To the Editor:
Do you enjoy fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, paddling through quiet waters and observing wildlife? Do you like clean water to drink? Do you like your home? Do you like to stop into cute little towns to sample the local culture and industry while you drive through Florida? I sure do!
The Sierra Club will be attending the Sumter County Commission meeting Tuesday, July 26 at 5 p.m. to urge them to pass a “No Build” resolution for the Northern Turnpike Extension (NTE) and I plan to be there. The NTE will not solve local and traffic problems; the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) needs to focus on the enhancement of existing facilities instead.
The leaders of Levy County, Citrus County, Dunnellon, Inglis, Yankeetown, and Inverness have already passed similar resolutions. At the commission meeting, we will be urging Sumter County to follow suit, asking for continued studies to find ways to improve existing roadways instead of building an extension to the Florida Turnpike.
I hope the FDOT will not allow the NTE to be built. I will raise my voice to protect our beautiful Florida natural areas and the economies of lovely small towns (like Wildwood).
Mindi Valancy
Village of St. Catherine
