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they could. All the rezoning is at less than the maximum density <br />allowed by the Land Use designation, and staff feels the nodes <br />are all warranted. Basically staff said that all these things, <br />except the tourist/commercial node, would be things that they <br />conceivably could have initiated themselves, and they•feel the <br />tourist/commercial node is warranted by virtue of the alteration <br />of the land that occurred before. <br />Attorney Vitunac pointed out also that the only reason the <br />Board wouldn't be able to change the zoning back in the future <br />would be if there were some vested rights to proceed under the <br />existing zoning; that zoning encompasses this Development Order, <br />and if the Order could not be complied with or was abandoned, <br />there would be no vested rights, and the County could revert the <br />zoning to something else. He further noted that Director Keating <br />has said that he is comfortable with the proposed rezoning even <br />if this project doesn't happen. <br />Chairman Lyons asked if anyone present wished to be heard on <br />the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments. <br />Dr. Hilary Swain informed the Board that she is a profes- <br />sional ornithologist, currently working with Pelican Island <br />Audubon Society looking at habitat loss along the Indian River, <br />and she is here to represent the views of Pelican Island Audubon <br />Society on this development. She first wished to review the <br />historical aspect of the site. Dr. Swain stated that Florida is <br />one of the five states which have experienced the greatest loss <br />of wetlands over the past few years, and she felt the history of <br />the subject site typifies the sorts of activities that have <br />resulted in such wetland losses in Florida. She then presented a <br />map showing the subject area in 1951, noting that it was a high <br />marsh containing extensive flats of saltwort and glasswort with <br />mangroves interspersed. The whole area was subsequently <br />impounded and ditched and diked, which certainly altered its <br />characteristics, but Dr. Swain stressed that it still remained a <br />very important and a very functional wetland; most of the <br />57 <br />OCT 2 3 1985 _ BOOK 62 PmGE 566 <br />