once. If you submit it more than once, only your most recent submission will count. This also means you can update your response later if you change your mind.
