Support Joe McClash's Wetland Protection Fight

In fighting to protect our Wetland Policies, the County is requesting the Judge to award them from me personally, Attorney Fees and Costs.

The amount the County is requesting is over $250,000. While this amount will be decided at a future hearing, I have offered $50,000 and set this as a goal.

Your help would be appreciated, it was a challenge to prove the County failed to follow the rules when it eliminated our local wetland protection.

The Judge determined that the County's original approval would not be considered at a new hearing and would have exposed me to astronomical cost if the County prevailed.

Here are the Judges words which should alarm all of us:

“Whether the Petition was justified is irrelevant to an award pursuant to a prevailing party attorney’s fees provision. … Petitioner’s concern, for example, that a commissioner misrepresented that the wetlands policies, which were removed by the plan amendment, constituted an unconstitutional taking of private property, is not an issue relevant to the final hearing. …Whether an individual commissioner misrepresented facts, or relied on mistaken facts, in explaining his or her vote for the subject plan amendment, is irrelevant to the sole issue in this case: whether the subject plan amendment is “in compliance” with the Community Planning Act, as that term is defined in section [phone redacted](1)(b), Florida Statues."

Thank you for your consideration of a donation.

Joe McClash

Donations to help with pay for the County’s legal fees can also be mailed to:

Joe McClash

405 26th Avenue West

Bradenton FL 34205