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not good business, nor good government. <br />Commissioner Ginn responded that none of them wanted to throw away tax dollars <br />and everyone believed that the Lost Tree Islands would be part of the purchase of <br />environmental lands when they promoted and voted in favor of the bond issue. <br />Commissioner Adams stated she did not know any more than what she had read in the <br />newspapers about this, but it seemed to her there was an hysteria, a frenzy, which was not <br />becoming to our community. She has experience in Tallahassee concerning land purchases <br />and she advised that as aggravating as they are to deal with there, they have resources and <br />experience far beyond ours; the philosophy is very environmentally sensitive. They are <br />concerned about the environmental impact on the Indian River Lagoon, not the traffic if the <br />islands are developed. She felt it would be a very, very difficult process for very much to <br />be done with those islands. There were ways to lend support and add to the negotiations (by <br />FCT), but she thought that starting over with staff negotiations was not very prudent. She <br />spoke about fair market value and the prudent use of taxpayer dollars. She thought the Board <br />had a responsibility to be fair to everybody in the county; that they ought to wait a bit instead <br />of caving in to pressure. <br />Commissioner Eggert defended her position as never having been known for caving <br />in or for hysteria, but she felt we had a situation where there is more to the value than just <br />an appraisal, especially viewing it as protecting the Indian River Lagoon. She had given this <br />tremendous thought and felt that if you want something that you feel is important to the <br />future, that you need to move forward with it. This was just another step along the way. <br />Commissioner Ginn called it citizen concern and an exercise in democracy, not <br />hysteria. The people were present because they thought they knew what they were going to <br />get, but have not gotten it. She then queried Vice Chairman Macht on his statement about <br />a court case regarding the ownership of the islands and submerged land. <br />Assistant County Attorney Terrence P. O'Brien advised that Lost Tree did not get the <br />title to the submerged lands that they sought, but they do claim title to the submerged lands <br />for the inner island. He did not know if that had ever been solved. <br />Vice Chairman Macht advised that in his earlier remarks he did not mean that <br />Commissioner Eggert had ever been known to do anything that she did not think proper; she <br />has been a marvelous Commissioner. He emphasized that the Board did not promise to buy <br />the islands, but to investigate the possible purchase of the islands. Individuals who had made <br />that statement made it on their own, which is not binding on the Commission nor on the <br />May 12, 1998 <br />34 <br />