Florida Senate - 2014                            (NP)    SR 1696
       
       
        
       By Senator Richter
       
       
       
       
       
       23-02023A-14                                          20141696__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing the vital importance of
    3         Walton County’s coastal dune lakes to the ecological
    4         and economic health of this state.
    5  
    6         WHEREAS, the unique coastal dune and watershed system known
    7  as coastal dune lakes is one of the rarest and most unique
    8  natural systems in the world, occurring only in Australia, New
    9  Zealand, Madagascar, Oregon, South Carolina, and Northwest
   10  Florida, and
   11         WHEREAS, Walton County is known worldwide for its sugar
   12  white sand beaches and emerald gulf waters and is home to 15
   13  named coastal dune lakes that constitute a rarely occurring
   14  natural phenomenon based on dynamic and intermittent exchange
   15  with the Gulf, and
   16         WHEREAS, these coastal dune lakes, Lake Powell, Alligator
   17  Lake, Lake Allen, Camp Creek, Little Redfish Lake, Stallworth
   18  Lake, Deer Lake, Big Redfish Lake, Campbell Lake, Eastern Lake,
   19  Draper Lake, Morris Lake, Western Lake, Oyster Lake, and Fuller
   20  Lake, are fed by streams, groundwater seepage, rain, and storm
   21  surge, with water conditions between lakes varying greatly, from
   22  completely fresh to significantly saline, and
   23         WHEREAS, the coastal dune lakes, which are listed as
   24  “globally imperiled” by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory,
   25  create a uniquely pristine environment that exists nowhere else
   26  in Florida, and contribute to Walton County’s ranking as one of
   27  the top ten most biodiverse areas in the nation, and
   28         WHEREAS, this complex hydrologic system is habitat for
   29  struggling plant communities without which the integrity and
   30  preservation of a stable dune complex cannot exist; functions as
   31  an aquatic nursery; and provides habitat for a wide array of
   32  animal life, including protected and endangered species, and
   33         WHEREAS, protection of Walton County’s coastal dune lakes
   34  provides important ecological benefits, such as storm protection
   35  and restoration of essential water flow into the Gulf, and
   36         WHEREAS, the coastal dune lakes are vital to the economies
   37  of Walton County, providing opportunities for fishing, hiking,
   38  birding, canoeing, kayaking, ecotouring, plein-air painting,
   39  photographic expeditions, and other activities that provide
   40  recreation and intimate connection with nature, and
   41         WHEREAS, the current “Outstanding Florida Water”
   42  designation of Lake Powell establishes a foundation and provides
   43  a precedent for the effort to protect the unparalleled beauty
   44  and diversity of Florida’s natural, cultural, and economic
   45  legacies for future generations, and
   46         WHEREAS, recognition of the coastal dune lakes by the
   47  Legislature will strengthen existing policies in the Walton
   48  County Comprehensive Plan and the Land Development Code, NOW,
   49  THEREFORE,
   50  
   51  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   52  
   53         That Walton County’s coastal dune lakes are designated as
   54  state ecological treasures; that the vital importance of Walton
   55  County’s coastal dune lakes to the ecological and economic
   56  health of this state is recognized; and that the natural beauty
   57  of Florida’s ecological treasures, the coastal dune lakes, is
   58  celebrated.