Lawsuit puts government in embarrassing spot
Karl Wickstrom /TCPalm /Mar 2
Our federal government invaded. At first it looked like a positive step, with quick victory at hand. But the invasion turned sour, degeneratinginto disaster supreme.Looking back, most experts agree the invasion was a colossal mistake, knowing what we do now. Today, it's impossible to get out quickly. No Exit Strategy. That may sound like a summary of our Iraq adventure. But, no, I'm writing about another physical invasion by that same federal government, an invasion from Lake Okeechobee into our east and west estuaries. The result has been a different variety of disaster supreme, sickening and killing tons of marine life and plants year after year while bewildered and numbed citizens find themselves helpless in the face of bogus promises that help is just around the corner. It isn't. No real exit strategy exists. Ironically, the polluted water gushed to the coa ...

Gov. Crist: Savior of St. Lucie?
Ed Killer /TCPalm /Mar 4
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist recently took a $90 million eco-tour. His morning boat ride up the St. Lucie River will be worth every penny. Crist and state Senate President Ken Pruitt of Port St. Lucie, among others, boarded a pontoon boat in Stuart. Their jumping off point was Phipps Park — a stone's throw from the St. Lucie Locks. For eight months of 2005, the flood gates at those locks were seemingly welded in the wide-open position. As many Treasure Coast water watchers are aware, the St. Lucie River that spring and summer was the scene of one of the most appalling and grotesque ecological disasters. The fact that no state agency ever defined it as such is infuriating. And that avoidance of accountability has crippled the St. Lucie's recovery. The St. Lucie cruised by Crist was very different from the greenalgae-topped, mocha frapuccino-colored toxic fluid that Treasu ...

Team leader for Everglades
Kevin Spear /Orlando Sentinel /Mar 11
Restoring the Everglades is top on Wehle's to-do list. She directs a big part of the $10 billion to $20 billion project that requires filling canals and reviving wetlands. Making sure there's enough water for the ailing ecosystem while balancing the water needs of a burgeoning population is enormously difficult. Coming from an elite school, a job as rocket engineer and a stint as a Brevard County commissioner, she has run the South Florida Water Management Districtsince 2005. During the Everglades Coalition's recent conference in Orlando, she spoke with Sentinel reporter Kevin Spear. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, you had a part getting NASA's space shuttle ready for first flight. My job was to assist in the building of the nose cap and the forward skirt for the solid-rocket booster. Our job was to make sure that all of the cables ...

How Solid a Line Against Development?
Fred Bernstein /NY Times /Mar 11
WHEN John Alger, a farmer, visits his property 30 miles southwest of Miami, he sees endless rows of corn. But his mind is on another kind of line. Mr. Alger’s 1,260-acre farm is divided by the Urban Development Boundary. In1983, county officials drew the boundary, a jagged line around Homestead andneighboring cities like Princeton and Florida City. Outside the line, development was limited to one dwelling per five-acre lot; the goal was to keep the land from being built on. Inside the boundary, which hugs Route 1 and Florida’s Turnpike, by contrast, construction was encouraged. Someday, as the density increased, there might be public transportation. The plan was a victory for environmentalists looking to narrow the developable portion of southern Miami-Dade County. But now the future of the line is up for grabs — in part because of a report ordered up by county commiss ...

Congress starts work on bill to pay for cleanup of lagoon
Larry Lipman /Palm Beach Post /Mar 15
WASHINGTON — Congress once again began the process Wednesday of authorizing projects related to Everglades restoration - including a $1.3 billion cleanup of the Indian River Lagoon. The long-delayed Water Resources Development Act, commonly known as WRDA, authorizes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water projects across the country. It unanimously sailed through a House subcommittee Wednesday and is scheduled for a vote by the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee today. "This bill represents a logjam of policy changes and projects," said Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, the subcommittee chairman. "It's been seven long years since Congress has authorized" the WRDA projects, which previously were acted on every two years. The bill passed Wednesday includes only projects the House approved in 2005. The Senate passed a similar bill in 2006, but the two chambers never re ...

Tiny change leads to lawsuit
Craig Pittman /St Pete Times /Mar 15
Tampa-based Lykes Brothers and Florida's largest utility cut a deal with Glades County officials to illegally rezone 400,000 acres of Lykes land to allow the utility to build a power plant at the edge of the Everglades, an environmental group charged in a lawsuit filed late Tuesday.The Lykes land, which covers 90 percent of Glades County, had been zoned foragriculture. The rezoning, quietly approved by Glades officials last year, inserted the letter "P" into line number 1,745 of a 2,100-line table in its land-use ordinance, the suit contends. That small alteration changed the uses permitted in agricultural areas to include power plants. "They just slipped it by everybody," said David Guest of Earthjustice, whichfiled the suit on behalf of five Glades County landowners.Glades officials weren't trying to fool anyone, said Assistant County Administrator Larry Hilton. The change ...

Water-use restrictions start next week in South Florida
David Fleshler /Sun Sentinel /Mar 15
City inspectors, armed with citation books, will cruise the streets ready topounce if they find a sprinkler operating illegally. Neighbors will beencouraged to rat each other out for watering on the wrong day. Helicopters will hover above farms and golf courses, taking satellite coordinates of pumps operating in violation of water-shortage orders. This is the new era of water restrictions. It begins next Thursday, when rules approved by the South Florida Water Management District take effect.With South Florida enduring its worst drought since 2001 and the risk of wildfires growing, the district's governing board on Thursday unanimously approved restrictions on lawn watering, car washing, golf course irrigation and other activities that use large amounts of water. Residents will be allowed to use sprinklers on alternate days and at specified times, with the goal of redu ...

Stalled water bill on the move again in Congress
Amie Parnes /Naples Daily News /Mar 20
WASHINGTON — After months of little to no movement, the massive water bill that holds funding for the Picayune Strand project in eastern Collier County seems to be steadily moving forward again. Thursday, the Water Resources Development Act, a measure that authorizes more than $375 million for the project, cleared an important hurdle and passed the full House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure with relative ease. The bill now moves to the floor of the U.S. House for a full vote. In Southwest Florida, the bill will allow the federal government to join thestate in restoring the Picayune Strand — formerly known as Southern Golden Gate Estates, a failed subdivision in eastern Collier County — something state lawmakers and environmentalists say is long overdue.Congress hasn't passed a WRDA bill since 2000.Rep. Connie Mack IV, R-Fort Myers, said Congress' fail ...

Frequently asked questions about water restrictions in South Florida
staff /Sun Sentinel /Mar 20
Q: Is everyone, including businesses and farmers, required to adhere to the restrictions in the Lake Okeechobee Service Area? A: Yes, if their water supply source is Lake Okeechobee or another surface water source that is recharged by Lake Okeechobee. Water restrictions apply to allbusinesses, shopping centers, government buildings, street medians, parks, golf courses and other recreational facilities, as well as area residents who usethese surface water sources. Phase I water use restrictions went into effect November 17, 2006 and were expanded to Phase II by a vote of the SFWMD Governing Board on March 15, 2007. Agricultural users (including nurseries) have specific restrictions designed to reduce surface water consumption by 30 percent. Residents and businesses must also limit outdoor use -- for landscapes, car washing, driveway cleaning, etc. -- to two days per wee ...

Everglades clean-up plan closer to passing
Dara Kim /Palm Beach Post /Mar 21
TALLAHASSEE — An expansion of the massive Everglades restoration program designed to clean up Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers came closer to being passed by the Senate today.The plan, touted by farmers, landowners and environmentalists, includes land acquisition and the construction of water storage treatment facilities north of Lake Okeechobee to reduce the amount of pollution and water dumping into the lake and estuaries. "It's huge," Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie said of the bill (SB 392), which was positioned to go to a final vote by the Senate as early as next week. "It's going to benefit the lake greatly," Pruitt said. "That lake is the liquid heart of Florida. If you don't have a clean lake, it doesn't matter what you do south." Although lawmakers have not yet agreed to fund the project, which is a priority of Gov. Charlie Crist, P ...

State paying $258,000 an acre for land as part of Everglades restoration
Susannah Bryan /Sun Sentinel /Mar 21
WESTON -- State water managers are paying $258,000 an acre for land they seized as part of a $10.9 billion Everglades restoration project. The governing board of the South Florida Water Management District agreed last week to pay $11.6 million for a vacant 45-acre parcel on South Post Road, south of Weston Regional Park. Broward Circuit Judge Patti Englander Henning approved the settlement Monday, said Miami Beach attorney Jeff Cynamon, who represented the landowner.The parcel, taken by eminent domain in 2004, eventually will be flooded to help restore the natural flow of the Everglades. The deal appears to be the highest per-acre price paid by the water district for vacant land slated to become part of a reservoir. The area will hold polluted storm water that is now being pumped directly into the Everglades. In 2002, the district paid $33 million for 113 acres in ...

Land Grab
Joanne Green /Miami New Times /Mar 22
With a deafening drone the airboat sped north. The straight-line monotony ofthe Tamiami Trail had long since disappeared, and the lone watercraft was surrounded by a giant field of muddy brown sawgrass that stretched to the horizon.The deeper into the Everglades it journeyed, the lower the blanket of battleship-gray clouds hung. Twelve miles from dry land, the temperature bordered on frigid, and a bitter chill whipped mercilessly through the earlymorning air. Suddenly the vessel spun around 180 degrees and the engine cut. Nothing stirred. Then a deep-throated yell pierced the silence: "There it is, look!" With his left hand on the controls, John Tigertail maneuvered the vessel toward a wall of vegetation growing a few feet away. Partially hidden from view behind the shrubbery was a small camp comprising two green, wooden, single-story dwellings. Glass panels and hurric ...

Florida needs Feds to help save Everglades
Dave Aronberg /News Press /Mar 22
Frustrated with the slow trickle of federal dollars for Everglades cleanup projects, Florida Senate President Ken Pruitt decided to resurrect thedormant Joint Legislative Committee on Everglades Oversight, and named me as the Senate chair of the committee. The move was bold and bipartisan. Bold in the sense that it signaled Senator Pruitt's willingness to expend political capital to makeEverglades restoration a top priority of his Senate Presidency. Bipartisan in the sense that Senator Pruitt, a Republican, recognized that a Democrat could have a better chance of persuading our newly elected Democratic Congress to live up to Washington's previous promises to help restore the River of Grass. It should not have come to this. When Gov. Jeb Bush stood next to President Bill Clinton in the White House on Dec. 11, 2000, as the landmark Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Pl ...

Senate approves Everglades restoration project
Dara Kam /Palm Beach Post /Mar 23
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate approved a plan Thursday that would broaden the geographic area of a massive Everglades restoration project and expand the cleanup of Lake Okeechobee to its estuaries, the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers. The measure (SB 392), one of Gov. Charlie Crist's top environmental priorities, received unanimous support and now goes to the House, where it also expects favorable treatment.The proposed law would add $100 million more a year from the state to help clean up and divert the waters north of Lake Okeechobee. That extra money is meant to encourage federal lawmakers to beef up their contributions to the $3.7 billion Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project. "Marjory Stoneman Douglas said that the Everglades is a test. If we pass it, we just may save the planet," said Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on ...

We can't save Everglades alone
Dave Aronberg /Tallahassee Democrat/Mar 24
Frustrated with the slow trickle of federal dollars for Everglades cleanup projects, state Senate President Ken Pruitt decided to resurrect the dormantJoint Legislative Committee on Everglades Oversight, which he named me to chair. The move was bold and bipartisan. It signaled Sen. Pruitt's willingness to expend political capital to make Everglades restoration a top priority. And as a Republican, he also recognized that a Democrat could have a better chance ofpersuading our newly elected Democratic Congress to live up to Washington's previous promises to help restore the River of Grass. It should not have come to this. When Gov. Jeb Bush stood next to President Bill Clinton in the White House on Dec. 11, 2000, as the landmark Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was signed into law, it marked an unprecedented partnership with Tallahassee, with each side paying half ...

Bill expands protected Everglades zones
Aaron Deslatte /News Press /Mar 22
TALLAHASSEE — Florida would designate a larger swath north of Lake Okeechobee as a critical Everglades protection area under a plan advanced in the state Senate on Wednesday. The bill would instruct state agencies and the South Florida Water Management District to develop protection plans for reducing pollutionflowing from farms and fields through the lake and into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie river estuaries. It designates a corridor of watershed snaking up the Kissimmee River from Lake Okeechobee to Orlando as part of the Everglades ecosystem and directs state agencies to redouble efforts to reduce nutrients flowing into the lake. The plan is designed to tie in to the state and federal government's Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Program, which was intended to restore Everglades water flow to a more natural state but has been underfunded by Congr ...

'Strange' water decisions not new for South Florida
Michael Grunwald /TCPalm /Mar 22
Stop! Don't water that lawn!There's a drought on, and Lake Okeechobee is way too low. But wait: A few months ago, water managers insisted the lake was way too high. That's why they blasted billions of gallons down the St. Lucie Canal into the Treasure Coast's magnificent estuary, ravaging fish, oysters, and the local tourism industry. What's going on? It turns out that the current crisis has less to do with the bad choices of the last few months than the bad choices of the last 100 years. History's bill is coming due. And if you want to understandSouth Florida's water problems — or have any hope of fixing them — youneed to understand South Florida's history. For years, South Florida had an excellent water management system. It was called "nature." The region was incredibly flat, so most of the rain that fell in the wet season lingered on the land throughout the dry ...

Laudable restoration idea swallowed up by details
Michael Grunwald /TCPalm /Mar 23
In times of flood and drought, South Florida's arguments tend to focus on who gets hosed. Should water managers drown sugar fields, suburbs, estuaries or the Everglades? Should they impose restrictions on homes or farms or nature? Should they keep Lake Okeechobee high, risking a dikecollapse that could wipe out people in Belle Glade, or low, risking anestuarine collapse that could wipe out oysters around Stuart? As I explained in this space Thursday, these arguments usually miss the point. Yes, South Florida has lousy water management, but the root of the problem is its outdated water management system. And even though it's a complex system with complex problems, here's a simple overview: South Florida needs more water storage. In the rainy season, there's water, water everywhere; in the dry season, there's hardly a drop to drink. It's worth repeating that South Flor ...

A new Everglades push
Editorial /Palm Beach Post /Mar 26
It's a new Congress and a new chance for a key Florida environmental project to become reality. At stake is money for Everglades restoration, including the Indian River Lagoon restoration project. The approvals and the money could come either from a Water Resources Development Act, which Congress has failed to approve for the past six years, or from separate legislation, House Resolution 617, which would authorize the project in case the water bill fails. New Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Palm Beach Gardens, knows that the Indian River Lagoon project is a priority for residents in his district and is pushing for it. The restoration long has had bipartisan support, but a Democratic House may help it succeed in this session. The bill has moved through an important House committee on a unanimous voice vote, and now goes to the House floor for a vote while awaiting companion legislation in th ...

Struggle for water, power likely won't dry up
Anthony Westbury /TCPalm /Mar 27
Maybe it's something in the water. Or, more accurately, maybe it's the wet stuff itself. While folks in Martin County are wondering this week if their city water is tops in the taste department, others in St. Lucie County are arguing over supplying water to new developments. Folks in Indian River County are rightly concerned a new town planned for just south of the county line could suck their supplies dry. And, if your neighborhood isn't under South Florida Water Management District-mandated restrictions already, you can bet it soon will be. SFWMD blames the current water shortage on a severe lack of rainfall for the past two years. We're in a drought the likes of which we haven't seen since 2001. Lake Okeechobee is 4 feet below normal level for this time of year. However, those are just the symptoms. If you believe a growing number of observers, the la ...

Scientists working to save endangered plant species
Toni Whitt /Herald Tribune /Mar 29
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK -- "It's not good news," comes the shout. Botanist Bruce Holst quickens his pace. He closes in on the contraption surrounding the Trichocentrum undulatum -- known to nonbotanists as the mule-ear orchid -- and quickly assesses the spike. His face falls. It is withered at the top, soft, brown and fallen to the side.Holst's disappointment doesn't last long. A larger plant nearby is healthy, its 21/2-foot-long spike reaching toward the top of the netting protecting it. It's one of the biggest plants he and another scientist bagged. Holst, director of plant collections at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, is working with the Institute for Regional Conservation and Everglades National Park to save species that are dying out and to reintroduce plants in parts of the Everglades where they've disappeared. He is also on the hunt for ...

Dry Season Among Worst On Record, And Could Impact Lower East Coast Residents
George McGinn /All Headline News /Mar 29
George McGinn - All Headline News Staff Reporter West Palm Beach, FL (AHN) - Drought conditions are expected to intensify quickly as the South Florida Water Management District received only 37 percent of its normal rainfall through March 2007. If things don't improve, the water district might have to take drastic steps to ensure residents of the lower East Coast have enough water to use.Based on a review of new information from the National Weather Service, water managers at SFWMD Friday made some predictions. They say that drought conditions are likely to intensify quickly, particularly in the highly populated lower and upper East Coast Service Areas. Those areas comprise portions of St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. The South Florida Water Management District gave background on the problem in a statement. It said that the drought and s ...