Column by Rich Campbell, tcpalm.com
Bathtub Beach, Stuart
I’d like to propose a new marketing slogan for our region:
“The Treasure Coast: We Exist For the Benefit of Others.”
There’s a common thread connecting All Aboard Florida’s plan to run 32 daily passenger trains between Miami and Orlando, and the Army Corps of Engineers’ proposal to raid Treasure Coast sand to renourish Miami-Dade beaches.
The parallel is our region shouldering the burden for the benefit of other parts of the state.
Need a rail conduit to shuttle passengers from Miami to Orlando and back again?
We’ve got you covered.
Feel free to use the existing Florida East Coast rail line. It runs through the heart of some of our most populous communities.
Sure, we’re already burdened by delays at rail crossings. About a dozen daily freight trains now cause gridlock at our major intersections. Add 32 daily passenger trains to the mix and our rail crossings may become long, narrow parking lots.
But we’re an understanding people. We know those Miami-to-Orlando passengers must reach their destination in about three hours for All Aboard Florida to succeed. For this reason, there will be no train stop on the Treasure Coast.
We’re OK with this.
Why? We exist to promote the happiness of people outside our region.
We ask only one thing of these rail passengers: Please smile and wave to the motorists stacked bumper to bumper at our blocked intersections.
We’ll be smiling back at you.
Your joy is our satisfaction.
Our region also is delighted to provide sand to renourish Miami-Dade beaches.
Sure, we’ve got our own beaches. Great ones. And we might need the sand located off the coast of Martin and St. Lucie counties in the next 50 to 100 years.
But Miami-Dade County has exhausted all of its local sand sites and is desperately seeking alternate sources. The corps says there are 5.2 million cubic yards of sand off our shores that could solve Miami’s problem.
Hey, “sand happens.” It’s here today/gone tomorrow.
We understand.
And we know what it’s like to run out of something. We ran out of patience a long time ago with federal agencies that issue reports blessing stupid projects.
Let us help.
Treasure Coast officials and environmentalists have raised concerns about potential damage to sea turtles and corals and storm-surge protection if our offshore sand sources are depleted.
Have they not read the corps’ “Finding of No Significant Impact,” the report that allays these fears?
Of course, this is the same corps that redirected polluted water from Lake Okeechobee into the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon.
Surely the corps isn’t about to make another lame decision?
The rail and sand projects present the Treasure Coast with a golden opportunity: to forge a new identity as a giving, sacrificial region.
The mind reels at the possibilities.
For example, we could build a nuclear waste repository in western Indian River County. We already have a nuclear power plant in St. Lucie County. A repository would be an excellent companion piece.
Imagine the collective, national gratitude we’d reap by announcing: “We’ll gladly take the nuclear waste no one wants.”
Or how about a temporary relocation camp for Syrian refugees in Indiantown?
The website CometoSyria.com states: “On the coast, summers are hot and very humid, with a maximum daily average of 29 (degrees) Celsius (84.5 degrees Fahrenheit), while the mild winters have a minimum daily average of 10 (degrees) Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).”
Sound vaguely familiar?
Syrian refugees would be right at home in our hot, humid climate.
And who better than us at making seasonal residents feel welcome?
Until now, our region’s largesse has been limited to the Florida peninsula.
It’s time to go national — even international! — in a big way.
We can do so much more.
Rich Campbell is the Shaping Our Future columnist for Treasure Coast Newspapers. This column reflects his opinion. Contact him at 772-221-4207 or rich.campbell@tcpalm.com. Twitter: @RCampbellmc58