The mission of Save Our Suwannee is principally to protect water and air quality and the soil, flora, and fauna of the Suwannee Basin.
What happens in a County upstream can have grave effects on a County downstream, and vice versa. An installation on the boundary of one county may have its primary impact on the air or water quality of neighboring counties. It simply does not make sense to eliminate citizens' rights to protect their surroundings because citizens in other counties are not affected or concerned. It makes no sense to require 25 members (24 would not be enough!!) in the source county when hundreds in a neighboring county are affected.
We also have strong concerns about the privacy of our membership roles. There is a history of reasons for persons not to want the fact of their membership bandied about. Despite the much applauded freedom of speech in this country, there have always been vindictive people who under the cover of darkness deal out reprisals. Unfortunately, in some areas of Florida, there is a strong tradition of such undemocratic and offensive behavior.
Finally, most of the time when we challenge a proposed development there are many local citizens who are not a member of our group but who have strong motivation and determination to act as a group of neighbors. Their knowledge and their prospective fate is usually very important to the case. They should not be prohibited from acting as their own group merely because they were not appropriately formed at least a year prior to the application for permit. Individuals cannot forecast the future, and to have a law to restrain them because they lack that supernatural ability is about as absurd as legislators can get.