"Big Sugar" Getting a Sweet Deal from Florida Lawmakers?
Posted March 31, 2015 09:05 am
HOMESTEAD,
FL - With the passage of Amendment One in the November
election, Florida now has the funds to protect the
Everglades and the state's water supply. But now, state
lawmakers appear to be losing their resolve to purchase
land the sugar industry agreed to sell in 2010.
Progress
Florida is circulating
a petition asking lawmakers to buy the critical
land. Damien Filer, political director with Progress
Florida, says it's time the sugar industry and the state
make good on their commitment to protect water quality.
"This was a great thing for press releases for the sugar
industry, but now that voters have said, 'Yeah, this is
exactly how we want our money spent,' this issue has
gotten mired up in the legislative process," says Filer.
"At this point, sugar is actively lobbying to kill this
deal."
The contract between the U.S. Sugar Corporation and the
state to buy the land expires in October. Filer explains
by purchasing the land, the state could build a
reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee to contain polluted
waters generated by the sugar industry, and keep them
from flowing into the Everglades.
Read more about the Everglades
Attempts to reach the Florida Sugar Cane League and U.S. Sugar Corporation were made for this story. Neither responded with comment.
According to the National Resources Defense Council
(NRDC), the Everglades have shrunk to less than half of
their original size, a process the NRDC says has been
accelerated by the sugar industry. Filer says
maintaining the Everglades' health is key to the health
of Florida's economy, people and wildlife.
"There are two critical issues at stake here," says
Filer. "One is the Everglades are a national treasure
and we have a responsibility to do everything that we
can to protect it. The other is about one in three of us
gets our drinking water directly from the Everglades. So
there's both practical and other reasons to make sure we
do everything we can to get this right."
The
Everglades are the largest remaining subtropical
wilderness in the lower 48 states, and are home to 56
endangered or threatened species. The region also draws
1.6 million annual visitors.
So far, Filer says more than 5,500 people have
signed Progress Florida's petition.
Photos/graphics; links; added and updated by the Observer | Wildlife photos: NPS by Rodney Cammauf | Mangroves in Everglades Nat. Park by Yann Arthus Bertrand
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