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Paul Laura 6:02 p.m. ET May 25, 2017

Paul Laura(Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BY PAUL LAURA)

I've been struck by a recurring pattern in some local Republicans' thinking on the environment.

One example is afailureto offer unified public support for Senate Bill 10, the recently passed bill that authorizes construction of a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee to reduce the discharges that bring toxic blue-green algae blooms to our estuary.

Another is the recent debate over whether Martin County landowners should be allowed to alter wetlands.

In both cases,therationale illustrated when a speaker from the James Madison Institute addressed a gathering ofMartin County Republicans earlier this yearwas based on an extreme interpretation of property rights.

The tea party wing of the Republican party in Martin County, echoing the radical libertarian stance of the ultra-conservative James Madison Institute, adheres to a very narrow interpretation of the Constitution. It claims that as a landowner you have the absolute right to alter a wetland and, regarding SB 10, the state government does not have the right to take private land for public use.

The reservoir bill recently passedwith strong bipartisan support in both the Florida Senate and House.Why did the Martin County Republican Party not unify to publicly support its party'slocal senator, Joe Negron, who is president of that chamber? (NOTE: The Martin County Democratic Party supported this plan).

The tea party element does not believe in taking private land for public use, even if it is paid for. The original version of SB 10 called for purchasing land at market price based on a signed contract. We are not talking about eminent domain, which is prohibitedin SB 10. The final bill reduced the need for private land, but still there was no official public approval from Martin County Republicans. Does the tea party faction represent the will of county residents or cater to the desires of powerful outside interests? I believe a majority of Martin County residents and Martin County Republicans back SB 10. It is not a perfect bill, but compromise is what democracy entails.

Groups that support this extreme viewpoint (for example, the James Madison Institute) take a position on private land that severely restricts the role of government in regulating it. They claim to be following the "original intent" of the Founding Fathers. Ironically, James Madison generally is recognized as the "Father of the Constitution" and later introduced the amendments that would become the Bill of Rights. Among these original amendments is the Fifth Amendment, which includes the takings clause which simply states "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."

This section not only grants governments the right to physically take possession of land but also implies the right of governments whether federal, state or local to regulate the use of land if it is in the interest of the community. Regulatory "burdens" frequently have been attacked as "takings" but ultimately permitted because they are needed to ensure the public good. This is just common sense.

This also is where the recent discussion of wetlands comes into play. Local government has the right to regulate how wetlands can be used or conserved. At a recent Martin County Local Planning Agency meeting, Scott Watson who was the lone approval vote on the application to allow for paving over wetlands of less than a half-acre claimed a landowner has the right to do with a wetland as he pleases just because he owns it. He is wrong.

Is the tea party element of the Republican Party representing the interests of Martin County when its representatives are advocating destroying wetlands which take centuries to evolve? Where are mainstream Republican Party members who are concerned about the environment? They are allowing this renegade group to hold our environment hostage by exaggerating private property rights, devoid of any element of social responsibility.

Paul Laura is chair of the Treasure Coast Democratic Environmental Caucus.

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Guest column: Tea party leaders in Martin County miss mark on environment - TCPalm