Editor, The Beacon:

Reading the news, I am shocked by the St. Johns River Water Management District’s (SJRWMD) disregard of Judge Edward G. Early’s ruling regarding the proposed interchange at Pioneer Trail and I-95.

The judge ruled that the proposed interchange was not in the public interest because of its effects on Spruce Creek, an Outstanding Florida Water (OFW).

OFW status brings special protection and is meant to prevent water-quality degradation to waterways with special attributes.

My first concern is that the judge’s ruling was set aside by the SJRWMD’s non-elected board. Secondly, the future of our children, grandchildren, and in my case, great-grandchildren, will be negatively affected by this bad decision, a decision that will be detrimental to this special waterway and the conservation lands surrounding it.

I hope and pray the SJRWMD decision will be successfully challenged and that the Honorable Judge Early’s ruling will stand to protect our water resources as well as our future generations and the wildlife that will be in harm’s way.

Ingrid Bryant
Oviedo