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Tom Tomasello, attorney for the Summerplace property owners, stated that the Board <br />is charting a future relationship with the DEP and Fish & Wildlife. These departments will <br />not go away and the -County now has an opportunity to cooperate with them and make the <br />lives of these County residents more comfortable. The State of Florida has been using its <br />might to beat up on these people because they don't like the fact that the County issued <br />emergency permits to allow these people to build their seawalls. He pled with the Board to <br />accept the settlement as he believed the DEP would pounce on his clients, forcing them to <br />defend the permit issued by the County. He believed that the Sebastian Inlet is the "Darth <br />Vader" in this matter. He also encouraged the Board to invite DEP's Secretary Green to <br />come and explain why his staff won't settle the Gerstner seawall matter. <br />Commissioner Ginn stated that the Board has talked to Mr. Green and explained the <br />situation but never heard back from him. <br />Commissioner Ginn questioned whether the County should be defending the permits <br />they issued, and Commissioner Adams reminded her that the Gerstner permit was issued over <br />staffs' recommendation to deny the permit. <br />Vince Bruno, appearing for Richard Simpson, one of the Summerplace homeowners <br />who is ill, stated that it is his impression that these homeowners are being held hostage. This <br />matter is now into its third year of litigation and they still don't have permits. He asked the <br />Board to approve the settlement and let them get on with their lives. <br />Cheryl Gerstner, 2035 Surfside Terrace, believed the situationregarding her seawall <br />is over one turtle nest that they are saying is the basis for the case. Perhaps this nest could <br />be classified as an "incidental take". She also noted that the contribution offered by the DEP <br />is tax money, that is our money, too. She asked the Board to include her seawall in any <br />agreement. <br />Bill Glynn, 1802 Barefoot Place, recounted that DEP did a sight line and said all of <br />the seawalls should go in a straight line. He believed the CCC could not raise money in the <br />United States until they formed the Sea Turtle Survival League and that they are using the <br />Summerplace seawalls as part of a fund raising process. Sea turtles are being eaten in <br />Europe and in Mexico and no one knows how many turtles there are. Only the female turtle <br />MARCH 2, 1999 <br />-37- BOOK 103 FAGS <br />