Florida’s Turnpike says no to planting project

An association of Palm Beach County beekeepers wants to plant wildflowers on the side of the Florida’s Turnpike at no cost to taxpayers.

But before the seeds could be spread, the state nipped the project in the bud, and that has one of the group’s leaders scratching his head.

“It’s mind-boggling how difficult it is to sprinkle some seeds in the ground and watch them grow,” said Al Salopek, a member of the Palm Beach County Beekeepers Association. “It’s a shame that you can’t get a simple project through the bureaucratic system.”

A Florida’s Turnpike spokesman says the state just wants to keep everyone safe. The Palm Beach County Beekeepers Association, along with the Florida Backyard Beekeepers Association, proposed planting at the Jog Road or Southern Boulevard exits on the turnpike and offered to pay the project’s estimated to $5,000 price tag.

The wildflowers would supply pollen to bees and direct attention toward the dwindling bee population, Salopek said. He has turned to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and state Sen. Maria Sachs for assistance getting approval.

Florida’s Turnpike already has a wildflower program and plans to plant flowers at the Jog Road exit, along with eight other spots on the turnpike, spokesman Chad Huff said in a prepared statement.

“The decision is based on keeping our citizens safe and allowing trained staff to execute the planting on an active ramp,” he said.

The other site being proposed — the Southern Boulevard exit — might not even be in the turnpike’s jurisdiction, Huff said.

The beekeepers were willing to purchase $1 million in liability insurance, and the sites could be accessed without parking on the side of the highway, Salopek said. Salopek said he asked to plant wildflowers

$3,000 on the side of Palm Beach County’s landfill but was rejected because of concerns that bees may sting workers.

The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County turned down the proposal because of “safety and operational concerns,” most notably the heavy machinery that uses the landfill, spokesman Willie Puz said.

Meanwhile, the bee population is declining, and scientists suspect disease, pesticides, mites and poor nutrition are to blame. Bees are crucial in pollinating many crops. The Obama administration recently unveiled a plan to make 7 million acres of federal land more bee friendly.

“Those wildflowers serve a purpose for butterflies, bees, wasps, hummingbirds,” Salopek said. “There are multiple groups that use nectar and pollen from these plants that grass doesn’t supply. We don’t need to mow everything.”

sswisher@tribpub.com, 561-243-6634 or @SkylerSwisher