Former Time magazine publisher and Jupiter Island resident Bernhard “Bernie” Auer died Friday night in Fairfield, Conn., surrounded by his family.

He was 93.

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Mr. Auer, a civic activist in his retirement, founded an organization and a newsletter to fight over-development in Martin County, among other pursuits.

“Bernie loved our open green spaces and our rivers and ocean,” Martin County Commissioner Sarah Heard wrote in an e-mail. “He loved our wetlands and uplands, our land uses and density transitions and urban service boundaries and buffers and all our critters, walking, swimming, flying. And what really made Bernie happy was creating campaigns to protect all of these for all of us.”

In 2003, Mr. Auer created Guardians of the Martin County Comprehensive Growth Management Plan to oppose the Harmony Ranch project, a proposed 4,000-acre city with nearly 900 homes near Hobe Sound. Mr. Auer most recently was chairman of the group, now known as Guardians of Martin County Inc.

“He was one of the first people to really want to protect Jupiter Island, to protect Martin County,” said Linda Grand, Mr. Auer’s friend and a Guardian board member.

Mr. Auer also founded The County Journal, a newsletter covering growth issues that was delivered to every Martin County resident’s mailbox.

“Bernie had an unerring sense of what was right and a dashing sense of enthusiasm about doing it,” said former Martin County Commissioner Maggy Hurchalla. “Whenever it just seemed like Martin County was going to fall apart, Bernie would step up with some ideas.”

By MITRA MALEK and SALLY SWARTZ

Tags: Bernhard Auer, obituaries

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