Blockbuster battle: will a planned Blockbuster theme park endanger Florida's remaining wetlands?

Businessman Wayne Huizenga hopes families will travel to Florida to see Panthers, Marlins, and Dolphins at play. But Huizenga doesn't work for a wildlife center or the National Park Service. He's the millionaire owner of Blockbuster Video and the Florida sports teams named for local wildlife.

On the southeast coast of Florida near Fort Lauderdale, Huizenga plans to build a huge sports and entertainment complex. There, kids and their families can watch a baseball game, see a movie, or splash around in a water park, Huizenga says.

But the 2,500-acre spot Huizenga has chosen for his Blockbuster Park could be a problem. The proposed site lies just 60 kilometers northeast of Everglades National Park, a stretch of land set aside in 1947 to preserve Florida's dwindling wetlands. This marshy ecosystem, home to countless species of plants and animals, used to cover most of southern Florida

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During the last century, people have drained the wetlands for agriculture and housing, reducing the ecosystem to half its size. Opponents of the theme park argue that building a massive complex in the region will further threaten the fragile ecosystem.

At first glance, the sprawling Everglades might make a visitor say, "We already have a wetlands national park. What could be wrong with a nearby theme park?" Blockbuster opponents say: Take a closer look.

Communities have overtaken the wetlands, says Joette Lorion, vice president of an environmental group called Friends of the Everglades. People have brought in new types of plants, such as the Australian melaleuca. These introduced species have crowded out the native wetland trees and grasses, which naturally filter pollutants from water as it trickles through. Since the "invading" plants do not filter contaminants, Lorion says, pollution has increased. Result: Wetlands fish, their predators, and other animals are dying off.

WILDLIFE DECLINE

"Ninety-four percent of the wading birds that lived and nested in the [Everglades] have disappeared," says Lorion. "Only 30 to 50 panthers, the Florida state animal, still live there."

A nearby Blockbuster theme park, opponents say, could further jeopardize the fragile ecosystem by draining away precious resources. Topping the list, says Lorion, is water, the vital resource that gives wetlands their name and makes possible the rich variety of life there.

Today, many Floridians get their water from porous rock sources (aquifers) beneath the Everglades. "It's because of the Everglades [water] that people can live in South Florida," says Lorion.

But Floridians have drained away the watery cover of half the Everglades and replaced the lush land with apartment complexes, farms, malls, parking lots, and ... theme parks--Disney World, EPCOT Center, Universal Studios, and MGM. Another theme park, along with an estimated 17 million water-drinking, toilet-flushing, showering tourists each year, could overtax the Everglades' dwindling water supply, Lorion says.

What's more, the land selected by Blockbuster could be important as "a buffer between urban areas and the Everglades," says Bonnie Barnes-Kelley of Sierra Club Florida. If left undeveloped, the land could help filter city pollutants and prevent them from reaching the Everglades.

MONEY MATTERS

Antonio Romero, Blockbuster Entertainment's director of communications, maintains, however, that the land slated for the theme park is not worth preserving. Much of it is already surrounded by planned or developed residential communities, he says, and almost none of the original wildlife still lives there.

Besides, he says, the theme park will bring many benefits. In addition to hours of family entertainment, Blockbuster claims it will provide:

* Jobs More than 16,000 workers will be needed to sell tickets, souvenirs, and food; run rides; and clean the area. Some jobs may go to people who are currently unemployed, Blockbuster says.

* Money Blockbuster estimates the theme park will bring in $64 million in taxes each year--money that could be spent to improve local schools, roads, and libraries.

* A restored environment Blockbuster pledges to "increase the environmental value of the land," says Romero. He says the company plans to remove the melaleuca trees and other invading plants, and will re-create habitats that "resemble" the original, watery Everglades. In Romero's words: "We are designing a park that makes the best use of the land."

Do you think Blockbuster Park should be built? Send your opinions to:

Governor Lawton Chiles The Capitol Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001 and/or Antonio Romero Blockbuster Entertainment 1 Blockbuster Plaza Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301

Should the Blockbuster theme park be built?

NO

"There are already so many amusement and theme parks around and it might ruin our natural resources."

Gabrielle DiFabbio Age 13 New Rochelle, NY

NO

"It could promote more building around the Everglades. And when that land runs out, they'll want to keep building--maybe in the Everglades, and we'll lose them."

Stanley Chan Age 13 Houston, TX

YES

"I think if [Blockbuster] will bring tourism--and an awareness of Florida and the environment--then it's probably a good idea."

Brian Gongol Age 15 West Des Moines, IA

YES

"It sounds like it would be really fun, and it would be cool if it would make jobs for people."

Dawn Allard Age 12 Hollywood, FL