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Retired heart surgeon J. Crayton Pruitt owns more than 3,000 acres of land between the small coastal communities of Dekle and Keaton Beach in rural Taylor County, which touts having the least developed coastline in the country. Pruitt started Secret Promise, LLC, as the business arm to develop his 3,000 acres in roughly three stages, thus avoiding the designation of his proposal being a “Development of Regional Impact” and the environmental oversight that comes with it. The first stage of Pruitt’s proposal is the “Reserve at Sweetwater Estuary.” This proposal includes more than 600 condo units, a 400-room hotel, 280,000 square feet of commercial space and a 1,243-acre golf course on Boggy Bay’s most sensitive habitat – the estuary. The spring-fed Sweetwater Creek empties into the salt marsh of Boggy Bay creating ideal habitat for many aquatic species of animals including migratory waterfowl and birds of prey. Adjacent to the salt marsh is the Big Bend Seagrass Aquatic Preserve, a million acre preserve that protects the largest intact seagrass beds in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Pruitt’s original plan, “Magnolia Bay,” called for dredging a channel through the seagrass. Public outcry was so great, Magnolia Bay was shot down by the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) and Army Corps of Engineers citing water quality concerns and wetland degradation. Pruitt withdrew the application before votes on the permit could take place. Pruitt then revised the plan, taking out the channel but adding the golf course and changing the name. The new plan still calls for filling in almost 60 acres of wetlands, putting it at odds with Florida’s Coastal Management Program because it will significantly affect wildlife habitat, especially in the Big Bend Seagrass Aquatic Preserve. Secretary for Florida’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA), Tom Pelham, sent a letter objecting to the development to the SRWMD stating, “… the district may not issue the permit.” Pelham went on to say the DCA was fully prepared to defend its position in court due to the overwhelming scientific evidence that this proposal would do harm the environment. Despite the letter, and subsequent staff recommendations the permit not be issued, the district approved the environmental resource permit for Pruitt’s proposal in June 2008. However, the development has dropped off the map with the ailing economy and rock-bottom housing market. This is a perfect time to advocate full force for the preservation of Boggy Bay.
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Conservation 
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