RE: bears in fl
PASCO
Housing Project May Put Squeeze On Black Bears
ARIPEKA - A 210-acre swath along Aripeka Road inhabited by rare Florida black bears could be developed soon.
Pasco County commissioners on Tuesday night cleared the way for a 235-home development west of U.S. 19, despite concerns about potential flooding and effects on bear habitat.
The Aripeka Heights project has been in the works for more than five years, as developers have made concessions on building density and worked out a plan to protect the bears, found in small numbers in this fishing village on the Gulf of Mexico.
The county commission delayed considering the project at a public hearing last month to do more research on its potential effects.
Clearwater attorney Joel Tew reminded commissioners Tuesday that his client, Steve Thompson, of Dunedin, initially sought to build 600 houses. Tew said the developer has bent over backward to accommodate requests from county officials and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission by creating a 120-acre bear corridor within the development and agreeing to road improvements.
Julia Ferrante