In a vote Monday, the USF Student Government Senate (USFSGS) Relations Committee voted in favor of a resolution to protect the USF Forest Preserve (USFFP).
Seven members of the committee voted unanimously in favor of the resolution.
Before the vote, Senator Nora Amato, SG Council Chair and author of the resolution, gave a presentation about the importance of the USFFP for the health of the environment and the education of students. She pointed out that federally protected Indigenous grave sites exist on part of the land USF is exploring for development. She referenced USF’s Request for Information (RFI) on developing the land, which was released in April without faculty and students being notified.
In the RFI, language highlighting the benefits of developing the land is used to attract proposals.
“The northern property is one of the largest remaining undeveloped parcels along I-75 and presents many transportation advantages to developers and their clients,” the RFI reads.
After Amato read the resolution verbatim, the committee voted.
The goal of the resolution is to bring the USF Student Government into the struggle to save USFFP, to present further opposition to the development of the preserve. The Relations Committee helps facilitate relations between the student body and Student Government, as well as their state and local governments, in order to create awareness of any student issue.
In May, the USF Faculty Senate voted 54-3 to permanently protect the preserve. Over 21,000 people have signed a change.org petition to save the preserve, and the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to request that the university preserve the land.
The resolution also demands that a conservation easement be established on the preserve, which would protect the land from any future development or speculation for development.
When asked about the content of the resolution earlier this month, Adam Freeman, Director of Media Relations for USF, acknowledged the concerns for the environmental and cultural importance of the preserve.
“Any potential project related to the RFI for the USF golf course and forest preserve would have to fall within applicable restrictions for the development of the property and must consider options for mitigation, protecting wildlife and preserving unique natural features of the property to eliminate or minimize any environmental impacts,” Freeman wrote in an email to CL.
He directed Creative Loafing Tampa Bay to the RFI and campus master plan to see where these protections are addressed, but the language in the documents is vague. CL asked for more specifics and any USF documents or guidelines that show exactly how the preserve is protected, but did not receive a response.
Freeman added that even if the USF Government Senate passes a resolution, “it would not require any action by the university.”
Next, the resolution will be read on the USF Senate Floor (most likely through an online meeting) on either July 13 or July 27, for consideration by the Senate. There, it will be voted upon again, after a discussion and Q&A session. If the resolution were to pass, a bill would be signed by the Pro Tempore and Senate President, and a copy of the bill would be sent to all parties that have been designated by the author of the bill.
The authors of the resolution include USF PhD candidates and faculty, along with an array of local environmental groups including Tampa Audubon Society, Center for Biological Diversity, Florida Wildlife Federation, Florida Native Plant Society Suncoast Chapter, the Tampa Bay Butterfly Foundation, Florida Indigenous Alliance and Florida Indigenous Rights and Environmental Equality.
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This article appears in Jul 8-14, 2021.