Pacific Legal Foundation 11/8/07

everyone agrees that when an animal species is genuinely endangered, it should receive a reasonable level of protection. But the real peril today is to the rights of property owners, as this case from Florida tragically illustrates.

When Hurricane Ivan slammed into Florida's Panhandle in September 2004, virtually every home on the island of Perdido Key was damaged or destroyed. That was bad enough.

But now Perdido Key property owners have been told they may never be allowed to rebuild.

We need your help to fight this outrage.

The trouble started last year, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to dramatically expand critical habitat protection for the "endangered" Perdido Key beach mouse--with little regard for the impact on the human victims of Hurricane Ivan.

As a result, the mice are living like kings, and the hurricane-ravaged homeowners they displaced have become the island's new endangered species.

But Pacific Legal Foundation is fighting back for hard-hit Perdido Key property owners. And the officials who perpetrated this land grab are staring down the barrel of a federal lawsuit.

"The government took advantage of a tragedy to essentially confiscate these people's property," says Valerie Fernandez, a PLF attorney.

"What's so outrageous is that federal officials targeted my clients' homesites as ‘critical habitat' even though there is no evidence of beach mouse presence there."

"Your Rights and Mine Could Be Next"

"Big Government is on a rampage," warns PLF President Robin Rivett. "This case is only one example."

"If the rights of these ordinary Americans can be trashed," Rivett contends, "your rights and mine could be next."

"No one has a better track record than PLF when it comes to stopping Big Government's outrageous abuses of power," he says. "Our staff of attorneys is second to none. But we depend on your support to help us fight for the rights of all Americans."

Thank you for your generous response. I'll keep you posted on the latest developments in this case--and together we will put a stop to out-of-control Big Government.