X-Message-Number: 22785 From: "Ben Best" <> Subject: Boca Raton Planning & Zoning Board Hearing, 6-Nov-2003 Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2003 20:32:44 -0800 Last evening -- November 6, 2003 at 6:30pm -- there was a hearing by the Planning & Zoning Board at Boca Raton (Florida) City Hall. The first item on the agenda was the application for zoning approval by Suspended Animation, Inc. Although the final decision on the zoning application is made by City Council (which meets in January), the recommendation of the P&Z Board can be a significant input in Council's decision. With P&Z Board approval, the Council would be almost certain to approve. Within the last week (particularly) Suspended Animation has made an ardent appeal to cryonicists to attend the P&Z Board hearing. Appeals were also made to e-mail the Council members and the Mayor. The latter appeal may have created some confusion. The Mayor's auto-responder mentioned the Council meeting in January -- and some cryonicists who might have attended the P&Z Board meeting got the mistaken impression that it had been postponed until January. At 6pm those attending the P&Z Board meeting were allowed to enter the City Hall Building. Everyone entering was required to show photo ID and to walk through a metal-detector. Outside, about 15 animal-rights activists stood on the street-corner chanting to motorists and waving signs & banners. Reporters from Channel 5 (http://www.TCPalm.com) and News 12 covered the events outside as well as in the hearing. Anyone in attendence in the courtroom was given the privilege of making a brief testimony following the introductory briefings. The Chairman of the P&Z Board stressed that repetition would not be welcome and further attempted to intimidate would-be testifiers by saying they would be subject to cross-examination (which never happened). The first briefing was by a P&Z staffer who described the zoning of the South Congress Industrial Center (SCIC), which is zoned as M-3. She said that mortuary use is not permitted in an M-3 zone and that Suspended Animation (SA) does not qualify for the Conditional Use petition. She then named the activities qualifying for Conditional Use, which included such things as bottling, TV repair, heliports -- and laboratory/industrial research & testing. The SA lawyer then argued that SA is not a mortuary, but is a research organization. SA President Dave Shumaker then gave a rapid-fire presentation describing the scientific credentials of his staff & consultants as well as a scientific justification for cryonics research -- stressing that any animals used would be treated humanely. The P&Z Board Chairman interjected to ask "if cryonics works, what will we do with all the people?" -- adding a disclaimer that his own question is irrelevant to the decision. Mr. Shumaker said that Man is adaptable and that additional population could be handled. Surprisingly, about 10 people testified in support of SA, whereas only 4 animal rights activists testified against (and one of the 4 was a written briefing). Bill Faloon testified as a licensed Florida mortician (stating his license number) testifying categorically that cryonics is completely unlike what a mortician does. One of the animal rights testimonies was an emotional appeal by a Boca Raton woman, but the other two opposition testimonies strove to cite scientific authorities who supported the claim that cryonics is crackpot pseudo-science and that SA would be conducting frivolous & unnecessary experiments which would cruelly torture animals as part of a scheme to dupe desperate people with false promises in a profit-making scam. I surprised myself by making a mostly emotional testimony. I said that I have been interested in cryonics most of my life and that I wear a bracelet that says I am donating my body to cryonics research. I said that I do not believe immortality is possible, but that cryonics has the possibility to save & extend lives. I said that I view cryonics as medicine and that if they prohibit cryonics out of concern for overpopulation, they should also prohibit heart transplant, kidney transplant and all medical research. I noted that 21st Century Medicine had cryopreserved rabbit kidneys at -50oC and successfully transplanted the kidneys into the rabbits with complete recovery. I said that I hope that cryonics can save my life, but if it does not I hope that my donation to research may help the next person (comparable to an AIDS victim subject to an experimental treatment). I said that I have many friends who have made similar arrangements as well as friends already frozen. I said that I care about animals, but that I also care about my friends. I was becoming so emotional that I felt I should end on that note. After the testimonies the P&Z Board basically said that the testimonies had all been irrelevant. The staffer in the initial briefing had established that a mortuary is unsuitable for M-3 zoning and that SA clearly does not qualify for the Conditional Use petition. All 6 P&Z Board members agreed unanimously to deny SA the Conditional Use petition. The hearing was then recessed and most people left. I heard three of the P&Z Board members chatting & laughing between themselves about what great entertainment the proceedings had been. It is possible that when Council meets in January that it will overrule the Planning & Zoning Board, and approve the Conditional Use petition that Suspended Animation has made. -- Ben Best Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=22785