Julie Byrne, who serves on the county's
Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight
Committee, criticized the idea that stormwa-
ter ponds would count as preserved space.
"These things are not lakes," she said. While
praising the neighborhood of Palmer Ranch
for its attractive stormwater ponds, she added
that there is no guarantee other developers
will follow suit.
"It may turn out that these developers are per-
fectly fine," Byrne tells The Sarasota News
Leader, "but my guess is they're not going to
be as careful as Palmer Ranch was."
A section of the changes in the 2050 Plan addresses green space in developments. Image courtesy
Sarasota County
Sarasota News Leader March 21, 2014 Page 46