On Wednesday, I attended Dam 101, a media event put on by Manatee County Government to help local outlets better understand the functions of the dam and reservoir at Lake Manatee in light of the flooding following Tropical Storm Debby. It was informative and, in some ways, impressive. However, no discussion of current and future challenges in our watersheds can be of much use without addressing the elephant in the room: rampant development guided by little more than the wishes of the developers themselves.