IMPORTANT READING:  Excellent information for Miami's neighborhood activists.

From: Elvis Cruz
Date: Thursday, 04 May 2006 13:37:20 -0400

IMPORTANT READING:  Excellent information for Miami's neighborhood activists.


Dear fellow concerned citizens,

As most of you know, many neighborhoods throughout Miami, including mine, have been fighting against out-of-scale high rise construction.

We are all aware of the massive overbuilding taking place outside downtown.

A number of neighborhoods have even initiated lawsuits to protect themselves from overdevelopment that threatens their quality of life.

Attached to this email is a most wonderful piece of writing, “ A Citizen’s Guide To Litigation”.  This document gives an overview on using the court system to protect our communities.  It was written by Richard Grosso and the Everglades Law Center (formerly known as the Environmental and Land Use Law Center).

Richard Grosso is Florida’s preeminent public interest lawyer.  His list of accomplishments in the fight to preserve our state from overdevelopment is phenomenal, including the Scripps case and Pinecrest Lakes v Shidel  (“The demolition heard ‘round the state” )

Members of my neighborhood, Morningside, are currently involved in four separate court cases against high rise condos.  I wish we’d had this great information at the start of it all.

I highly recommend everyone receiving this email do 3 things:

1  Read the attached litigation guide, print it out and save it, for it is an excellent resource.

2  Please send a donation to the Everglades Law Center.  (They are a 501c3, so it’s tax deductible).  They have done, and continue to do, much excellent work for all of us, with minimal financing.  (Please make your check out to Everglades Law Center, and mail it to 3305 College Avenue Ft. Lauderdale, Florida  33314)

3  Forward this email to any mailing lists you may have of your fellow civic activists.

I’ve done all of the above.  I keep in touch with Mr. Grosso, and if I hear of him coming down to Miami for a speaking engagement, I’ll spread the word so we can hear more from this champion of our state.

You can learn more about this great organization at their website:  www.EvergladesLaw.org   The website also has additional resources and much interesting reading.

Thank you,

--
Elvis Cruz


Below is a brief bio / info on Mr. Grosso and the Everglades Law Center.

Everglades Law Center, Inc.

Nova Southeastern University

3305 College Avenue

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida @ 33314
(954) 262- 6140 @ FAX (954) 262-3992

A tax exempt, Florida not for profit corporation pursuant to Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.Dedicated to representing the public interest in environmental and land use matters.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: RICHARD GROSSO

Richard Grosso is the Executive Director and General Counsel of the Everglades Law Center (ELC), formerly known as the Environmental and Land Use Law Center, Inc., a public interest law firm which represents citizens in South Florida in cases that defend the public interest in environmental and land use matters,particularly concerning the Florida Everglades, Florida Keys and Martin County.

Mr. Grosso directs the ELC’s public interest litigation practice and clinic at the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, where he is an Associate Professor. He specializes in land use, growth management and environmental policy and permitting issues. Mr. Grosso was the Legal Director for 1000 Friends of Florida from 1990 until 1996 and is also a former attorney for the Department of Community Affairs and Department of
Environmental Regulation.

Mr. Grosso has an extensive litigation and appellate practice in the area of growth management and land use law, including property rights law. He frequently
writes and lectures on growth management and land use issues, including property rights law.
 

He has represented many clients in administrative and judicial proceedings involving Florida's
Growth Management Act and environmental permitting matters. He frequently appears before
local governments and other bodies concerning land use issues.

Mr. Grosso has successfully litigated a number of precedent setting cases, including Pinecrest Lakes v. Shidel, where demolition of buildings erected in violation of a local comprehensive plan was ordered by the courts, 1000 Friends of Florida v. Monroe County, the precedent - setting case on the issue of carrying-capacity - based planning, Sierra Club, et al v. Miami-Dade County, which overturned the state approval for a commercial airport at the former
Homestead Air Force Base, the inverse condemnation cases of McKay v. DER and Namon v.DER, which strengthened the state’s ability to protect wetlands on private property; DCA v.Withlacoochie Regional Planning Council, which upheld the state’s authority to require Regional Policy Plans to be consistent with the State Comprehensive Plan; Homebuilders and Contractors v. Dept. of Community Affairs, which upheld the state’s ability to discourage urban sprawl through the local planning process.

He won a major victory for citizen enforcement of the Growth Management Act in Poulos v. Martin County,
which guaranteed citizens the right to a de novo trial in plan consistency challenges. Mr. Grosso authored an influential amicus curie brief in the ground-breaking case of Brevard County v. Snyder and has lectured and counseled frequently on the ramifications of this case for local government quasi-judicial proceedings.

Mr. Grosso has won major awards for his work on behalf of Florida’s environment. In 1995 he was named Individual of the Year by the Key West environmental group Last Stand, in 1997 was presented with the Hal Scott Memorial Award by the Florida Audubon Society for legal advocacy on behalf of the environment, in 1999 was named the Florida Wildlife Federation’s Conservationist of the Year, in 2000 was granted the Public Service Award by the Martin County Conservation Alliance and was named as the Environmentalist of the Year by CityLink Newspaper (Broward & Palm Beach Counties), and in 2002 was named Conservationist of the Year by the Everglades Coalition and the Audubon Society of the Everglades.