Editor’s Note: A private group to be hand-picked by County Commissioner Tim Zorc, presumably including representatives from the area’s municipal governments, yet exempt from Florida’s open government laws, will soon begin working to develop a plan of action to save the Indian River Lagoon. Implementation of the private group’s proposals will surely require significant public investment.
Zorc’s new private group, Save The Indian River Lagoon Estuary Now, Inc., will hold its first public meeting Jan. 16 in the Courthouse Executive Center. Unfortunately, though, not all of the group’s meetings will necessarily be open to the public, and certainly the verbal and written correspondence between Zorc and other members of the group will be exempt from the transparency requirements of the Florida “Sunshine” Law. Zorc has acknowledged that moving out of the sunshine, so to speak, is at least one of his objectives in forming the new group.
Clearly a majority of the county commission, as well as the city council, are ready to address the issue of the ailing Lagoon. There is no reason to believe Zorc’s “skunkworks project’ will accomplish anything more than could be achieved through open and transparent government. If Zorc is to receive any financial compensation from this privately funded group, that would constitute political corruption at its worst.
On June 30, 2013, the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers Editorial Board published the following editorial raising questions about Zorc’s plans.
TCPalm.com Editorial: Indian River County Commissioner Tim Zorc should reconsider one aspect of his plan to form private group for lagoon
Everyone agrees the Indian River Lagoon is in trouble.
This is especially true in Indian River County, where more than 60 percent of the sea grass — a vital component that serves as a nursery for fish and other animals — has disappeared, according to the Fort Pierce-based Ocean Research & Conservation Association.
Moreover, everyone who loves the lagoon is frustrated by the slow search for both answers — what is causing the destruction? — and solutions to the problem.
Enter Indian River County Commissioner Tim Zorc, who made lagoon restoration a key component of his successful 2012 election bid to gain a seat on the commission. Continue reading…
Indian River Guardian 
Zorc is wrong to hold meetings out of public view. I am afraid a backroom deal will be reached without the public having a chance to express an opinion before the committee makes any final decisions. There may be many people who know a lot about lagoon problems and solutions ; their expertise must be heard from the outset and before any final decisions are made. I hope Mr Zorc gives a public explanation on why secrecy is necessary in this very important endeavor.There will be a cloud over any decisions that are reached behind closed doors. Until he explains his decision for closed meetings his motives will be suspect.