EVERGLADES (July 17, 2008) — It’s one of the biggest environmental happenings in the history of Florida—if not the nation—and a Martin County company is playing a pivotal role in making it a reality.
The recent sale of U.S. Sugar Company (USSC) land to the state of Florida for $1.75 billion to help restore the natural flow and function of the Everglades made headlines around the world and heartened environmentalists everywhere. But as with any land purchase, the property must first be surveyed. Enter GCY, a Palm City-based surveying and mapping firm. In keeping with each element of this monumental undertaking—the surveying itself is epic and ambitious in size and scope. GCY will survey 58 percent of USSC’s land holdings, some 108,000 acres, in four months’ time—an incredible accomplishment—by Oct. 31.
GCY is uniquely qualified for the task. In business for nearly 25 years, GCY’s staff has employed some of the most advanced technologies in the industry to vital and expansive projects. Chappy Young, president and founder of the company, has a history of handling large survey efforts and this one is something of a homecoming.
Growing up in Belle Glade, Young started surveying in 1965, actually surveying most of the land when U.S. Sugar first purchased it. Throughout his career he’s amassed what’s arguably the most extensive database of historical survey records on the ‘Glades. Working from a swamp buggy in the sawgrass, Young was a teenager when he first started surveying much of the raw Everglades that would become farms and ranches—then standard practice. He’s since come full circle, now surveying many of those same lands to return them to their natural Everglades function for South Florida Water Management District’s Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program (CERP). “This project is a continuation of the cleanup of the Everglades and I’m pleased to be a part of it,” he said.