140930-a
Stuck in the 90s: Tri-state water wars over ACF Basin may be delayed
Watchdog.org - by Brad Matthews, WatchdogWire.com
September 30, 2014
A year after Florida filed a lawsuit in a long-running dispute with Georgia over the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli filed a brief, at the request of the Supreme Court, arguing that the lawsuit should be delayed.
Verrilli wants to delay the lawsuit over water consumption until the Army Corps of Engineers is finished revising its master manual for the ACF Basin, which should be completed in September 2015, according to the filing.
The original lawsuit, filed in October 2013, argued that water consumption from the ACF Basin going toward the Atlanta-metro area was harming fisheries in Apalachicola Bay and other economic activities in northern Florida. In the brief, Verrilli said, “Florida has pleaded an interstate water dispute of sufficient importance to warrant this court’s exercise of its original jurisdiction, and no other judicial forum is suitable for resolving the overall controversy.”
The Corps has control over the flows, and relies on a 2011 ruling from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that said Georgia had legal right to the water of Lake Lanier at the top of the ACF Basin system. This ruling overruled an earlier 2009 ruling, in which a federal magistrate ruled in favor of Florida and Alabama, which are often allies in the dispute.
The disagreements over the ACF Basin go back to two 1990 lawsuits filed by Florida and Alabama against Georgia. The two states alleged that a 1989 Corps re-allocation of water towards Atlanta was biased toward Georgia and that the re-allocation violated the 1969 National Environmental Policy Act.

140930-b
Sunshine State survey finds Floridians concerned about environment and crime
TampaBay.com - by Rochelle Koff, Tallahassee Bureau
September 30, 2014
Feeling safe in public places and concern about the environment are two critical concerns for Floridians, according to a new Sunshine State Survey on guns and the environment, administered by the University of South Florida and the A. C. Nielsen Company.
"It's clear that Floridians are increasingly worried about security in public places," said Susan MacManus, the survey director and professor at USF's College of Arts and Sciences. "They're also getting a little more critical about what the state has been doing about the environment."
Floridians believe the state's performance in protecting the environment has dropped, the survey found. "Excellent" and "good" ratings for the state's protection of the environment fell from 49 percent in 2012 to 44 percent in 2014. In 2014, "poor" ratings are three times higher than "excellent" ratings (20 percent versus 7 percent).
Residents who are 35 to 54 years old with a high school education or less gave the state higher points compared to older residents aged 55 to 64 years old and college graduates.
When asked to identify environmental problems facing Florida today, 39 percent called water-related problems the biggest concern. Nearly 20 percent cite pollution as the biggest environmental issue facing the state.
Residents in southeast Florida raised more concerns about air pollution, litter and the Everglades. Water-related problems were of the greatest concern to residents in the Naples and I-4 corridor area.
"There are a lot of differences across the state about which issues are seen as the most pressing," MacManus said. "There's not a lot of consensus about what is causing the problems and what the solutions are."
Regarding current gun laws, 46 percent of survey respondents said the laws are not restrictive enough, while 43 percent said the laws are about right.
Opinions on gun laws "are very clearly divided by race and gender and economic circumstance," MacManus said.
Respondents who said current laws are not restrictive enough included African Americans, Hispanics, women, college grads and residents of what the survey calls the Miami and Palm Beach media markets.
Whites who are 55-64 year old, males and residents of Naples and the North Florida region said current gun laws are about right. And 18-34 year olds, Hispanics and other minorities said current laws are too restrictive.
Asked to identify the biggest reason for the increase in mass shootings by young Americans, a new question in this year's survey, results showed that nearly two-thirds of Floridians attribute this upswing to either the lack of parental supervision or the lack of strict gun control laws.
A majority (54 percent) of respondents gives the state "excellent" or "good" ratings concerning how well the state secures the safety of adults in public places while 42 percent assigns it a "fair" or "poor" rating.
MacManus said women and minorities are growing more concerned about the lack of safety in public places.
Results of the survey are based on 1,875 telephone interviews conducted July 30, 2014 through August 15, 2014 with a random sample of adults, aged 18 and older, living in Florida households. The sampling error is + 2.2 percentage points, according to the survey website.
This is the first year USF has conducted the Sunshine State Survey, previously known as the Leadership Florida Survey, with the Nielsen Company, a Florida-based national survey research firm.
For more information, see The Data Release 4 Report at sunshinestatesurvey.org/results.

140929-
October: Less heat, more hurricanes
Sun Sentinel - by Ken Kaye,
September 29, 2014
Ready for a break from the steamy heat and constant rain? If so, here comes October – along with cooler air and the end of the wet season.
Unfortunately, it's also when we're most likely to be struck by a hurricane and see some of the year's strongest storms, including tornadoes.
"It's basically in the transition months where we can see the most variable weather," said meteorologist Robert Molleda of the National Weather Service in Miami.
Because tropical systems tend to form nearby in the western Atlantic, the Caribbean or the Gulf of Mexico, South Florida has been struck by 19 hurricanes in October since 1865, more than any other month. Among them: Wilma in 2005, Irene in 1999 and King in 1950.
The good news: The steamy heat of summer finally subsides in October. High temperatures dip from about 88 degrees at the beginning of the month to about 84 at the end. Low readings drop from the mid 70s to the upper 60s.
"You normally get the first noticeable cold front of the year in October with cooler and drier weather," Molleda said.
It's even possible to see temperatures plunge into the 40s in late October. The record coldest reading for the month in South Florida: 44 degrees, set on Oct. 24, 1923.
On the other hand, temperatures also can be baking hot. On Oct. 9, 2000, the mercury climbed to a record of 98 degrees.
By the third week in October, the only two well-defined seasons in South Florida come face to face, as the rainy season ends and the dry one starts. That can entail cool air clashing with warm moist air, spawning severe thunderstorms.
That happened in October of 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2011, when more than a foot of rain caused serious flooding across the region. Stormy weather also can produce tornadoes. In mid-October 2011, a tornado packing 135 mph winds damaged more than 130 homes and buildings in Sunrise and Plantation
Additionally, coastal flooding commonly occurs in October, stemming from seasonal high tides and the pull of the moon. Last October, up to a foot of sea water swamped sections of Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach.
Mix in a tropical system, and coastal flooding can be severe. When Hurricane Sandy drew within 300 miles of South Florida in October 2012, it created large breakers that flooded streets, overwhelmed drainage systems and caused widespread erosion.
Just the same, many residents look forward to October and a break in the summer heat.
"I love when it gets cool down here because we just don't get that much of it," said Dodee Weir, of Boca Raton, 83. "I love when it gets to the point where I can open my windows."

140928-a
Amendment One a no-brainer for Florida
Sun Sentinel – by Martha Musgrove, columnist
September 28, 2014
Come Election Day, voting "Yes on One" is a no-brainer.
Passing Amendment One raises nobody's taxes. Nor does it raise any tax rate. This proposed "Water and Land Conservation" amendment to Florida's Constitution simply directs the Legislature to spend about one percent of Florida's $77 billion budget on acquiring and managing public lands and water resources.
It's not complicated — unless, of course, you are of a mind that the Legislature's spending decisions are always "perfect in every respect." If so, please, stick to your head in a Mary Poppins book and stay away from the voting booth.
I've watched Tallahassee's budget-barter up close. It's far from perfect. More important, Florida's Constitution empowers voters to take the initiative, which is exactly how Amendment One got on the November ballot. Some 709,976 registered voters signed petitions to put it there. Now, 60 percent must vote "Yes" to put it into the Constitution.
Only a few opponents have surfaced, and they are saying the amendment "doesn't belong" in the Constitution. Yet Article 2, section 7 declares, "It shall be the policy of the state to conserve and protect its natural resources and scenic beauty" and calls for "the abatement of air and water pollution and of excessive and unnecessary noise."
Amendment One is an implementing tool that gets us back on track after savage recession-budget cuts.
OK, full disclosure: I'm a passionate Florida native and director of a supporting organization, the Florida Wildlife Federation. I think of Florida's waters and land as both necessities and amenities, well worth investing time, money and energy. to protect. I turn my kitchen faucet and out gushes clear, safe drinking water. No worries. Nothing against shopping centers, but I find more joy in walking barefoot along a beach, or watching clouds — Florida's ever-changing "mountains" — build above an Everglades vista, or tubing down North Florida's Ichnetucknee River with squealing grandchildren.
You'd rather go to Disney World? Miami's Jungle Island? Go! Enjoy! We're 18 million people living in a big state. We've still got room to roam. But, hey, add another million in eight years as state economists project, and we won't have so much room to roam — not unless we save, it, buy it, conserve it, preserve it.
Specifically, Amendment One tells the Legislature to set aside one-third of the money collected from the documentary stamp fees that people pay when buying and selling land, and to use it to preserve forests and wetlands, establish parks, and protect such water resources as the Everglades, aquifers, estuaries, rivers and springs in Central and North Florida. The amendment re-establishes a predictable, dedicated source of revenue for acquisition and management.
Were it in place today, it would be funneling $648 million into the state's Land Acquisition Trust Fund. In eight years hence, a projected $914 million annually. For tax-averse Floridians, "doc stamps" have long been the revenue source of choice for land acquisition because collections mirror the housing markets and the population growth that generates need and demand. Over the years, doc stamp revenue has sustained such popular, people-friendly programs as Florida Forever, and Preservation 2000.
Related:           Amendment 1 aims to save Florida's environmentally sensitive lands

140927-
King tides may become the norm
KeyesNet.com – by Kevin Wadlow
September 27, 2014 
Highest of high tides Oct. 8 and 9
Highest of the high tides will soak Florida Keys shorelines on Oct. 8 and 9, with photos wanted.
The "king tides" are high tides that exceed normal high tides when alignment of the Earth, moon and sun increase gravitational pull and cause the ocean to "bulge."
"The highest high tides of the year ...will be the average water levels of the future," says a statement from Monroe County's Sustainability program. "The pictures that you take now will help our local government better plan for future flood risks."
Due to the porous nature of Keys bedrock, even some normally dry inland areas may see water percolating up during king tide, engineers said at recent Keys events.
Photos submitted from the October high tides will be used in "building a photographic library of how local communities are already experiencing flooding due to natural events, such as high tides," according to the county statement.
To document the king tides, the county suggests:
- "Choose a site that is both low and recognizable as a 'usually above-ground' spot. Especially important are areas that most people might not know about. Take photos of both at high [king] tide, and without high tide, so we can showcase the differences."
- "It is important to be there at the highest tide for the best photo. Once you choose your area, check the tide chart for the right time."
King tides are expected to raise local waters twice daily. 
Times vary by location:
- Key Largo (Rock Harbor) at 9:26 a.m. and 9:42 p.m. Oct. 8; and 10:15 a.m. and 10:29 p.m. Oct. 9.
- Marathon at 10:30 a.m. and 10:20 p.m. Oct. 8; and 11:17 a.m. and 10:58 p.m. Oct. 9.
- Key West at 10:40 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. Oct. 8; and 11:27 a.m. and 11:08 pm. Oct. 9.
Send the best photos by email to FloridaKeysKingTides@gmail.com; or go to http://greenkeys.mindmixer.com. 
The best images will be posted online with credit to the photographs. Monroe County retains the right to use the photographs.

140926-a
Florida water fight with Georgia could be delayed
The News Herald - by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
September 26, 2014
TALLAHASSEE — A year after Florida filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court in a long-running battle with Georgia over water consumption, the U.S. solicitor general has advised the high court to delay taking the case.
The lawsuit, filed at Gov. Rick Scott’s behest last year, was Florida’s most-recent attempt to get more freshwater flowing downstream from Georgia in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin.
Florida, Georgia and Alabama share the river system and have been locked in litigation for 24 years. Florida contends that water use at the top of the system, in the metro Atlanta area, has reduced the downstream flow of freshwater to the Apalachicola Bay area, damaging Northwest Florida’s critical oyster industry. Florida and Alabama have argued too much water is siphoned off upstream for Atlanta’s drinking-water supply.
But in a filing last week, U.S. Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli wrote that while Florida’s lawsuit has merit, the justices should “postpone equitable apportionment proceedings” until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completes a revised master manual for operating the river system.
“Although Florida’s complaint states a claim that fits squarely within this court’s original jurisdiction, practical considerations counsel against this court’s resolution of Florida’s claims before the Corps has completed its process of revising the master manual for the ACF basin,” Verrilli wrote.
The revised manual is expected to be complete in September 2015, according to Verrilli’s filing, with final implementation and approval slated for March 2017.
“We are pleased that the Department of Justice has determined that this issue should be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court,” Scott spokesman John Tupps said in an email Wednesday. “Unfortunately, the Army Corps of Engineers continues to stall while Florida families that rely on the Apalachicola River continue to suffer. Gov. Scott will fight for these families.”
The filing comes at a desperate time for the Apalachicola Bay and the oystermen who make their living on it. Florida is considering temporary closure of the bay, a development the state has been trying to prevent by gaining access to more water. On Sept. 10, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Nick Wiley said it was “very likely that we’re going to have to entertain a possible complete closure of the Apalachicola oyster harvest.”
“We’re going to suffer,” said Shannon Hartsfield, president of the Franklin County Seafood Workers Association. “We’re going to lose our bay.”
“Time is not on Florida’s side,” said Chad Taylor, a member of the Apalachicola Riverkeeper board of directors. “We don’t want further delays. What we want is more flows —- now.”
The Corps of Engineers, which controls the flows, relies on a 2011 ruling from a federal appeals court that said Georgia has a legal right to water from Lake Lanier, at the top of the river system. The ruling overturned a federal magistrate’s 2009 ruling in favor of Florida and Alabama.
Florida also has asked Congress for help in getting the Corps of Engineers to release more water downstream, but to no avail.
Meanwhile, according to Florida’s lawsuit, Georgia is using more than 360 million gallons of water daily and expects that figure to nearly double to 705 million gallons daily by 2040.
“Right now the (Apalachicola) river is bouncing between 1 foot and 3 feet,” Hartsfield said. “And all the reservoirs are full in Georgia.”
But Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, who has called the lawsuit “political theater” since it was filed, told the Gainesville (Ga.) Times that he was encouraged by Verrilli’s ruling and hoped to return to the negotiating table.

140926-b
Hurricane intensity era coming to an end ?
Sun Sentinel – by Ken Kaye
September 26, 2014
Is the era of hurricane intensity drawing to a close?
Such eras generally last between one and three decades, and we're in year 19. They tend to produce an abnormal number of hurricanes and major hurricanes each season, increasing the odds of a U.S. landfall.
Yet last year only two Category 1 hurricanes emerged and this year has been relatively slow with four hurricanes so far, and only one of those had sustained winds greater than 110 mph. The average season sees six hurricanes, three major.
Gerry Bell, lead hurricane forecaster for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said an era is over only when there is "some convincing evidence that conditions have reversed."
While he cautions it's too early to say that's happened, he said there are some hints the Atlantic basin might be calming down.
What are these hints ?
Two primary atmospheric conditions that fuel periods of intensity – abnormally warm waters in the tropical Atlantic and a strong west African monsoon – have eased this year. As a result, several tropical waves that have rolled off the coast of Africa have fizzled out, starved of heat and moisture energy, Bell said.
However, he noted it's not unusual to have calm years during periods of intensity. "It's not clear if those changes are part of a long time-scale change or just happened in one year," he said.
What must happen to definitely say the intensity era is over?
The atmospheric patterns that cause warm water to flow into the tropical Atlantic – and leave the northern stretches of that ocean cold – would have to be reversed, Bell said.
That would cool down the tropics and create strong wind shear over the entire basin, disrupting storm formation for decades. "There will be a whole set of oceanic conditions that indicate the pattern has changed," he said.
Bell added such a reversal can happen in matter of one or two years.
What, exactly, is an intensity era ?
Sometimes lasting up to four decades, intensity eras are characterized by abnormally warm waters in the tropical Atlantic and other conditions that nourish storm development, all caused by a natural cycle.
Experts determine an intensity era has started when sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic remain consistently above normal and vertical wind shear remains consistently weak, producing an abnormal number of powerful systems per year.
That doesn't mean that strong hurricanes can't form outside of an intensity era; Category 5 Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida in 1992, during an otherwise calm period.
The current era started in 1995 and has since produced 149 hurricanes, including 66 major ones, through this season. By comparison, the previous 20-year period, from 1975 to 1994, spawned 102 hurricanes, including 32 major hurricanes.
Among the most active seasons: in 1995 there were 11 hurricanes, five major; in 2004, there were nine hurricanes, six major; and in 2005, the most active season on record, there were 15 hurricanes, seven major.
The last season where the intensity era roared was in 2010, with 12 hurricanes, five major.
Why have some years been quiet during this era ?
El Niño, the large-scale atmospheric pattern that suppresses storm formation, played a big role. For instance, it tempered both the 1997 and 2009 seasons, both of which saw only three hurricanes.
Although El Niño was expected to keep this year in check, so far it has been a no-show. Yet this season still has been relatively quiet because of an abundance of dry, sinking air and Saharan dust, Bell said.
The same held true last year.
Any other reasons to suspect the era is coming to an end ?
Another possible indicator is the decline over the past few years in the number of major hurricanes.
In 2011, there were three such systems – an average number. In 2012, there was only one major system and none in 2013. So far this year, only one major hurricane has formed, Edouard, and it held that status for six hours on Sept. 16.
However, Bell said if the calm of the past two years is a fluke, the number of major hurricanes could swell in upcoming seasons.
What do other experts think?
Phil Klotzbach, the Colorado State University climatologist who develops seasonal predictions, said it would take three quiet seasons to convince him the intensity era is starting to subside. That means next year would have to be calm, too.
"When I look at the historical record, at least since 1950, there have not been three quiet years in a row during an active era," he said.
Jim Lushine, a retired forecaster who used to work at the National Hurricane Center, said he wouldn't be surprised if the era is drawing to a close.
If no more hurricanes form this year, the combined 2013-2014 seasons will have the fewest number of hurricanes – six – of any two-year period since the intensity era started in 1995, he said.
"The previous low number was 11 hurricanes in 2008-2009," Lushine said.
Why is this a slow season when there already have been four hurricanes ?
On average, eight named storms emerge by Sept. 24. This year, only five named storms had formed. "The most recent year in which we had only five storms by this date was 1994, the year before the current upswing in hurricanes," Lushine said.
Two of the four hurricanes, Bertha and Cristobal, were Category 1 systems that curved out to sea. Edouard also remained over the open ocean. Hurricane Arthur struck North Carolina in early July as a Category 2 system but caused no serious damage.
Is this hurricane season basically over then ?
Not by a long shot. Powerful storms still could form in the Atlantic through early October and after that, systems could easily emerge in the Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean. Officially, the season ends on Nov. 30.
Lushine noted: "Although we can feel good about the quiet hurricane season so far, it's not a good idea to become too smug about the rest of the season."

140926-d
Let's preserve the Florida we love
Jacksonville.com - by Ron Littlepage
September 26, 2014
Voters will set the course of Florida’s future on Nov. 4.
That’s certainly the case when choosing the next governor.
But just as important, perhaps even more so, is what voters decide on Amendment 1.
If 60 percent of voters approve it, the amendment will create a constitutional guarantee that about $10 billion will be available over the next 20 years to preserve and restore environmentally sensitive lands and water resources.
It would accomplish that by dedicating one-third of the revenue from the documentary stamp tax already collected on real estate transactions.
The current governor and Legislature have not followed the political leaders of the past who provided the money necessary to protect Florida’s natural resources.
Passage of Amendment 1 would take that out of their hands.
We have a prime example of why that’s important in our own backyard.
In the early 1980s, Herb Peyton and his Gate Petroleum Co. completed a real estate deal that included purchase of what’s now the Guana state park and wildlife management area.
He could have developed Guana, but instead Peyton sold it to the state for just under $50 million.
The deal for the 13,000 acres included 4.8 miles of oceanfront property, 12 miles of Intracoastal Canal frontage and 16 miles fronting Guana River and Guana Lake.
That waterfront property alone would be worth more than $1 billion today.
Guana could have easily been developed with exclusive condo and housing projects. Instead we are blessed to have one of the most spectacularly beautiful pieces of publicly-owned property in the state for all to enjoy.
At the time, Peyton said that preserving Guana in its natural state was the right thing to do.
And the deal was able to be done because the state had the money set aside to purchase such properties.
Fast forward to today.
Gate kept a 100-acre tract north of the preserve known as The Outpost that has been used as part of Gate’s resort and club operations for various gatherings and events.
It’s a beautiful piece of property with magnificent oak hammocks.
About two years ago, Gate signed a contract that would sell the property to a residential developer.
As the proposed project has been working its way through the bureaucratic requirements, residents along Neck Road, the entrance to the property, have mounted a campaign to stop it.
I met with two of them recently, and, yes, what’s now a beautiful view south toward the Guana preserve would become less beautiful with housing there.
Personally, I would preserve every acre that reminds us of old Florida, but Gate certainly has the right to develop the property.
And I’m not overly sympathetic to people who have their own slice of heaven and want it to end with them.
But here’s the point:
Before reaching the deal with the developer two years ago, Gate tried to sell the property to the state, which would have been Gate’s preference.
But thanks to the cutbacks in environmental spending ordered by the Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott, the state had no money.
If Amendment 1 had been in place then, that wouldn’t have been the case.
Gate now has a binding contract it must abide by.
Even if that were reversed and money became available, it’s not certain The Outpost would be on the priority list of land for the state to preserve.
But there’s no doubt that wonderful places that should be preserved for the public will fall to development if Amendment 1 doesn’t pass.
A vote in favor is a vote to save what makes Florida special for those who come after us to enjoy.

140926-e
On Estuaries Day, some signs of progress
Pakm Beach Post - Point of View by Sarah Heard, Stuart, FL chairwoman of the Martin County Board of County Commissioners
September 26, 2014
Today, as we observe National Estuaries Day, the Martin County Board of County Commissioners remains committed to our decades-long fight to protect the Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie River Estuary. The St. Lucie River and Estuary are part of the larger Indian River Lagoon system, the most diverse estuarine environment in North America.
We were grateful to not have experienced a summer like the summer of 2013. So far this year, we have been spared from Lake Okeechobee releases, but as we all know, it only takes one significant rain event for matters to change quickly.
However, we recognize with deep concern that our estuaries continue their states of decline. This summer illustrated that even in a year without releases from Lake Okeechobee, the health of our estuaries faces other threats. The brown freshwater impacts that we are observing in the St. Lucie Estuary today are a result of polluted water originating in our own local watersheds. Billions of gallons of stormwater runoff have been flowing through the St. Lucie lock and dam over the past several months.
That is why, in addition to other solutions, Martin County has long championed the Indian River Lagoon-South (IRL-S) project, which will help clean and store water flowing from our own local watersheds. The first component, the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area, is under construction near Indiantown. When completed, the C-44 will capture 60,500 acre-feet of water from our local basin runoff that would otherwise be discharged to our St. Lucie Estuary.
Our waterways are receiving much-needed attention and support from our federal delegation including Congressman Patrick Murphy, Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. Marco Rubio. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently completed the first phase of the C-44 project. President Barack Obama and the U.S. House committed to a water project funding bill for 2015 that includes $65.5 million for Everglades restoration efforts, with $38 million of that going toward the C-44 project. This money helps initiate building of the reservoir, or phase two, of this critical project.
The state showed its commitment to protecting our lagoon during this year’s legislative session. The budget included $40 million to speed up completion of the C-44 project. With that and other funding, the South Florida Water Management District recently announced it has invested $101 million to build the wetlands portion of the C-44 project. This 6,000-acre area will clean runoff before it enters the estuary.
These are just some of the examples of how all levels of government are working together to speak up for our waterways.

140926-f
The case for Rick Scott
Tampa Bay Times – column by Adam C. Smith, Political Editor
September 26, 2014
Why should you vote for Rick Scott to serve a second term as Florida governor ?
First and foremost, because he's not Charlie Crist.
Gov. Scott is not TV-ready. He lacks Crist's easy charm, empathic arched eyebrows and great hair. Awkward is an understatement for the lanky former CEO who tends to stand before TV cameras with flailing arms, bulging eyes and a plastic smile.
"But the bottom line for me is are you looking for somebody you want to go have a beer with or are you looking for somebody you want to run a $77 billion business that we call the state of Florida?" said state Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon.
"Florida's not perfect," Lee continued. "We've got some work to do in the K-12 area and in infrastructure, and we've got some more work to do in the state university system. But these are small challenges compared to what we faced five years ago."
Indeed, Scott ran for governor as an outsider promising to focus relentlessly on jobs and turning around Florida's wrecked economy. You can argue about whether Scott shifted the goalposts for measuring progress or how much credit he actually deserves, but you can't quibble with Florida's overall direction under Scott's leadership.
Unemployment under Gov. Scott has fallen from 11 percent to 6.3 percent — the second-largest drop in the country.
Unlike Crist, Scott did not have much in federal stimulus money to help him balance the state budget, and he made some hard choices. The state's workforce has shrunk more than 9 percent since he took office, fulfilling a promise to cut it at least 5 percent.
You may not love everything about Scott's approach — reducing the number of state employees, initially cutting education spending and then ramping it back up as the economy improved, or cutting regulations and assorted business taxes — but you can't criticize Scott for not keeping his eye on the ball.
He has been relentless in trying to improve Florida's business climate and promoting the Sunshine State across the world. Crist was relentless mainly in promoting himself.
"The No. 1 thing Rick Scott will be remembered for is that he came to work every day thinking about one thing and that's how to create jobs," said state Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater.
In contrast, Crist bailed on Florida as soon as the economy tanked.
With a straight face, Crist tells us he became Florida's only governor in modern history to forgo a second term because, in the midst of a historic recession, he saw an urgent need to bring more civility to Washington.
In reality, when the state needed strong leadership, career politician Crist fled for an easier job in Washington with no term limits.
Rick Scott today is a multimillionaire, but the former hospital chain CEO is also the son of a truck driver and JCPenney clerk who grew up in public housing. He knows what it means to risk one's life savings on a business venture or worry about making payroll — something that can't be said of Crist, a privileged doctor's son who has never made a mortgage payment or raised a child.
That personal experience in business guides Scott's approach to Florida's economy and where to prioritize public spending.
He budgeted record amounts for Visit Florida to market the state to tourists, for instance, and it paid off: Nearly 95 million tourists visited Florida in 2013, a record just as 2012 marked a record before that. Likewise, he has dramatically raised state spending to upgrade Florida's ports to exploit the expanded Panama Canal.
Critics say Scott is out of touch with average Floridians and focuses mainly on big business interests. That may ring hollow to the 18,000 Florida households receiving refunds from the Florida Prepaid College Board and many more families escaping another college tuition increase thanks to Gov. Scott. Bucking members of his own party as well as influential university leaders, Scott has pushed hard to keep tuitions affordable rather than allow year after year of 15 percent increases.
"It was against conventional wisdom for him to come into office and try to tackle the issue of tuition, but he did it," said Alan Levine, a former Jeb Bush aide and administrator in Scott's hospital chain whom Scott appointed to the state Board of Governors.
When Levine was up for reappointment as a University of Florida trustee he faced tough questions from Scott's office about having previously voting for a tuition increase.
"I had to go through a pretty stringent discussion with the governor's office about why I voted for the tuition increase, and I had to explain myself pretty thoroughly before he would agree to appoint me," Levine recalled.
The Crist campaign attacks Scott as weak on the environment, but Crist himself proved to be a fair-weather friend to Florida environmentalists.
The Republican-turned-Democrat was so eager to wind up as John McCain's running mate in 2008 that as soon as the Arizona senator endorsed ending the federal moratorium on offshore drilling near Florida, Crist cast aside his long-standing opposition: "What we ought to be willing to do is study it," Crist said, stunning some of his closest aides.
In 2009, while running for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, Crist backed a bill that environmental groups universally panned for gutting growth management laws but which had strong support from developers and other potential campaign contributors.
At least Scott can point to tangible progress on Everglades restoration.
"Charlie made a lot of headlines about the Everglades but if you really look at what happened and what's going on down there, it really was smoke and mirrors," said Latvala, a leading environmentalist in the Legislature. "I've spent a lot of time with Rick Scott. I know where he really is on some issues such as environment and oil drilling and I'm satisfied he's in a good place."
"He works incredibly hard, seven days a week," Latvala said. "We've got a governor now that actually cares deeply about the job he's in — not the next job he can get."

140925-a
Audubon calls for investigation into Ag Reserve development
Sun Sentinel - by Andy Reid
September 25, 2014
Concerns about too much suburbia spreading into Palm Beach County's Agricultural Reserve could trigger an inquiry into whether development pressures thwarted voter-approved preservation efforts.
The Palm Beach County-based Audubon Society of the Everglades has called for county Inspector General John Carey to investigate whether too many new neighborhoods and other development have been allowed on prime farmland where building limits are intended to preserve room for agriculture.
This comes as the County Commission is considering easing development rules in the 21,000-acre Agricultural Reserve area that spreads west of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach.
In addition to calling for an investigation, Audubon has called for a halt to most building in the Agricultural Reserve and a moratorium on more development approvals during the investigation.
"Residential development is seriously impeding the ability of farmers to conduct large-scale farming operations within the Ag Reserve," Paton White, president of the Audubon Society of the Everglades, wrote in his Sept. 21 letter requesting the inquiry.
The inspector general, who is empowered to investigate fraud, waste and abuse in local government, has begun an initial review of Audubon's concerns to determine if he has jurisdiction to wade into this development-related issue.
If the inspector general does proceed with an investigation, it could take months for Carey to determine if there was any wrongdoing and to issue any recommendations to address it.
"We are still looking at it," Carey said Thursday about Audubon's request. "We are still trying to decipher it."
Farmers and developers alike have long been drawn to the balmy temperatures and large tracts of land wedged between Florida's Turnpike and the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, bisected by the State Road 7.
The region that the county dubbed the Agricultural Reserve produces peppers, green beans, squash and other vegetables that help feed the East Coast.
Through the years it has also become home to new neighborhoods as well as a hospital, schools, shopping centers and other development that are changing the agricultural nature of the area.
To preserve land for farming, voters in 1999 approved spending $100 million that was used to buy about 2,400 acres in the Agricultural Reserve. That land is now leased to farmers to remain in agricultural production.
Also, the county imposed tougher building limits in the Agricultural Reserve that require developers to set aside the equivalent of 60 percent of properties for agricultural uses, conservation or water storage.
But environmental advocates have long complained that the County Commission has been too willing to tweak building restrictions to allow more development in the Agricultural Reserve.
Audubon says that development by G.L. Homes already claims 30 percent of the Agricultural Reserve and that the pace of development exceeds what was envisioned by county rules.
While the inspector general decides whether to launch an investigation into Audubon's concerns, county officials on Monday are meeting to discuss proposals to change building limits on land within the Agricultural Reserve.
Owners of agricultural land within the reserve have asked the County Commission to consider allowing more homes and commercial development in the region than currently envisioned.
The "roundtable discussion" — intended to include landowners, neighborhood groups and environmental advocates — starts at 9 a.m. and is being held at the Clayton Hutcheson Agricultural Center, at 559 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach.
That discussion could lead to county staffers proposing development rule changes that would still have to be approved by the County Commission.

140925-b
Storing surface water in aquifer returns as an issue in Georgia
Jacksonville.com - by Walter C. Jones
September 25, 2014
ATLANTA | An official with the state’s environmental agency told legislators Thursday that the need for alternative sources of drinking water in Savannah is one reason for exploring a controversial practice of storing surface water underground.
The comments came during a hearing of the Senate committee studying whether to reinstitute the state’s 15-year moratorium against storing water in the Floridan aquifer, which supplies most of Southeast Georgia. The General Assembly voted to establish the committee during its last session and allow the moratorium to expire in July.
Ex-Rep. Anne Mueller, R-Savannah, told the committee she authored the original legislation to impose the moratorium because the science is unsettled about the possible impact on the aquifer.
“I fought it during my 20 years up here because nobody could answer my questions,” she said.
Russ Pennington, head of government affairs for the Environmental Protection Division, said saltwater seeping into the aquifer has already shown up in Hilton Head Island, S.C., wells.
“It would be almost impossible for the state to stop saltwater intrusion unless we kept everybody from using the Floridan aquifer,” he said.
Savannah only has one other source, water withdrawn from Abercorn Creek, which he said would not be sufficient to supply the entire population if saltwater began appearing in the city’s wells. Without hills and valleys to flood, the coastal region can’t built traditional reservoirs the way northern parts of the state can, making underground reservoirs an alternative.
“We have saltwater intrusion coming,” Pennington said. “It’s not an imminent problem, but it will be.”
A hydrogeologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the committee how Florida stores treated water in the lower part of the same aquifer.
“When you are out of water, like some cities in Florida are, you have to use all your resources,” said June Mirecki, of the corps’ Jacksonville Division.
But she and other experts disagreed about the number of aquifer-storage projects in the Sunshine State that had been discontinued due to high costs or water-quality concerns.
Environmentalists warned that the quality of the Upper Floridan aquifer is so pristine that storing surface water in it should be discouraged, even if the practice makes sense in other aquifers with lower quality.
“It has just been a coincidence that we have developed the means to take more water out of the ground than nature puts into it,” warned Phil Odom, a retired commercial fisherman from Hinesville and former member of the Coastal Regional Water Council.
The committee took no action and will schedule another meeting to draft a recommendation to next year’s legislature. Its chairman, Sen. Ross Tolleson, R-Perry, also chairs the Senate Natural Resources Committee where any legislation would be considered. He doesn’t support a complete moratorium.
“My opinion is sound science needs to be done to study it,” he said.

140924-a
Florida Cabinet approves two conservation land acquisitions
SE-AgNet.com - by Randall
September 24, 2014
From the Florida Department of Environmental Protection:
TALLAHASSEE – Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet approved the acquisition of more than 1,275 acres to protect environmentally sensitive areas in Monroe and Washington counties. This approval is the final step before land can be purchased for these two Florida Forever projects.
Governor Scott said, “This more than $4-million investment will protect our springs and environment to ensure future generations can continue to enjoy Florida’s natural treasures.”
“Governor Scott and the Cabinet took important steps today to protect two very different, but equally important areas of Florida,” said DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. “While each of these projects has a different purpose, they all protect and improve water-quality in our state, which has been a major priority for this administration.”
“The purchase of these valuable conservation lands not only offers significant water quality protection, but also benefits birds and wildlife in the regions,” said Eric Draper, Audubon Florida executive director. “Audubon applauds the efforts of DEP for acquiring this land and the Florida Board of Trustees for supporting these important purchases.”
“The purchase of these Florida Forever priority lands is movement in the right direction,” said Janet Bowman with the Nature Conservancy. “It’s encouraging to see Cabinet’s support for the purchase of these valuable lands that offer important water-resource protection for springs and estuaries, coastal protection and critical habitat for wildlife.”
The first acquisition is a 928.3-acre parcel within the Florida Keys Ecosystem Florida Forever project, which will help safeguard the Outstanding Florida Waters of the Keys. In addition, this property will preserve hardwood hammocks and many rare plants and animals, including the North American crocodile, Lower Keys marsh rabbit and Key deer.
This parcel, purchased for $3.6 million, will also help protect recreational and commercial fisheries, reefs around the islands and give residents and visitors more areas for enjoying the natural beauty of the Keys. The property will be managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as an addition to the Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area.
The second acquisition is within the Florida’s First Magnitude Springs Florida Forever project in Washington County and consists of 347.6 acres from Plum Creek Land Company. The parcel, purchased for $780,000, is adjacent to land owned by the Northwest Florida Water Management District, which will manage this new property.
The project is located along Holmes Creek, which is primarily a spring-fed creek containing a total of 51 springs within a 25-mile reach of the creek. The acquisition will ensure greater spring protection, while maintaining the current public access for fishing, hunting, canoeing, kayaking, boating and hiking. There is a boat ramp onsite, which will remain and is currently leased and managed by Washington County.
Earlier this month, DEP announced the Division of State Lands surpassed the goal of selling $40 million of non-conservation land to purchase new, valuable conservation lands. These two acquisitions are examples of the important properties the department is seeking to acquire with these funds.

140924-b
Rick Scott and Florida cabinet approve conservation deals
BrowardPalmbeachNewsTimes.com - by Chris Joseph
September 24 2014
Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet announced the approval of the acquisition of more than 1,275 acres to protect environmentally sensitive areas in Monroe and Washington Counties.
The approval is the final step before land can be purchased for these two Florida Forever projects.
"This more than $4 million investment will protect our springs and environment to ensure future generations can continue to enjoy Florida's natural treasures," Scott said via a press release.
Florida Forever, which is the land conservation program that has purchased roughly 2.5 million Florida acres, along with the program it replaced, Preservation 2000. That program was the largest public land acquisition program of its kind in the United States at the time of its inception.
An 938.3 acre parcel in the Florida Keys Ecosystem Florida Forever project is the first acquisition announced by Scott and the Florida Cabinet Tuesday.
The parcel, purchased for $3.6 million, will help protect the Outstanding Florida Waters of the Keys, as well as the hardwood hammocks, plants and animals living within the ecosystem. Among the animals being preserved are the North American crocodile, Lower Keys marsh rabbit and Key deer. The parcel will also help protect recreational and commercial fisheries, and will be managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The second parcel is 347.6 acres from Plum Creek Land Company and is located within the Florida's First Magnitude Springs Florida Forever project in Washington County.
Bought for $780,000, the parcel is adjacent to land owned by the Northwest Florida Water Management District, which will manage this new property, and will conserve a spring-fed creek that contains 51 springs within a 25 mile reach of the creek itself.
The parcel will also protect the current public access for fishing, hunting, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and hiking.
"The purchase of these valuable conservation lands not only offers significant water quality protection, but also benefits birds and wildlife in the regions," Audubon Florida Executive Director Eric Draper said via Scott's press release. "Audubon applauds the efforts of DEP for acquiring this land and the Florida Board of Trustees for supporting these important purchases."
"The purchase of these Florida Forever priority lands is movement in the right direction," added Nature Conservancy's Janet Bowman. "It's encouraging to see Cabinet's support for the purchase of these valuable lands that offer important water resource protection for springs and estuaries, coastal protection and critical habitat for wildlife."

140923-a
Clean the Everglades, win $10 million
Miami Herald - by Jenny Staletovich
September 23, 2014
The rise of the prize has helped define innovation in the 21st century, triggering breakthroughs in space travel, third-world vaccinations, driver-less cars and even better movie downloads.
Now the Everglades Foundation has joined the trend with its own science challenge: $10 million to anyone who can solve the chronic problem of phosphorous pollution that has sickened the Everglades and coastal estuaries, and vexed politicians, environmentalists and water managers for decades. To ensure an even greener outcome, the winning project must also recycle phosphorous to meet a growing fertilizer shortage. And all at a reasonable cost.
On Monday, the nonprofit announced an anonymous $10 million donation to pay for the challenge, which it expects to stretch over seven years as competitors reach various benchmarks to measure the success of their work. It also expands the Palmetto Bay-based foundation’s work beyond Florida.
“Government cannot solve this problem of phosphorous in water alone. It very much needs a public-private partnership and I put the emphasis on private,” foundation chief executive officer Eric Eikenberg said in a press briefing.
Over the last 18 months, foundation scientists have met with government officials, business leaders and other scientists to develop a criteria for the competition, said Maurice Ferre, a foundation board member who is chairing the challenge.
Calling it “one of the world’s most daunting environmental problems,” the group focused on phosphorous that is part of a soup of run-off from farms and yards that threatens water around the country. South Florida has been particularly vulnerable from dirty water in Lake Okeechobee, the chief source of fresh water to the Everglades. Last summer, water flowing east and west from the lake turned the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers a bright emerald green as phosphorous-fed, fish-killing algae bloomed.
The competition took on broader urgency this summer when algae bloomed in Lake Erie, shutting off water to a half million residents in Toledo, Eikenberg said. On Wednesday, the foundation plans to stage a formal press conference in Chicago.
Over the years, Florida has fought to control phosphorous, enacting a series of laws and spending more than a billion dollars on a vast series of artificial marshes to scrub the pollutant from water flowing into the Glades. The sugar industry, the source of much of the pollution, has dramatically reduced its fertilizer use over the last decades but tons of phosphorus still flow every year into drainage canals with storm run-off.
Solving the phosphorous riddle, “is really the right idea because farm fertilizer is such a pestilence on the state,” said David Guest, a managing attorney for Earth Justice, which sued the South Florida Water Management District to halt the practice of “back-pumping” storm water into Lake Okeechobee.
The competition was split into phases designed to assess the pollution-reducing potential of proposals, said foundation chief scientist G. Melodie Naja, who will oversee research and help convene an independent panel of scientists to review work. Competitors will have to first prove the success of their work in the lab. Next, results must be proven on a larger scale in a swimming pool. The final phase will test phosphate reduction in the Kissimmee River, a major tributary adding to lake pollution.
The goal, Naja said, is to reduce phosphorous in water to 40 parts per billion. Concentrations in the Kissimmee River now run about six to nine times higher, she said.
“We want to see if we can clean water on a huge scale,” she said.
While reducing phosphorous has been one of the Everglades Foundation’s main missions, the prize also takes into account a growing global shortage of phosphate rock, the main ingredient in phosphorous. World supplies are now controlled by just a few countries — China, South Africa, Jordan, Morocco and the U.S. A 2010 report cited by the Everglades Foundation warned of a pending crisis.
In addition to the $10 million grand prize, the foundation also hopes to award smaller prizes totaling $1 million leading up to the 2022 award.
While awarding prizes for excellence in science or the arts is nothing new, tailoring awards to achieve certain goals has become a uniquely 21st century tool to spur innovation. Since 1991, about 80 percent of prizes totaling more than $375 million have been designed to achieve a specific innovation rather than recognizing general excellence, according to a 2009 study by the international management firm McKinsey & Company.
The study found competitions have generally shifted away from achievement in arts and humanities to science, engineering, aviation, space and the environment, driven in part by a pool of new philantrophists intent on achieving social goals. Mobilizing participants, who often spend their own money in pursuit of the prize, ultimately creates, the study found, “a powerful instrument of change.”
Naja said she is confident the Everglades challenge will draw competitors since the group already receives frequent inquiries from people claiming to be able to reduce phosphorous.
“There are also many researchers at universities working on the phosphorous problem in the environment,” she said. “So I bet we’ll receive many applicants.”
Related:           ami foundation offers US$ 10 million for phosphate pollution ...      Daily News & Analysis
$10 Million Offered to Rid US Waterways of Phosphate Pollution  AllMediaNY
Miami foundation offers $10 million for phosphate pollution solution          GlobalPost

140923-b
Crocodiles are recovering in the Everglades
NatureWorldNews.com – by Brian Stallard
September 23, 2014
A record number of crocodile hatchlings have been discovered in the Everglades National Park this summer, showing that efforts to restore crocodile habitats in the region are working well.
Despite what urban legend says of the Everglade areas, the region has been only sparsely populated with crocodiles over the last few decades. In fact, back in the early 1970s, wild American crocodiles were listed as federally endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) - a status that persisted for most crocs until about 2007, when it was determined that the hearty animals had bred enough to simply be considered "threatened" in Florida state.
So what was to blame for the crocodile decline? According to The Associated Press, prior to the 1970s, a number of drains had been dug in the Everglades, designed to drain marsh water for agriculture. Not only did this shrink natural marshland coverage - where the crocs like to breed - but it also increased the salinity of local waters.
Studies since that time have found that salty waters have a dangerous impact on the growing rate of these freshwater reptiles. Regular surveys and assessment of Everglade populations conducted by "The Croc Docs" through the University of Florida in partnership with the FWS and US Geological Survey found that growth rate and prevalence of the animals was directly influenced by the salinity of local waters.
The surveys also found that ongoing efforts to improve freshwater conditions, which mainly involve the prevention of salt water intrusion and freshwater loss to tide along costal canals, may be working.
Now, according to the University of Florida (UF), the most young crocodiles ever recorded, 962 hatchlings, were captured, marked, and released in the Everglades, showing a stunning surge in populations from last summer, when only 554 hatchlings were found.
Frank Mazzotti, a UF Agricultural Sciences expert and crocodile monitor, is quick to caution that this isn't exactly proof that restoration efforts are working, though he says he's encouraged by the data.
"What we hope is the lesson is that ecosystem restoration efforts can work," he said. "If the signal is correct here, we can monitor that improvement by looking at ecological responses  - and crocodiles make good indicators."
Related:           Research: Florida Everglades Crocodile Numbers Up           ABC News
Once endangered in Florida Everglades, crocodiles back with ...      Fox News
Record number of crocodiles hatch in Everglades     Sun Sentinel
Researchers: Everglades crocodile numbers up          WTSP 10 News
Rising number of crocodiles good sign for Everglades health           Ocala
UF/IFAS scientists count record number of threatened crocodile ... University of Florida

140923-c
The Everglades Foundation will reward an individual or team who can develop a process to remove phosphorus from waterways
News-Press.com
September 23, 2014
What the Ansari X Prize was to space travel, The Grand Challenge could be to water quality and world hunger.
Whereas the X Prize offered $10 million to anyone who could launch a spacecraft 62 miles above the Earth twice within two weeks (Mojave Aerospace Ventures won the prize in 2004), The Grand Challenge, which is administered by the Everglades Foundation, will pay $10 million to an individual or team who can develop a process to remove phosphorus from waterways and recycle it to be used as fertilizer for the world's food supply.
"This prize is a huge opportunity to find a science-based solution to an environmental problem not only in Florida but around the world," Melodie Naja, Everglades Foundation chief scientist, said Monday. "Phosphorus is important to grow food. At the same time, the supply of phosphate is diminishing. If we could solve both problems that would be great."
Southwest Floridians are familiar with how phosphorus harms area waterways: During and after major rain events, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases massive amounts of phosphorus-laced water down the Caloosahatchee River from Lake Okeechobee.
That phosphorus, which comes from fertilizer, sewage and animal waste, triggers massive harmful algal blooms that foul beaches, kill fish and smother seagrasses.
Southwest Florida isn't alone: Last month, phosphorus caused an algal bloom in Lake Erie that forced officials in Toledo, Ohio, to ban the use of tap water.
On Wednesday, the Everglades Foundation will officially announce The Grand Challenge in Chicago but held a telephone conference about the prize Monday for Florida media.
"The reason we're doing it this morning is that the news coming out of Toledo caused people to say, 'What kinds of solutions are out there to avoid what we saw in Toledo ?' " Everglades Foundation CEO Eric Eikenberg said. "Things have to change. The private sector has to step forward to solve the problem.
"The government can't solve the problem. It doesn't have those kind of dollars. It's time for competition and innovation to come forward."
To win the $10 million, which has been provided by a single anonymous donor, an individual or team must develop a way to reduce phosphorus levels to 40 parts per billion; phosphorus levels in Lake Okeechobee fluctuate, but Naja said water entering the lake from the Kissimmee River has phosphorus levels of 250 to 350 parts per thousand.
The Grand Challenge will be formally launched in February 2015, and Everglades Foundation officials expect the prize to be awarded by 2022.
An additional $1 million will be awarded in various subcategories during the seven years of the competition.
"Many companies are interested in solving this problem," Naja said. "Many researchers at universities are working on the phosphorus problem. I bet we'll see many applicants who would like to solve The Grand Challenge."
Related:           The Everglades Foundation will reward an individual or team who can develop a process to remove phosphorus from waterways   Everglades Foundation

140922-a
$10 million prize offered for lowering phosphorus in Kissimmee River
Palm Beach Post - by George Bennett, Staff Writer
September 22, 2014
An anonymous donor is offering a $10 million prize through the Everglades Foundation for a person or team who can develop a way to remove excess phosphorus from water supplies and recycle it to boost worldwide food production.
The nonprofit Everglades Foundation announced the prize Monday, calling it the most ambitious effort in its 20-year history.
Phosphorus is a natural nutrient in abundant supply in Florida soil and sedimentary rock. Excess phosphorus from fertilizers washing off farms into the water supply contributes to algae blooms and other pollution that has plagued Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon.
The problem isn’t unique to Florida and the Everglades. Algae blooms in Lake Erie this summer led the city of Toledo, Ohio, to declare its drinking water unsafe for several days.
Everglades Foundation representatives will be attending the Great Lakes Summit in Chicago this week to discuss phosphorus problems and offer more details on the $10 million prize, said Eric Eikenberg, the foundation’s chief executive officer.
“Government cannot solve this problem of phosphorous in water alone, excess phosphorous. It very much needs a public-private partnership,” Eikenberg said in a conference call with reporters.
The competition will formally begin in February and run through 2022, Eikenberg said.
The foundation has not yet released some details of the competition. But Eikenberg said one of the criteria for winning the prize will be lowering phosphorus levels in the Kissimmee River, which flows from Central Florida into Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, to 40 parts per billion. Current phosphorus levels are about 250 to 350 parts per billion, said Everglades Foundation Chief Scientist Dr. G. Melodie Naja.
Related:           Everglades Foundation offers $10 million water pollution cleanup prize (Sun Sentinel)
Phosphorus Challenge Prize announcement          Everglades Foundation on social media

140922-b
6 ways climate change is making us sick
Time.com – by Alexandra Sifferlin
September 22, 2014
Climate change and global health are intimately connected new research argues
Just a day after the People’s Climate March, one of the largest international environmental marches, a new analysis of 56 studies on climate change-related health problems shows that increasingly, global temperatures and severe weather events will continue to have a major impact on global health.
In the U.S. alone, several cities are expected to experience many more frequent hot days by the year 2050, and New York City and Milwaukee for example, may have three times their current average of hot days that reach over 90 degrees. According to researchers from the University of Wisconsin, this is just one consequence of human-driven climate change.
Currently, 97% of scientists studying climate agree that climate change is caused by humans. The new study, which is published in JAMA, lays out what these wide ranging effects on public health are.
Just a day after the People’s Climate March, one of the largest international environmental marches, a new analysis of 56 studies on climate change-related health problems shows that increasingly, global temperatures and severe weather events will continue to have a major impact on global health.
In the U.S. alone, several cities are expected to experience many more frequent hot days by the year 2050, and New York City and Milwaukee for example, may have three times their current average of hot days that reach over 90 degrees. According to researchers from the University of Wisconsin, this is just one consequence of human-driven climate change.
Currently, 97% of scientists studying climate agree that climate change is caused by humans. The new study, which is published in JAMA, lays out what these wide ranging effects on public health are.
Here’s a breakdown of how climate change will impact human health:
Heat-related health problems
In the researchers’ findings, they report that heat-related deaths represent more fatalities than all other weather events combined, and the frequency of hot days is expected to increase across all U.S. cities. Other research, like a recent July CDC report confirmed earlier this summer that heat-related health problems in the U.S. are growing. Since outdoor workers are impacted by heat, there are also significant economic-related implications—and by 2050s, the researchers report that workdays lost due to heat could reach 15 to 18% in South East Asia, Central America and West and Central Africa.
Respiratory problems
Climate-related pollution can trigger respiratory problems, commonly due to poor air quality, as exhibited in large cities like Beijing. The researchers report that 43 million people in the U.S. alone live in places that are over the EPA’s health standards for fine particulate matter in the air, and that can come from forest fires, which are thought to increase as temperatures continue to rise and droughts are prolonged. Pollen is also thought to increase with climate change, which is terrible news for people with seasonal allergies.
Infectious diseases
In the U.S., diseases like West Nile, dengue fever, and chikungunya virus are increasing in warm and muggy states like Florida, and all three of those diseases are thought to have a connection to warmer temperatures. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) says that the rise of temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns have contributed to longer summers, and therefore these diseases—which are insect-borne—have longer seasons.
Waterborne diseases
Climate change is projected to continue to cause heavier rain events, and the researchers note that gastrointestinal disease among kids has been tied to heavy rain fall in both the U.S. and India. Earlier this summer, citizens in Michigan and Toledo, Ohio were banned from drinking tap water after an algae bloom, caused in part by agricultural runoff, moved to the region’s water intake area and contaminated the drinking water.
Food insecurity
According to the report, climate change is expected to lower global food production by 2% per decade, even as demand increases 14%.
Mental health problems
The researchers show that serious weather events caused by climate change like Hurricane Katrina can leave people feeling utterly hopeless, displaced, full of anxiety and even with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
In a corresponding editorial, Dr. Howard Bauchner, the editor-in-chief of JAMA, and Dr. Phil Fontanarosa, the journal’s executive editor, write: “Understanding and characterizing this threat and educating the medical community, public, and policy makers are crucial if the health of the world’s population is to continue to improve during the latter half of the 21st century.”
When it comes to solutions, the researchers say reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a critical step in gaining better health and more economic stability. Starting Tuesday, the UN will meet for its 2014 Climate Summit, and the hope among many is that global public health will be an issue brought to the table—and addressed on an international scale.

140922-c
Global warming: Where will we go when seas rise ?
CommunityNewspapers.com (Cutler Bay) - by Ernie Sochin
September 22, 2014
Perhaps there is a master plan for us being on this planet. I am told that we originated in the ocean, crawled up onto the land and eventually became people, at least some of us.
Now, from what I have learned over the past several weeks, it appears that the plan is for us to return to the ocean and perhaps learn to live in the water breathing oxygen from the H2O and perhaps starting the whole cycle all over again.
Let me explain.
I was fortunate enough to live in Cutler Bay during Hurricane Andrew. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world but my survivalist mate was not too happy with my choice to remain at home. Never having experienced anything compared to a Category 5 storm, I thought it might be fun just to see what actually happened.
The thing I remember most was the fact that several blocks from where I live there were watermarks in the homes at shoulder height. The entire areas now known as Saga Bay, Lakes By The Bay, and others were all totally underwater. I also remember a Volkswagen being tossed into the third floor of the then Burger King building. Since that time many people have built houses, apartments and some businesses in that area and I can’t help but wonder what it might look like under several feet of water. Granted there are elevation requirements that would place these structures above a potential floodplain.
The question in my mind is, what then ?  Neither the town nor the county will have enough boats to evacuate all of these people and I can assure you that many, if not most will choose as I did, to remain home should a full storm threaten. Of course there are developers who are planning to build floating houses. Good luck with those. I have plans for my own Ernie’s Ark.
The big concern in my mind is sea level rise. We all can argue about whether it is man-made or just the way our planet is designed but hardly anyone disagrees that the ocean is rising. Since 1870, the average global sea level has risen by about eight inches. In Southeast Florida it is 12 inches. The average annual sea level rise between 1993 and 2010 was almost twice the rate from 1901 to 2010. Now get this; by the year 2060 it is estimated that sea levels along Florida’s coastline could rise between nine inches to two feet.
The big danger in all this is to the barrier islands of which Miami Beach is foremost. The results will be a very skinny Miami Beach with hardly any useful land between the ocean and the Intracostal Waterway. Drive up the coast of Florida and you will see many more barrier islands that will probably end up being underwater reefs in not too many years.
The county is expected to spend more than $32 million for beach erosion and re-nourishment between the years of 2013 and 2027. Bal Harbour expects to need 30,000 yards of sand per year or the equivalent of more than 14 football fields covered by 1 foot of sand. Need more statistics? There are 71,702 houses in Dade County that are three feet below current sea levels and another 25,192 that are two feet below.
By the year 2100, U.S. government projections by the U.S. Geological Survey expect a sea level rise of between 4.1 feet to 6.6 feet. By that time, I will be 164 years old but I plan to stay around at least that long just to see what happens. I already have taken steps to ensure such long life. I have had two knee replacements and one hip replacement and I’m currently researching the possibility of a full frontal cortex replacement. Any volunteers ? With all these replacement parts available I should be able to hang around for at least a few more years.
According to Harold Wanless of the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Miami, at the depth of the last Ice Age about 18,000 years ago, sea level was some 420 feet below present level as ice was taken up by large continental ice sheets. Subsequent ice melt was not a gradual acceleration and deceleration progress process. Rather it was a series of very rapid pulses of sea level rise followed by pauses.
These rapid pulses of rise from 3 to 30 feet were fast enough to leave drowned reefs, sandy barrier islands, tidal inlet deltas and other coastal deposits abandoned across the continental shelf. This is what happens when climate change warms enough to destabilize some ice sheet sector. It rapidly disintegrates resulting in a rapid rise.
There are many explanations for the rapid melting of ice but the basic facts are that the ice is melting and the water is rising. Many people living on or near the coast will be putting their houses up for sale at bargain prices and I have no idea where I plan to live in the next several hundred years but getting a 30-year mortgage in Florida may be impossible.
I may move to Colorado where the mean elevation is 6,800 feet compared to Florida’s 100 feet.

140922-d
Keep fighting to restore lagoon
Daytona Beach News Journal – Our View
September 22, 2014
In the fight to save the troubled Indian River Lagoon, scientists and local residents are starting to see glimmers of light. Unfortunately, some of those flashes are from luminescent (and toxic) microorganisms — a glowing distress signal that the lagoon is still fighting polluted imbalance and man-made peril.
Ongoing research shows promising signs of recovery. Sea grass beds are rebounding. The water seems clearer and there’s less algae clogging the waterways and blocking needed sunlight. That should bolster the hopes of those toiling to restore the lagoon — and emphasize the need to keep working to identify and correct the causes of toxic algae blooms, fish kills and mysterious illnesses plaguing fish, shellfish, manatees and dolphins.
Some of the factors aren’t much of a puzzle. And they represent daunting challenges. The biggest causes of lagoon pollution are leaking septic tanks, yard chemicals flushed into local waterways by rain, and the discharge of treated wastewater from utilities. Fixing those obvious sources will take a significant shift in the mindset of local residents and businesses, and millions of dollars invested in replacing aging infrastructure.
Fortunately, many have taken the lagoon’s plight to heart. The Legislature has committed more than $300 million to projects that will benefit the lagoon, and earlier this month a legislative budget committee added nearly $3 million in South Florida projects that will improve water quality. Local officials are on board as well. Last week, the Volusia County Council set a series of goals toward improving the area’s water quality — a measure that could help restore local springs as well as the lagoon. The county asked Volusia cities to endorse the goals as well.
The answer should be a resounding and unanimous “yes.” Many of the goals are expensive — such as expanding sewer systems to replace individual septic tanks for business and homeowners, and eliminating all discharge of treated sewage into area water bodies — but Volusia County stands a much better chance of attracting state and federal funding to help meet those goals if it speaks with one voice. (The goals also include an intensive lobbying effort to help secure those funds and draw attention to restoration projects on the lagoon’s northern boundary.)
State and local officials are right to regard the lagoon’s peril as an ecological emergency. The 156-mile estuary, which stretches from Ponce Inlet south to Jupiter Inlet in Palm Beach County, is one of the most ecologically diverse in the world, home to thousands of plant and animal species. It’s also a major economic driver, supporting commercial and hobby fishing along with recreational uses such as kayaking.
The goal is admittedly visionary: A healthy, thriving ecosystem, teeming with life and lit only by the sparkle of sunlight and moonlight on clean water. But recent progress shows the goal is within reach — and clearly, worth fighting for.

140922-e
Miami hopes storm pumps, seawall will protect against rising seas
Insurance Journal - by Jennifer Kay
September 22, 2014
Climate change is not only already visible in iconic South Beach, but so is climate change adaptation, in the form of new storm water pumps meant to keep rising sea levels from swamping low-lying streets, city officials said Wednesday.
Extreme high tides in the fall and spring push seawater up through aging infrastructure, flooding some Miami Beach streets with more than a foot of water even on sunny days, snarling vehicle and pedestrian traffic. National and regional climate change risk assessments have used the flooding to illustrate the Miami area’s vulnerability to rising sea levels.
Watching a new storm water pump being readied for installation along the city’s bay front, officials said they hoped the project would make Miami Beach, a barrier island with an average elevation of 4.4 feet above sea level, an example of climate change adaptation instead of only risk.
A system of about 60 new pumps across the city will keep streets dry for the next 25 to 30 years, said Mayor Philip Levine. A higher sea wall also is being built to cope with storm surge flooding.
“The one thing we won’t do as a city is sit by and wait for water to rise around us. We’re taking aggressive, offensive actions,” he said.
At least two pumps will be working by the time the annual king tides emerge later this fall, officials said. Those tides are expected to be almost 3 inches higher than last year, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projections, and they can be exacerbated by heavy rainfall or offshore ocean swells.
Miami Beach expects to spend up to $400 million over five years to upgrade the storm water system to improve drainage and reduce neighborhood flooding. The Florida Department of Transportation also is installing new pump stations in the city.
According to a regional agreement for climate change adaptation, the waters off South Florida could rise up to 2 feet by 2060. Florida’s porous limestone foundation — structured like Swiss cheese — makes the state particularly vulnerable to rising seas because water seeps up through the ground, flooding roads and outdated sewage systems.
Levine pointed to millions of dollars of new investment and development in Miami Beach as evidence that people believe in the city’s long-term viability. Some residents trying to negotiate traffic around the construction, though, were skeptical.
“Are you kidding me? Sea level rise is inevitable,” said Luis Epperson, shaking his head. “You’re going to have to lift the city on floaters or something.”

140922-f
Putnam calls for state aid if oyster harvesting halted
Tallahassee Democrat - by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
September 22, 2014
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said state officials must be ready to assist thousands of families whose lives would be impacted if the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shuts down oyster harvesting in Apalachicola Bay.
Putnam wouldn't go so far as to say he'd support closing the Northwest Florida bay to harvesting. But he expressed confidence in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's biologists who are working to revive the waterway, which has struggled from over-harvesting and a reduction in water coming out of Georgia.
"If that's the conclusion their scientists come to, we're going to respect a lot of their work," Putnam told reporters Friday. "And if that's the conclusion they come to, then all of us across state government need to be prepared to move in and assist those families that will be devastated."
No action has been taken since Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Nick Wiley advised the commission Sept. 10 that the closure may be needed.
"It's very likely that we're going to have to entertain a possible complete closure of the Apalachicola oyster harvest," Wiley said during a meeting in Kissimmee. "We want to take that very carefully, and only do that if everybody feels that's what we have to do."
On Friday, the threat of closure spurred seafood workers in Franklin County to angrily confront the president of their workers association, according to the Panama City News Herald. The story reported that oystermen are receiving record prices per bag but are facing a scarcity of oysters. It said some oystermen privately acknowledge that closing the bay might help replenish supplies but are worried that even a short-term closure could eventually lead to privatized aquaculture in the bay or to no harvests.
The meeting had been called to outline a $4.5 million shelling program that is coming from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In August, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission implemented new conservation measures for the winter, from closing certain commercial and recreational areas to lowering the number of oysters people can harvest.
The oyster population has been hurt, in part, because of a reduction in water flowing south from Georgia. Since 1990, control of water in the river system shared by Florida, Georgia and Alabama has been the subject of lengthy litigation.
Recent rulings have favored Georgia. Last fall, Gov. Rick Scott announced a new lawsuit against Georgia in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Wiley has said there may not be "a bright recovery" until the water flow issue is resolved.
The region has been listed as a declared fishery-resource disaster by the federal government since August 2013. Wiley has said the conditions have only gotten worse, which is what required the new winter harvest rules.
Putnam said he's yet to be briefed on the latest reports from the agency's biologists.
"It is a big step to take, and I know they don't consider it lightly," Putnam said.

140921-a
Amendment 1: Saving Florida’s brand
TBO.com – by Jill Yelverton, Editorial Endorsement
September 21, 2014
With the Amendment 2 medical marijuana proposition lighting up political debate, Amendment 1 isn’t getting a lot of attention. But it could have the most lasting impact of any decision Florida voters will make this election.
The Water and Land Conservation Legacy amendment, on the Nov. 4 ballot, would allow the state to retain its natural beauty and an adequate water supply even as growth returns and the population soars.
The amendment would achieve this without a tax increase or burdensome regulations.
Conservatives should embrace a measure that utilizes property rights — it compensates landowners who want to sell their property or development rights — to protect Florida’s environment, quality of life and economy.
As Keith Overton, CEO of the TradeWinds Islands Resorts on St. Pete Beach, puts it: “Our long-term success in the tourism industry is solely attributable to our natural resources. For Pinellas and all of Florida, this should be a no-brainer. This is about protecting our brand.”
The amendment would require one-third of the state’s documentary-stamp tax revenues be used for conservation purposes. It is expected to raise about $700 million a year — less than 1 percent of the state’s budget.
Voters should understand the tax is already being collected. There would be no increase. It makes sense to tie expenses made necessary by the state’s rapid growth to real estate transactions.
Indeed, in years past, the state traditionally relied on the doc stamp to fund conservation programs. But the Legislature virtually abandoned preservation efforts during the economic downturn and now provides little support. It has even diverted traditional conservation funds to road construction.
Some lawmakers complain the amendment would tie their hands. This is true, but it’s needed: Lawmakers have shown they cannot be trusted to save Florida’s natural heritage for future generations.
Moreover, the amendment is not inflexible. It mandates only a percentage of the tax; the actual dollars would go up or down with the economy. The program would sunset after 20 years. It is aimed at saving critical resources, particularly water sources, while it is still possible.
Part of the money generated for the conservation trust fund would be used to buy beaches, wilderness and lands bordering waterways, allowing the state to offer citizens more parks and areas to hunt, fish, hike, bird watch and canoe.
The money would be used for far more than land acquisition. It also could be spent to buy development rights to ranches and other environmentally valuable land, such as aquifer recharge areas. This would prevent them from being paved over, but would allow agricultural operations to continue.
The revenue also would fund the management and restoration of public land to ensure widespread access and would expand the amount of land open to public hunting.
The funds would be used to cleanse the polluted rivers, springs and groundwater that make up our drinking water supplies, as well as revive tainted coastal waters.
It would help fund the Everglades restoration — the primary water source of millions of Floridians. And it would further protect Florida agriculture, a $10 billion-a-year industry that supports 200,000 jobs.
With the passage of Amendment 1, Florida could establish wildlife corridors that would allow creatures to survive even as more of the state is developed.
As with any government expenditure, it will be necessary to scrutinize spending. But it should reassure taxpayers that the state’s premier land conservation programs — Preservation 2000, initiated by Gov. Bob Martinez in 1990, and its successor, Florida Forever, launched by Gov. Jeb Bush — have been scandal free.
Amendment 1 also would fill a void in state governance: growth management.
State lawmakers a few years ago virtually eliminated the state’s ability to oversee development. Yet Florida, with more than 19 million residents, soon will be the nation’s third-largest state. It is expected to add 7 million more people in the next 20 years. That growing population will bring jobs and enterprises, but the development needed to accommodate more residents also could easily bring environmental ruin.
The Water and Land Conservation Amendment provides a reasonable way to ensure continued growth doesn’t destroy Florida’s natural paradise and its invaluable brand. The Tribune strongly encourages a “yes” vote on Amendment 1.

140921-b
Amendment 1 is more than water and land conservation
News-Press. com – by Chuck Echenique, owner, Rebel Yelp Outfitters & Calls, Tampa
September 21, 2014
This is a stepping-stone to more restriction and more loss of available recreational lands for us to hunt on.
While most of us are consumed with who we will choose for governor, few know or understand Amendment 1, one of the most important issues on the ballot for November.
Most folks have no idea where this is coming from or what it means. Perhaps it would be best if you knew the history behind this amendment and what it, in fact, seeks to amend.
In 2000, the Florida Legislature passed the Florida Preservation 2000 Act (now called Florida Forever.) This law established a program by which the Florida Department of Environmental Protection could implement and oversee conservation land purchases to protect and restore environmentally sensitive lands and wetlands.
Funding was made possible by using the monies collected from documentary stamps, which are stored in the state's general revenue fund. With the exception of fiscal year 2005-2006 when doc stamp revenues hit an all-time high of $4.4 billion, our state has seen a steady doc stamp revenue increase annually from $1.1 billion in 2006-2007 to about $1.8 billion in 2014.
By statute, Florida Forever took a maximum of $300 million of the doc stamp revenues annually from year 2000 through year 2010. In 2010, Florida Forever was reauthorized by the state's legislature to continue funding up to $300 million per year for an additional 10 years. From 2000 to 2010, Florida Forever funds helped purchase, protect and maintain more than 2.5 million acres.
Amendment 1, known as Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative, seeks to remove the maximum funding of $300 million per year and replace it with a minimum 33 percent of the documentary stamp revenues annually. In addition, those funds allocated for the Water and Land Legacy cannot be comingled. That means that once it's allocated for the program (33 percent of the doc stamp revenues by law) they cannot take any portion of those funds and put them back into other programs, no matter how essential they are to maintaining the public welfare.
That, my friends, is fiscally irresponsible. Programs like community affairs grants, housing funds and transportation funds, would take a back seat to this new law. The supporters of the bill will tell you there is no increased in taxes to you, but you and I both know that when funding for road widening or public housing falls short, it's going to have to come from somewhere. And if there is no money in the general fund that they can shift back into these services, there's bound to be a new tax somewhere to pay for it. Of course, the alternative is to defund some other services that don't have a law protecting their funding, like the usual cast of education and law enforcement.
However, there's another problem with this amendment, which no one is talking about – especially not the supporters of this bill. This amendment does not specify that monies be used for land conservation or management, but include such uses as, "outdoor recreation lands, including recreational trails, parks, and urban open space; rural landscapes; working farms and ranches; historic or geologic sites; together with management, restoration of natural systems, and the enhancement of public access or recreational enjoyment of conservation lands."
Now I don't know about you, but I read this amendment to mean that some patch of grass in the middle of a city could be purchased with our tax dollars because some group decided it was historically or environmentally important. What's worse, it would allow the building of things like boardwalks, paved trails and parking lots on our wild lands.
In my opinion, this is a stepping-stone to more restriction and more loss of available recreational lands for us to hunt on. We're already seeing less and less quality public hunting opportunities as we're fighting for quota permits every year. With the vagueness of this amendment, it provides the latitude necessary to remove hunting and consumptive recreation from our public lands.
What this really boils down to is that these ultra-green groups want more money to spend on projects as they see fit. But it's not about conservation. It's about locking up as much land as possible as quickly as possible and making it all bicycle, equestrian and kayak friendly.
They view hunters as the enemy. We are drunken buffoons with a lust for blood out to annihilate every animal from the face of the earth, pollute the land and water, and leave destruction in our wake.
It's up to you to make sure that we don't give them the means to end legal hunting on the lands our money is buying. I urge all of you to spread the word about this amendment and let your non-hunting friends and family know just how dangerous this bill is to our hunting heritage.

140921-c
Amendment 1 threatens private ownership of property
Sun Sentinel – Letter by Andy Dubois, Howey in the Hills
September 21, 2014
Enough is enough. Federal, state and local government already own 27 percent of all the land in Florida. Amendment 1 says that any land the state declares necessary to protect water and conservation resources should be owned by the state. How much land is needed? Are we headed toward becoming Nevada, where 80 percent of the land is government owned?
If Amendment 1 passes, the individual's right to own, use and sell property ends when the state decides that private ownership of land poses a threat to water resources and wildlife habitat. In other words, only the state will be capable of protecting these public treasures. Amendment 1 specifically targets "rural landscapes, farms and ranches" for state ownership, and the state will have up to $20 billion taxpayer dollars to scoop up millions more acres.
The real danger is when the state has your land in its crosshairs and the state is the only buyer. The value of your land is whatever the state says it is. That's either good or bad — depending on who you are. If the unelected bureaucrats decide to reward land-owning friends or eliminate small farms, that is a recipe for both fraud and extortion.
Do you really trust government with this much power and money? Amendment 1 needs to be defeated

140921-d
Governor's water district appointments under scrutiny
News-Press.com – by Kevin Lollar
September 21, 2014
In the wake of Gov. Rick Scott's controversial hunting trip to a ranch in Texas, environmentalists are questioning the governor's appointment of two men associated with the ranch to the South Florida Water Management District's governing board.
One of the state's leading environmental groups, however, defends the appointments.
Scott's Feb. 15, 2013, hunting trip to King Ranch, which covers 825,000 acres in Texas, has generated publicity because it was partly paid for by the sugar industry — King Ranch owns 20,000 acres in South Florida, 12,500 acres of which is used for sugar cane.
The sugar industry is a leading polluter of the Everglades, and environmentalists insist it's dodging its share of Everglades cleanup costs.
Scott has financial ties to the sugar industry beyond his hunting trip.
According to the Let's Get To Work website, the sugar industry has contributed more than $800,000 to Scott's campaign fund since 2010 — the mission of Let's Get To Work, which is supported by Scott, is "to foster accountability in government."
In May 2011, before his trip to King Ranch, Scott appointed Dan DeLisi, vice president of the consulting firm DeLisi Fitzgerald Inc., to the water district governing board.
One of DeLisi Fitzgerald's clients was King Ranch.
"Dan was someone we supported," said Eric Draper, executive director of Audubon Florida. "I thought he did a really good job as a governing board member. He was extremely good about reaching out to the environmental community. He was a very constructive voice in seeking solutions for Southwest Florida."
In a letter to Scott dated Feb. 21, 2013, DeLisi resigned his from the governing board; the following week, he was named the district's chief of staff.
In April 2013, Scott appointed Mitch Hutchcraft to the district's governing board to replace Joe Collins, vice president of agribusiness giant Lykes Bros.
Hutchcraft is vice president of real estate for King Ranch and Consolidated Citrus, 78 percent of which was owned by King Ranch.
Hutchcraft and DeLisi refused to comment for this story.
"It's a nice circle of people, the same people over and over," Pine Island environmental watchdog Phil Buchanan said. "They can deny that it's quid pro quo, but when you lay out the timeline, there it is. You can say it's fishy; you can say it's highly suspect; you can say it stinks; you can say it doesn't pass the smell test. Use any cliche you want, but it's way more than a coincidence."
As he did with DeLisi, Draper defended Hutchcraft's appointment.
"I not only supported Mitch: I nominated him," Draper said. "The water district has always had somebody who represents the agriculture community on the governing board. When Joe Collins resigned, we wanted somebody we'd worked with and had confidence in. Mitch really fit that bill.
"We'd worked with him on panther habitat conservation and found him to be really approachable, informed and moderate, as agriculture people go. When I've gone to him as a board member to ask him to vote for something, he's typically voted our way."
When asked about the DeLisi's and Hutchcraft's appointments, Scott spokesman John Tupps wrote in an email:
"Governor Scott has made environmental restoration a top priority –— investing record amounts in the Everglades and Springs projects all across Florida, even many that were not prioritized by the previous administration. He expects all of his appointees to protect Florida's natural treasures, and is proud that Florida has implemented the most comprehensive water quality standards in the nation.
"These appointments were made at the recommendation of Eric Draper, Executive Director of Audubon Florida, Senator Mike Bennett, John Manning, Lee County Board of Commissioners, John Hoblick, President of Florida Farm Bureau, and Ron Hamel, Executive Vice President of the Gulf Citrus Growers Association. Mr. Hutchcraft was confirmed by the Florida Senate by a vote of 30-0 on April 29, 2014."
Reactions
David Guest, managing attorney for the Tallahassee office of Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit environmental law firm, said King Ranch will receive benefits from having one of its vice presidents on the district's governing board.
"There's a layer of subtlety," Guest said. "What will happen is, on matters that directly affect King Ranch, he'll make a display of recusing himself from the decision. But in recommendations to the board, district staff will take into consideration that a board member has a stake in the outcome. They avoid anything that would have an adverse effect on board members. They're a loyal family."
Ray Judah, former Lee County commissioner and critic of the sugar industry and water district, called the appointments a "blatant conflict of interest."
"Since he was elected, the governor has perpetuated a culture of corruption," Judah said. "The fact that he appointed Mitch Hutchcraft, and Dan DeLisi before him, both of whom are associated with the sugar industry, to the governing board of the agency that issues water-use permits is evidence that the governor places a higher priority on addressing the needs of special interest groups than on public interest."

140921-e
Riverkeeper: JEA, utility industry distorting facts on President Obama's pollution-reduction plan
Jacksonville.com - by Nate Monroe
September 21, 2014
Environmental groups say EPA rule is a good start to ridding nation of dirty power plants.
Local, state and environmental activists are pushing back against JEA and other industry organizations that have criticized President Barack Obama’s plan to cut pollution from the nation’s power plants, saying his ambitious proposal is a good start toward ridding the environment of dirty technology that has marred waterways and the air for decades.
St. Johns Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman says JEA and industry lobbyists are “working overtime to distort the facts, scare the public and undermine” the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule.
“The bottom line is that coal-fired power plants are the largest source of toxic water pollution in the United States, dumping more toxins in our waters than the other top nine polluting industries combined,” she said in a statement. “We are long overdue for further protections to reduce and eliminate this ongoing hazard to human health and our waterways.”
JEA says its concerns with the rule reflect hard realities — not political gamesmanship. And it says its own coal-fired power plants are modern and in compliance with federal regulations.
“JEA’s coal plants are not the coal plants Lisa’s referring to,” said Bud Para, JEA’s chief public affairs officer. “We’re not trying to scare monger, but we are trying to let our customers know this is going to cost us.”
The proposed EPA rule, dubbed the Clean Power Plan, is aimed at cutting carbon emissions 30 percent by 2030, with individual goals set up for each state. Florida would have to reduce its emissions by 38 percent from its 2012 levels — a goal that JEA says would in practice quickly render its coal-fired power plants outdated.
JEA and other Florida utilities have invested in natural gas, nuclear and renewable sources for electric generation, but coal remains a major source of fuel. JEA has used coal to generate about 65 percent of its power this year.
JEA’s concern is shared widely in the industry.
Florida Public Service Commissioner Eduardo E. Balbis came to a similar conclusion, saying the rule “has the potential for significant rate and reliability impacts on Florida’s consumers,” according to a draft of comments he is preparing for the EPA. The commission is the state’s oversight arm for utilities
He estimates the cost of compliance to be about $27 billion; JEA says its own costs could be $1 billion.
But environmental groups question whether such drastic predictions are accurate.
“The fear of uncertainty is driving some statements that are bordering on the hyperbolic,” said Tom Larson, an executive committee member of the Northeast Florida branch of the Sierra Club. “I fear the cost of continuing business as usual will be shocking and untenable for our children.”
While broad swaths of the utility industry have swiftly criticized the plan, the urgent concern is not shared across the board.
Indeed, Florida Power & Light — the state’s largest utility, serving about half the state with some 4.7 million customers — has taken a softer tone than JEA and others.
“As a result of the company’s past investments in energy efficiency improvements at its fossil fuel-fired generating facilities and planned investments in new clean energy technologies ... FPL’s proposed future generation growth will well-position the company to comply with the interim and final emission targets in the proposed Clean Power Plan,” the company said in comments to the state Public Service Commission.
About 87 percent of FP&L’s power in 2013 came from natural gas and nuclear generation.
FP&L is a private, investor-owned utility, while JEA is public. If the proposed rule is finalized and Florida begins preparing its compliance plan, there could be political rifts between the private and public utilities, which tend to rely almost entirely on ratepayers for revenue.
Even with JEA’s limitations as a public agency, however, Rinaman said the requirements of the Clean Power Plan “should not come as a surprise to JEA.”
There is much uncertainty about the proposed rule. The EPA has extended its public commenting period on the rule until December, which could sway some aspects of the final rule. Court challenges to the rule have already begun, and if Republicans take the U.S. Senate in November or the White House in 2016, that could imperil Obama’s plan.
JEA SYMPOSIUM ON EPA RULE
Jacksonville’s electric utility is holding a symposium this week to provide customers with an opportunity to learn what potential impact the proposed EPA Clean Power Plan may have.
Speakers will include the American Public Power Association’s director of environmental services, who will provide a national, regional and state view of the rule and its challenges; an EPA official; and JEA officials, who will share the potential projected impacts locally.
The meeting is Thursday, Sept. 25, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Main Library, 303 N. Laura Street.
JEA is asking for those wishing to attend the discussion to RSVP via either email at charmm@jea.com or call at 665-7313.

140921-f
You don’t need to be a scientist, Gov. Scott
Ocala.com - by Mark Ferrulo (Special to the Star-Banner), executive director of Progress Florida
September 21, 2014
As the November election fast approaches, Gov. Rick Scott has been barnstorming across the state, touting his environmental record while promising to spend millions on land conservation and crack down on polluters. But when it comes to protecting public health and our state’s natural resources, Scott’s record stands in stark contrast to his rhetoric.
Soon after taking the oath of office, Scott launched an unprecedented anti-environment agenda that has reshaped the institutions and laws intended to protect our wildlife, natural treasures, open space and precious water supplies.
Within six months of taking office, Scott signed into law a bill that dismantled the Florida Department of Community Affairs, eliminating the agency charged with assuring responsible and sustainable growth across the state. At the same time, Scott attacked water management districts by slashing their revenues and forcing staff layoffs — despite a state water crisis that has since gotten worse.
One of the core missions of state government, protecting public health and the environment, has been tossed aside under Scott’s leadership. More personnel have been put in place that mirror Scott’s tea party driven, anti-regulation agenda — an agenda that puts the interests of his corporate campaign donors above what’s best for the residents of Florida.
Under Scott, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) laid off 58 employees in 2012 alone. Some who were fired went public with allegations that the DEP had been easing regulations on industrial plants and big developers. Moreover, environmental enforcement actions have declined substantially under Scott, and in 2013, the DEP fired several attorneys who vigorously prosecuted pollution enforcement cases.
In his first year in office, Scott proposed ending all funding for the Florida Forever land conservation program. In his second year, the budget Scott signed included only a fraction of what previous governors, including Republican governors, had dedicated to this nationally renowned preservation and public recreation program.
Scott has given polluters a blank check to pollute the Everglades. He accepted a $100,000 campaign contribution from U.S. Sugar after signing a bill that reduced the cleanup cost on sugar growers responsible for much of the Everglades pollution. The new law even lets the growers off the hook from paying for their pollution altogether in 13 years — whether the water flowing through our Everglades on its way to The Keys remains polluted or not.
Most notably, despite overwhelming scientific evidence, Scott refuses to acknowledge humans are affecting the climate. Scott has repeatedly responded to questions about climate change by saying, “I am not a scientist.”
In August, he met briefly with a group of Florida scientists after refusing to meet with them initially. In the meeting, Scott mostly engaged in small talk, didn’t ask a single substantive question and has yet to acknowledge the threat of climate change, much less offer any plan or idea for addressing it.
The Scott administration and his allies’ anti-environment crusade even extends beyond Florida. Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi used Florida tax dollars to support a polluters’ lawsuit opposing the Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Blueprint.
The future of Florida’s land and water is at a critical juncture. Now more than ever we need political leaders who will stand up to corporate polluters, protect our unique ecology and defend public health.
No amount of election-year pandering will reverse Scott’s awful record when it comes to protecting Florida’s land and water. You certainly don’t need to be a scientist to know that.

140920-a
Coalition asks State to stop U.S. Sugar's giant land plan
SWFlorida.com – Letter to Governor by Dan Browne
September 20, 2014
Sugar Hill Residential/Industrial Plan Gaining Opposition
CLEWISTON, FL. --  A coalition of community groups and the Sierra Club has asked Florida Governor Rick Scott to prevent U.S. Sugar and Hilliard Brothers from implementing a very large "sector plan" to change zoning on eastern Hendry county agricultural lands to commercial and residential use.
The group says the plan Sugar Hill, already approved by the Hendry County Commission for transmittal to the State for final approval, will interfere with Florida's existing option to purchase some of the land for Everglades restoration and other environmental reasons, citing a probable increase in spectulative land values among other reasons.
Last week, Sierra Club was joined by more than two dozen coalition partners and members in speaking out against Sugar Hill at the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board meeting in West Palm Beach.
A letter sent to Scott explains, "Approval of this Sector Plan could end any realistic chance of doing this – either directly by allowing the approval of development that would preclude restoration, or indirectly by increasing the speculative market value of the lands needed for restoration. The proposed Sector Plan appears inconsistent with numerous requirements of Florida’s land use planning law, as a result of its failure to acknowledge state’s restoration efforts, and the suitability of this land for development relative to drainage, water management, water supply and other issues."
U.S.. Sugar and Hilliard have teamed up to get quick approval for the plan, which some say is a way to get the real estate values increased on the 67 square miles of now primarily sugar cane fields, in preparation for a probable sale later to the state of Florida.
The U.S. Sugar plan calls for 18,000 homes and commercial zoning in the region south and west of Clewiston..  Hendry county recently approved two other sector plans which would allow for about 44,000 homes to be built.
The rural county has a population of 37,000 people now and many thousands of acres of existing empty residential lots are still available in Hendry county's Port LaBelle subdivisions, the largest subdivision in the county.

140920-b
Lawmakers come together seeking $1.9 billion for Everglades restoration
KeysNet.com – by Kevin Wadlow
September 20, 2014
Eleven federal lawmakers from Florida said Thursday that Everglades restoration needs $1.9 billion to move forward on critical projects.
Legislation with support from both Republicans and Democrats would authorize the money for the Central Everglades Planning Project, which comprises an array of individual projects to store fresh water and send it along historic paths to South Florida's protected ecosystems.
The project also would prevent massive amounts of flood water from being channeled to nearshore marine environments like the St. Lucie estuary, which have suffered damage from freshwater discharges.
Florida Democratic U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio were among the bill sponsors. So was U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, a Democrat representing south Miami-Dade and Monroe County.
If the legislation fails to pass Congress, funding for the projects could be stalled for years until the Water Resources Development Act is authorized.
The Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) hit a snag in late April when a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers review panel said the project's 8,000-page report was not ready for final approval.
The legislation would authorize the money as soon as the Corps approves the plan, which could happen in November.
"This has a lot of bipartisan support which we hope is a good sign," said Julie Hill-Gabriel, Florida Audubon's director of Everglades policy.
"This project would supply some of the biggest benefits to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay," she said. "We need action on it now."

140920-c
Reservations about Conservation Amendment
TheLedger.com - by Lloyd Dunkelberger
September 20, 2014
TALLAHASSEE–Amendment 1, which would require the state to set aside more funding for conservation programs each year, is running into some opposition.
But its backers say the amendment is critical to protecting waterways, woodlands and other natural resources, and they remain confident it will be approved.
This week, Florida TaxWatch, the nonpartisan, business-oriented watchdog group, released a voter’s guide for November, arguing that Amendment 1 and also Amendment 2, which would allow the use of medical marijuana in the state do not belong in Florida’s constitution.
“It is clear that the amendment would decrease legislative flexibility in budgeting, which Florida TaxWatch has consistently held to be a vital tool for responsible budget decisions,” the guide said. “Regardless of the merits of either argument on this issue, this is a policy decision that does not belong embedded in ‘constitutional concrete.’ ”
That drew a rebuttal from Will Abberger, campaign manager for Amendment 1, who said the groups supporting the Florida Land and Water Legacy campaign “fundamentally disagree” with TaxWatch’s assertion.
Abberger said the amendment, which must be approved by 60 percent of voters, represents the “best opportunity” to reduce pollution in drinking water supplies not to mention numerous rivers, springs and lakes while also protecting wildlife habitat and natural areas.
“It is exactly the kind of important public policy that the Florida Constitution’s initiative process was designed to address, and exactly what Florida needs to ensure a stable and predictable source of funding for water and land conservation that is not subject to changing political agendas,” Abberger contended.
One of TaxWatch’s prime arguments it’s one that’s been echoed by legislative leaders is that the amendment will take away some of the Legislature’s ability to assess and prioritize spending in the annual budget cycle.
The provision would require one-third of the state’s real estate transaction tax to be earmarked for conservation programs, including Florida Forever land purchases, water projects, Everglades restoration, springs protection and other environmental initiatives.
It would amount to an estimated $653 million in its first year in 2015-16 budget, rising to $1.3 billion in 2034 the last year of the 20-year program.
Over that time, it would add up to some $19 billion.
TaxWatch said it is unclear how the amendment would affect total state spending.
It argued that it’s unclear if it will help or hurt conservation efforts, suggesting it could result in the Legislature shifting all environmental spending into the program. And the group raised the possibility that affordable housing programs, which are now funded out of the real estate tax, could be affected.
“Additionally, by mandating a certain amount of spending for environmental conservation, the amendment has the potential to reduce spending for non environmental programs, particularly in tight budget years,” TaxWatch said.
Abberger said devoting a third of the real estate state tax to conservation programs is reasonable, since there have been times when the state earmarked as much as 50 percent of the tax for the environmental programs. The tax has been a source of conservation funding since 1968.
“Amendment 1 would take an amount similar to what historically has been used for water and land conservation and dedicate it for that same purpose, but with constitutional protections,” he said.
He said an analysis by state economists showed that funding for nonconservation programs, like housing, that rely on the tax is still projected to grow, even after passage of the amendment.
Abberger said environmental groups are urging support for the amendment because lawmakers have “dramatically reduced funding for water and land protection” in recent budget years.
“Amendment 1 would ensure that water and land conservation projects are adequately funded the funds cannot be diverted to other purposes without increasing taxes,” he said.
The amendment’s supporters believe the proposal has a good chance of gaining approval in November, noting that nearly 1 million Florida voters signed the petition to put the issue on the ballot.

140919-
PEER: Florida is collecting fewer pollution fines than ever before
BrowardPalmBch.New Times - by Kyle Swenson
September 19 2014
As he stomps his way around the state hoping to keep his job, Governor Rick Scott has been pushing his "Keep Florida Beautiful" campaign, a likely too-little-too-late bid to appear like a friend to the earth. As we've written before, nothing is further from the truth, with the Scott administration putting up the worst numbers in terms of corrective actions for polluters in some time. Now the same environmental watchdogs have released a new report examining the amount of pollution fines the state collected in 2013. It's not good.
According to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), the amount of money the state collected in fines last year dropped by more than half from previous year -- capping off a plummet that started the year Scott took office.
The group's report, released yesterday, states the Department of Environmental Protection collected around $688,000 in 2013. The year before, the department collected $1.6 million in fines in 2012. That's a 57 percent drop.
This is all part of a pattern. In 2010, the year before Scott took office, DEP collected a high $7 million from polluters. Each year since the department has taken in less and less money, with large drops between each year: $3 million in 2011; $1.5 million in 2012; and now $688,000 in 2013. The latest amount collected is just 10 percent of the 2010 figure.
Previously, PEER pointed out that DEP has issued a decreasing number of corrective actions under the Scott administration, proof positive, according to the group, that Florida's environmental enforcement has been completely watered down. The latest findings on the state's fine collection seems to confirm that.
"This collections drought means less money for beach and wetlands restorations in places like the Everglades, as well as less for hazardous waste cleanup and pollution abatement," PEER Director Jerry Phillips stated Thursday in a press release. "Fewer collections are also starving the Department of Environmental Protection, as there is less money to fund employees' salaries, which will probably result in more layoffs and turnover in the future if the ship is not righted."

140919-b
Silent on water
Ocala.com - Editorial
September 19, 2014
As springs advocates listened Thursday, state environmental scientists tried to explain how a plan to clean up nitrate-polluted Silver Springs would work. They threw out big numbers — for example, 12 million pounds of nitrogen is put on the ground within the half-million-acre springshed annually — and big plans for stemming the steady deterioration of our springs and drinking water.
But in the end, the scientists conceded they just don't know how well the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) will work.
A big question mark is whether the implementation of agricultural “best practices” (BMPs) that have no sanctions for non-compliance will have enough impact, if any ?  In the end, the scientists admitted they are not even sure the plan will lead to the springs being cleaned up, let alone achieving the 79 percent reduction in nitrates the agency has set as its goal.
We hear the lip service that Gov. Rick Scott and his administration give to saving Florida's 700-plus natural springs, our own Silver Springs being the most famous of them all. Sure, the state ponied up $30 million for springs protection last week, money that was matched by another $39 million in local and water management district money. But, as we have noted before, the state's five water management districts have said they would need $120 million the first year to get serious about springs restoration.
Certainly we are thankful for what springs funding has been allocated, but it simply is not enough, because when we talk about our springs we are talking about our drinking water. Why do our politicians not recognize that and speak up loudly ?
Not only are most of our local representatives in Tallahassee and Washington not vocal advocates for saving our springs and protecting our water supply, some of them are actually helping to facilitate their further degradation.
When the U.S. House last week voted on H.R. 5078, the disingenuously named Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act, which would take federal authority over wetlands permitting and other water oversight in Florida away from federal officials, our own U.S. Reps. Ted Yoho and Rich Nugent voted in favor of it. It is a horrible piece of legislation that would turn regulatory authority of wetlands and waterways over to state officials, who have allowed our springs, rivers and lakes to become polluted and dying as Scott caters to big corporate donors rather than our water supply in crisis.
Closer to home, state Sens. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, and Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, have shown welcome gumption in pursuing meaningful springs legislation. Our hometown state representatives, however, Reps. Dennis Baxley and Charlie Stone, have been virtually silent in Tallahassee as their colleagues in the House kowtow to the big business lobby and refuse to even discuss water policy reform — even after our own water management district declared Marion County “over-permitted,” that is, overpumped, and Silver Springs was officially designated “impaired.”
Our springs and water supply are increasingly polluted and disappearing. When, we wonder, are our representatives going to quit genuflecting to party bosses and big campaign donors and start speaking up for our interests ? This is about water. It's our lifeblood. Represent Marion County !

140919-c
Warmer oceans could increase expansion of invasive, native species
FIS.com
September 19, 2014
Warming water temperatures due to climate change could expand the range of many native species of tropical fish, including the invasive and poisonous lionfish, according to a study of 40 species along rocky and artificial reefs off North Carolina by researchers from NOAA and the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
The findings, reported for the first time, were published in the September issue of Marine Ecology Progress Series.
“The results will allow us to better understand how the fish communities might shift under different climate change scenarios and provide the type of environmental data to inform future decisions relating to the management and siting of protected areas,” said Paula Whitfield, a research ecologist at NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) and lead author of the study.
The North Carolina reefs lie within the temperate-tropical transition zone, where historically, both temperate and tropical species live, at their respective range limits. However, water temperatures in the zone are becoming more tropical, making it an important place to detect climate changes and its impacts.
The researchers first made these discoveries during an ecological study of the marine communities on the North Carolina reefs. Findings from this earlier study showed similar shifts of climate change induced shifts in algal populations.
Researchers combined year-round bottom water temperature data with 2006-2010 fish community surveys in water depths from 15 to 150 feet off the coast of North Carolina. The study revealed that the fish community was primarily tropical in the deeper areas surveyed, from 122 to 150 feet, with a winter mean temperature of 21 °C (69.8 °F).
However, many of these native tropical fishes, usually abundant in shallow, somewhat cooler reefs, tended to remain in the deeper, warmer water, suggesting that temperature is a main factor in controlling their distribution.
“Globally, fish communities are becoming more tropical as a result of warming temperatures, as fish move to follow their optimal temperature range,” said Whitfield. “Along the North Carolina coast, warming water temperatures may allow the expansion of tropical fish species, such as lionfish, into areas that were previously uninhabitable due to cold winter temperatures. The temperature thresholds collected in this study will allow us to detect and to estimate fish community changes related to water temperature.”
“This kind of monitoring data set is quite rare because it combines multi-year quantitative fish density data with continuous bottom water temperature data from the same location,” said Jonathan A. Hare, NOAA Fisheries research oceanographer and a co-author on the study.
Similarly, the distribution of the venomous Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans) was restricted to water depths deeper than 87 feet where the average water temperature was higher than 15.2°C (approximately 59.4 °F). As the more shallow waters warm, lionfish may expand their range, since they seem to be attracted to areas with a warmer minimum temperature. Although lionfish only arrived in North Carolina in 2000 they were the most common species observed in water depths from 122 to 150 feet in this study.
Since their first sighting off the Florida east coast, in the late 1980s, lionfish have spread throughout the western North Atlantic including the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. They are considered a major threat to Atlantic reefs by reducing reef fish recruitment and biomass, and have been implicated in cascading impacts such as decreased coral cover on coral reefs. To date, cold winter bottom temperatures are the only factor found to control their distribution on a large scale.

140918-a
Florida lawmakers push for Everglades money
Miami Herald - by Jenny Staletovich
September 18, 2014
Hoping to hasten chronically delayed Everglades restoration, Florida lawmakers filed bipartisan legislation Thursday to authorize money for a $1.9 billion suite of projects.
The measure created a rare moment of harmony in Congress, with Democrat Bill Nelson teaming up with Republican Marco Rubio in the Senate and Democrat Patrick Murphy and Republican David Jolly joining forces in the House.
The move comes after a plan to revive flows to the Central Everglades was derailed in April when the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers balked at approving it — despite letters urging support from Gov. Rick Scott, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and several members of Congress. The delay meant projects designed to move water to the parched central Everglades missed being include in a massive waterworks bill that Congress typically tackles only a few times a decade.
The Corps’ chief is now expected to give his final approval in November.
Julie Hill-Gabriel, Everglades policy coordinator for Audubon of Florida, said she was surprised and pleased by the unified front. “It sends an even louder message when you can have something with this broad support from the Florida delegation right before the election.”
Related:           Floridians push Congress to fund snagged Everglades project          Sun Sentinel (blog)
Florida lawmakers urge action on Everglades: 'Get it done'  SaintPetersBlog (blog)
Lawmakers look into funding for Everglades restoration      Wink News

140918-b
Florida scientists urge State leaders to join climate summit
Scientific American - by Bill Cotterell
September 18, 2014
A group of 42 scientists submitted a joint letter urging Governor Rick Scott and other state leaders to participate in a summit this fall to seek solutions for climate change
TALLAHASSEE (Reuters) - A group of 42 scientists from Florida universities submitted a joint letter on Thursday urging Governor Rick Scott and other state leaders to participate in a summit this fall to seek solutions for climate change.
The group plans to host a conference of state and national policymakers and scientists, along with engineers and entrepreneurs who have "job-creating solutions."
Scott, who is a Republican, has come under fire from environmentalists for not taking stronger action over sea level rise and climate change.
Scott is running for re-election in November in a closely watched race against ex-Governor Charlie Crist, a Republican turned Democrat who is a firm believer in man-made global warming.
In a meeting Scott held last month with a small group of climate scientists, the governor declined to take a position on global warming but said he was interested in solutions.
A spokeswoman said the summit was a good idea, but there was no need for Scott to attend.
“We look forward to reading their report," said Jackie Schutz, deputy communications director of Scott’s re-election campaign.
The letter was signed by scientists from six state universities, the University of Miami and Eckerd College. The scientists cited a recent National Climate Assessment that found Florida "exceptionally vulnerable" to sea level rise, extreme weather and lack of fresh water.
"It is crucial for policymakers to understand that human activity is affecting the composition of the atmosphere,” the scientists wrote.
"There is a clear need to develop a state plan to both mitigate and adapt to the threats to Florida’s communities, businesses, tourism industry and protect the state’s economic well-being," they added.
Senate President Don Gaetz, also a Republican, said he had not seen the letter but said politics would have to be kept out of any such meeting.
"I don’t mean to make a bad joke, but a climate-change summit is fine with me, as long as it’s not just a bunch of hot air," said Gaetz. "But if it’s a thoughtful discussion of what a state can do, that would be useful.”
In their letter, the scientists cited recent carbon pollution limits set forth by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, calling for Florida to reduce its 2012 carbon-intensity level by 38 percent by the year 2030.
Related:           Rick Scott Under Pressure To Do Something About Climate Change          Huffington Post
42 Climate Scientists To Rick Scott: Climate Change 'Is Not A ...   ThinkProgress

140918-c
Florida voters appear prepared to pass Conservation Amendment
NorthEscambia.com
September 18, 2014
Florida voters appear poised in November to pass a constitutional amendment that would require setting aside billions of dollars for land conservation and other environmental projects.
The proposed “Water and Land Conservation” amendment would earmark 33 percent of the state’s documentary-stamp tax revenues — fees paid when real estate is sold — for 20 years. The money would go to buy conservation lands, protect areas vital to the water supply and restore natural systems that have been degraded, such as the Everglades.
But some Republican and business leaders are raising concerns that Amendment 1 could make it harder to balance the state budget in the future.
“In a perfect world, you wouldn’t want it in the constitution,” said incoming Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando. “As a legislator, you want as much flexibility as you can, and it doesn’t belong in the constitution.”
Other critics of the measure include House Speaker Will Weatherford, a Wesley Chapel Republican who has argued that “legislating via constitutional amendments” doesn’t work, and Senate President Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who has said the amendment would shift too much land to state control.
But supporters of Amendment 1 say it came about after state funding for land preservation dwindled during the last recession.
“The conservation community took the hit like everyone else when the economy turned south,” said Allison DeFoor, chairman of Florida’s Water and Land Legacy campaign, which backs the amendment. “And then things just didn’t get readjusted when the economy began to turn.”
The proposal appears likely to get the required 60 percent support from voters to pass. According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce — which opposes the measure — 78 % of the state’s voters support the amendment.
“Little is known about it, but it has a powerfully effective ballot title, in synch with Florida’s pro-environment leanings,” said University of South Florida political science professor Susan MacManus, who expects it to pass.
Supporters point to the Florida Forever program, which uses bonds backed with revenue from documentary stamps and authorizes lawmakers to spend up to $300 million a year for land preservation. The last year Florida Forever’s funding approached that mark was 2008.
Supporters of Amendment 1 say it will generate about $10 billion over 20 years, while the state appears to project higher numbers. A state analysis estimates the total would be $648 million during the fiscal year starting in July 2015 and eventually grow to $1.268 billion by the 20th year.
“You would think that we could at least spend 1 percent of our state budget on water and land conservation,” said Will Abberger, campaign manager for Florida’s Water and Land Legacy. “That’s what Amendment 1 represents: having that constitutional dedication so that no matter who’s in public office, we know that there is going to be funding.”
But others are wary. David Hart, executive vice president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, said Amendment 1 would put state leaders in a bind during an economic crisis.
“It’s hard enough for the Legislature to balance (competing) budgetary needs, but if $20 billion is set aside and untouchable, what else is going to get cut to make up for that?” Hart asked. “Are they going to have to cut education or senior health care? Those are some choices that are very real, should we get another recession.”
DeFoor said the amendment had been carefully crafted to budget for hard times.
“It’s short in duration, it’s only 20 years, it’s reasonable in the amount (and) it puts us kind of back where we were,” he said. “It’s fixed by percentage, so if things get better, we all get better. And if things were, God forbid, to deteriorate, we’d take the hit, too.”
Despite their qualms about Amendment 1, Republican legislative leaders say they respect voters’ support for it.
“If the amendment is passed, then we’re certainly going to scrupulously follow it and put those revenues toward those purposes,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart.

140918-e
The one against Amendment One
FlaNews.com - by Matt Galka
September 18, 2014
An environmental protection measure on this November’s ballot was enjoying plenty of positive feedback throughout the state, but as Matt Galka tells us, some unexpected opposition has the amendment’s supporters firing back.
A popular amendment on this November’s ballot seemed like a no-brainer for many Floridians – set it in stone that about one percent of state spending goes towards environmental protection efforts. But not everyone agrees.  Florida TaxWatch released their voting guide this week…their conclusion: it doesn’t belong in the constitution.
It rubbed Amendment 1 and Environmental protection advocate Will Abberger the wrong way.
“They don’t think that protecting our state’s drinking water is important enough to be in the state’s constitution, they don’t think that restoring the everglades is important enough to be in the state’s constitution. These are things that Florida voters care about,” said Abberger.
Florida TaxWatch isn’t recommending a “yes” or “no” vote but they caution against tying up future money.
“It’s going to set aside about $500 million dollars a year, in the short term, roughly annually, that cannot be spent to pay down our constitutional obligations on the pension fund, $500 million dollars that cannot be spent on teachers, $500 million that cannot be spent on student learning,” said TaxWatch CEO Dominic Calabro.
TaxWatch says that had the amendment been in place already, environmental programs would have received less money then they got from the legislature in five of the last ten years.
The amendment is polling well and is expected to pass with overwhelming support.

140917-a
Big Sugar turns to mass development, potentially affecting Everglades restoration efforts
FlaglerLive.com – by Ashley Lopez, Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
September 17, 2014
Environmental groups around the state are alarmed at U.S. Sugar’s plans to potentially develop huge tracts of land it owns in Hendry County, which might affect Everglades restoration efforts.
Earlier this month Craig Pittman of The Tampa Bay Times reported U.S. Sugar was looking to change up its business plan by taking on big development projects in  Florida. According to the Times,
The company, which has been growing and processing sugar cane in South Florida since the 1930s, has mapped out a way to turn itself into one of Florida’s biggest developers. On 67 square miles of sugar land southwest of Lake Okeechobee in Hendry County, U.S. Sugar and Hilliard Brothers of Florida, another sugar company with adjoining property, have joined forces on a project that would plop down 18,000 homes and 25 million square feet of stores, offices, warehouses and other commercial buildings amid the rural landscape. But the land that U.S. Sugar wants to designate for development is the same land that Florida officials have an option to buy for Everglades restoration.
If the sugar companies’ development plan is approved, that land would be worth a lot more — making it more expensive for the state to purchase.
“It’s good for business but bad for taxpayers,” said David Crawford of the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council.
U.S. Sugar says this is not a problem, because it’s not inclined to develop its land any time soon — only if the market dictates such development would be worthwhile. If approved, the plan could be developed any time before 2060, but some land would remain designated for agriculture, the company said.
The possible development site sits in an area the state was looking to purchase in an effort to move water south from Lake Okeechobee down through the Everglades.
Right now, there is excessive nutrient-rich freshwater being sent east and west of the lake into estuaries. These waterways are being heavily polluted, which has been frustrating communities on either side of the lake. In 2008, then-Governor Charlie Crist announced a plan aimed at saving the Everglades.
The state would purchase nearly 300 square miles of land owned by U.S. Sugar, then treat and send water south through to the Everglades, according to the plan. However, before the plan was fully implemented and paid for, the economy collapsed and officials decided on a smaller scale plan. The state only purchased a fraction of the acreage it had planned to buy. Now, however, state officials have the option of staggering the purchases of the rest of the land.
The South Florida Water Management District has the ability to buy 100 percent of U.S. Sugar’s land through October 2020– and there’s an option for the state agency to acquire only 47,000 acres expiring in October 2015. Even though this has been available to the state, Gov. Rick Scott has not dedicated funding to buy the rest of that sugar land.
The issue is also now mired in gubernatorial politics. Scott is running against now-Democratic candidate Charlie Crist this November. A year ago, environmental groups and residents in Southwest Florida were calling on officials to buy some of the land after a summer of heavy rain.
The Army Corps of Engineers spent the summer releasing a lot of water east and west of Lake Okeechobee, resulting in water quality issues. Area residents were frustrated and asked the state to take serious action– including moving forward with sugar land purchases.
However, state officials said the purchases weren’t a priority.At the time environmentalists like the Seirra Club’s Jonathon Ullman said if the deadline to purchase land passes, future purchases become more costly and less likely.
Now, environmentalists are making the same warning. The Times reported last week,
Two dozen people from Florida environmental groups showed up at the South Florida Water Management District board meeting Thursday in West Palm Beach to protest plans by U.S. Sugar to develop property that the state has an option to buy for Everglades restoration.
…The environmental groups are objecting to the change because they say it will make the land far more expensive for the state to buy for restoring the Everglades. Hendry County officials have given it a green light. In addition to protesting at the water agency meeting, they have also sent thousands of emails to Gov. Rick Scott and other state officials.
As Pittman reported earlier this month, the development follows news that Sugar executives invited Florida officials to join them on hunting trips in Kings Ranch. According to previous reporting from the Times/Miami Herald, Gov. Rick Scott, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, House Speaker Will Weatherford and Speaker-designate Steve Crisafulli were among those invited. According to Pittman,
A year after buying its hunting lease, U.S. Sugar began working on its development plan. Sanchez said company officials did not discuss its development plan with any of those elected officials who took the trips.
“I’m sure we probably talked to some of our local (elected) folks, but not the folks you’re thinking of,” she said. She said they did not coordinate the plan with officials from King Ranch. The vice president in charge of King Ranch’s Florida lands is Mitch Hutchcraft, whom Gov. Scott appointed to the South Florida Water Management District governing board a month after Scott’s trip to King Ranch. Hutchcraft would not discuss his company’s plans, instead repeatedly referring a reporter to the documents the company filed.
When asked if he had met with Scott during the governor’s hunting trip, Hutchcraft said, “You have a good day now.” Scott has also refused to say whether he met Hutchcraft at King Ranch.
Dan Christensen with BrowardBulldog.org reports state and local officials will ultimately be key in getting the Sugar Hill plans approved. According to Christensen,
Various state agencies have been or will be involved in reviewing the giant project by the two Clewiston-based companies. They include Florida’s departments of Economic Opportunity, Transportation, Agriculture and Environmental Protection, as well as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District.
The plan for Sugar Hill, which documents show has been discussed with various state and local officials since July 2013, appears to be on a fast track. The plan was formally submitted to Hendry County on June 2. The county commission gave its initial thumbs-up last week by approving U.S. Sugar/Hilliard’s lengthy development application for transmittal to Tallahassee.
Under a law signed by Gov. Scott in 2011, the state’s sector planning program now lets local governments engage in long-term planning for large areas with minimal state interference. The same law abolished Florida’s Department of Community Affairs, which had overseen state growth management efforts and reviewed local comprehensive plans, and transferred its planning function to the newly created Department of Economic Opportunity.
Christensen also reports that the possible development largely hinges upon whether plans for an airport in Hendry County, called Airglades, gets approved. The hope is that  Airglades– as well as developments such as Sugar Hill– will serve as a means of economic growth in the area, which has been struggling to get on its feet.
In the meantime, future plans depend on approval from various agencies– and possibly the results of the state’s upcoming gubernatorial election.

140917-b
Red tide off Florida smothering everything in its path; could cause 'considerable' damage
Associated Press - by Jason Dearen
September 17, 2014
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — It's like Florida's version of The Blob. Slow moving glops of toxic algae in the northeast Gulf of Mexico are killing sea turtles, sharks and fish, and threatening the waters and beaches that fuel the region's economy.
Known as "red tide," this particular strain called Karenia brevis is present nearly every year off Florida, but large blooms can be particularly devastating. Right now, the algae is collecting in an area about 60 miles wide and 100 miles long, about 5 to 15 miles off St. Petersburg in the south and stretching north to Florida's Big Bend, where the peninsula ends and the Panhandle begins.
Fishermen who make a living off the state's northwest coast are reporting fish kills and reddish water.
"It boils up in the propeller wash like boiled red Georgia clay. It's spooky," said Clearwater fisherman Brad Gorst as he steered the charter fishing boat Gulfstream 2 in waters near Honeymoon Island, where dead fish recently washed ashore.
Red tide kills fish, manatees and other marine life by releasing a toxin that paralyzes their central nervous system. The algae also foul beaches and can be harmful to people who inhale the algae's toxins when winds blow onshore or by crashing waves, particularly those with asthma and other respiratory ailments.
In 2005, a strong red tide killed reefs, made beaches stinky and caused millions in economic damage. A weaker red tide in 2013 killed 276 manatees, state records show, after infecting the grasses eaten by the endangered creatures.
"This red tide ... will likely cause considerable damage to our local fisheries and our tourist economy over the next few months," said Heyward Mathews, an emeritus professor of oceanography at St. Petersburg College who has studied the issue for decades.
Despite years of study, there is nothing anyone has been able to do about it. In the 1950s, wildlife officials tried killing the red tide algae by dumping copper sulfate on it, which made the problem worse in some ways. But some researchers are working to change that.
Predicting when red tides are going to be especially bad can help fishermen and beach businesses prepare.
Right now, much of the information comes from satellite images, which are often obscured by clouds.
"In this particular red tide, we got a good image on July 23 — then we went weeks without another image," said University of South Florida ocean scientist Robert Weisberg.
Weisberg is one among a team of researchers developing a prediction model based on ocean currents data, rather than satellite images.
The prediction model tracks the currents that bring natural nutrients like phytoplankton the red tide needs to gain a foothold. Unlike other red tide species, Karenia brevis is not believed to be caused by man-made pollution such as agricultural runoff, and historical accounts of what is believed to be the same red tide date back to the 1700s.
Using his method, Weisberg in March predicted the current late summer bloom that is now causing so much worry. It allowed state officials to issue a warning July 25.
While the project recently received "rapid response" money from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to send a data-collecting robotic glider into the bloom, future funding for this work is in doubt.
Weisberg said the team is still trying to develop a model that can look further into the future.
But the tides often start far offshore, where gathering data and images can be a time-consuming, expensive undertaking. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has tried to stem this data gap by giving fishermen sampling jars to take out to sea with them.
While a good stopgap, Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly, who represents St. Petersburg, has called for more NOAA funding to help prepare for future events.
"Using fishermen to collect samples clearly shows we have a research gap," Jolly said. "The more we learn about it, the more we can prevent a spread and protect our shoreline."
NOAA spokesman Ben Sherman said the president's 2015 budget does ask for a $6 million increase for research related to red tide forecasting, including the Gulf of Mexico, but Congress still has to approve it.
Fishermen say a better warning system could help save time and money.
"If we had more of a head's up we could plan out where we would go fish," said Mike Colby, captain of the Double Hook fishing vessel in Clearwater.
Related:           Large Blooms of Red Tide Could Threaten Economy           The Ledger
            Red tide off northwest Florida could hit economy    Associated Press

140917-c
Truth Test: Gov. Scott: Is big sugar his sugar daddy?
WPBF.com
September 17, 2014
Political reporter and Morning Anchor Paul LaGrone is truth-testing a new round of campaign attack ads. WPBF investigates both sides of the governor's race to find out what's fact and what's fiction (the original reportage is a video presentation).
Part Two of the series focuses on the ad campaign against Gov. Rick Scott and questions his hunting trips and relationship to the sugar industry.
(WPBF transcript from the VIDEO - matched to the station's "TRUTH GAUGE"):
"The connection exits. Secret hunting trips to Texas. New ads are paid for by this guy. A billionaire “environmentalist” Tom Steyer is the same crusader who made millions investing in such "earth friendly" energy resources like oil and coal. What was Rick Scott hunting for in Texas ?
Campaign cash from the sugar industry. Sweet. Notice the. $756 thousand dollars from the sugar industry. The allegation:  Big Sugar is Rick Scott's sugar daddy. The truth -- I pulled the campaign finance records and crunched the numbers and I confirmed this. Yes. In 2012 the records show the sugar industry did give Rick Scott $761 thousand dollars. But who is counting. So - this part is TRUE .
But Big Sugar gave a similar amount to the Democrats as well. Wait, there is more. The same industry that got a bail-out from Rick Scott. Sticking taxpayers with the bill for cleaning Big Sugar's water pollution.  A good bail out allegation.
This is getting good. Is it true ? This is where we must distinguish the hype from the hipocracy. Consider this from the Tampa Bay Times:  Sugar industry includes US Sugar and King Ranch which owns acres of sugar cane in that sought help from politicians who accepted the Texas hunting trips.  Then - Scott signed a bill promising to save on millions on pollution clean-up in the Everglades.
Scott's campaign director emailed me: “It was Charlie Crist who tried to use taxpayer dollars to bail out the sugar industry.  It was Rick Scott who helped the secure industry cash countable and created $880 million dollars Everglades plan.” 
What is a voter to do ?  If it is as he said, it pitches the Governost against each other. Republican versus Republican. Who do I believe ?
Follow the money and you will find the truth. In a race where they both belonged to the same party the difference now is where some 59 checks are coming from. Is Scott giving breaks to the sugar industry ? There is no proof but there is a conflict of interest and the governor did take the campaign money, all is on the side of TRUE".

140916-a
Big Sugar Plans development in potential Everglades restoration land
FCIR.org - by Ashley Lopez, Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
September 16, 2014
Environmental groups around the state are alarmed at U.S. Sugar’s plans to potentially develop huge tracts of land it owns in Hendry County, which might affect Everglades restoration efforts.
Earlier this month Craig Pittman of The Tampa Bay Times reported U.S. Sugar was looking to change up its business plan by taking on big development projects in  Florida. According to the Times,
The company, which has been growing and processing sugar cane in South Florida since the 1930s, has mapped out a way to turn itself into one of Florida’s biggest developers. On 67 square miles of sugar land southwest of Lake Okeechobee in Hendry County, U.S. Sugar and Hilliard Brothers of Florida, another sugar company with adjoining property, have joined forces on a project that would plop down 18,000 homes and 25 million square feet of stores, offices, warehouses and other commercial buildings amid the rural landscape. But the land that U.S. Sugar wants to designate for development is the same land that Florida officials have an option to buy for Everglades restoration.
If the sugar companies’ development plan is approved, that land would be worth a lot more — making it more expensive for the state to purchase.
“It’s good for business but bad for taxpayers,” said David Crawford of the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council.
U.S. Sugar says this is not a problem, because it’s not inclined to develop its land any time soon — only if the market dictates such development would be worthwhile. If approved, the plan could be developed any time before 2060, but some land would remain designated for agriculture, the company said.
The possible development site sits in an area the state was looking to purchase in an effort to move water south from Lake Okeechobee down through the Everglades.
Right now, there is excessive nutrient-rich freshwater being sent east and west of the lake into estuaries. These waterways are being heavily polluted, which has been frustrating communities on either side of the lake. In 2008, then-Governor Charlie Crist announced a plan aimed at saving the Everglades.
The state would purchase nearly 300 square miles of land owned by U.S. Sugar, then treat and send water south through to the Everglades, according to the plan. However, before the plan was fully implemented and paid for, the economy collapsed and officials decided on a smaller scale plan. The state only purchased a fraction of the acreage it had planned to buy. Now, however, state officials have the option of staggering the purchases of the rest of the land.
The South Florida Water Management District has the ability to buy 100 percent of U.S. Sugar’s land through October 2020– and there’s an option for the state agency to acquire only 47,000 acres expiring in October 2015. Even though this has been available to the state, Gov. Rick Scott has not dedicated funding to buy the rest of that sugar land.
The issue is also now mired in gubernatorial politics. Scott is running against now-Democratic candidate Charlie Crist this November. A year ago, environmental groups and residents in Southwest Florida were calling on officials to buy some of the land after a summer of heavy rain.
The Army Corps of Engineers spent the summer releasing a lot of water east and west of Lake Okeechobee, resulting in water quality issues. Area residents were frustrated and asked the state to take serious action– including moving forward with sugar land purchases.
However, state officials said the purchases weren’t a priority.At the time environmentalists like the Seirra Club’s Jonathon Ullman said if the deadline to purchase land passes, future purchases become more costly and less likely.
Now, environmentalists are making the same warning. The Times reported last week,
Two dozen people from Florida environmental groups showed up at the South Florida Water Management District board meeting Thursday in West Palm Beach to protest plans by U.S. Sugar to develop property that the state has an option to buy for Everglades restoration.
…The environmental groups are objecting to the change because they say it will make the land far more expensive for the state to buy for restoring the Everglades. Hendry County officials have given it a green light. In addition to protesting at the water agency meeting, they have also sent thousands of emails to Gov. Rick Scott and other state officials.
As Pittman reported earlier this month, the development follows news that Sugar executives invited Florida officials to join them on hunting trips in Kings Ranch. According to previous reporting from the Times/Miami Herald, Gov. Rick Scott, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, House Speaker Will Weatherford and Speaker-designate Steve Crisafulli were among those invited. According to Pittman,
A year after buying its hunting lease, U.S. Sugar began working on its development plan. Sanchez said company officials did not discuss its development plan with any of those elected officials who took the trips.
“I’m sure we probably talked to some of our local (elected) folks, but not the folks you’re thinking of,” she said. She said they did not coordinate the plan with officials from King Ranch. The vice president in charge of King Ranch’s Florida lands is Mitch Hutchcraft, whom Gov. Scott appointed to the South Florida Water Management District governing board a month after Scott’s trip to King Ranch. Hutchcraft would not discuss his company’s plans, instead repeatedly referring a reporter to the documents the company filed.
When asked if he had met with Scott during the governor’s hunting trip, Hutchcraft said, “You have a good day now.” Scott has also refused to say whether he met Hutchcraft at King Ranch.
Dan Christensen with BrowardBulldog.org reports state and local officials will ultimately be key in getting the Sugar Hill plans approved. According to Christensen,
Various state agencies have been or will be involved in reviewing the giant project by the two Clewiston-based companies. They include Florida’s departments of Economic Opportunity, Transportation, Agriculture and Environmental Protection, as well as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District.
The plan for Sugar Hill, which documents show has been discussed with various state and local officials since July 2013, appears to be on a fast track. The plan was formally submitted to Hendry County on June 2. The county commission gave its initial thumbs-up last week by approving U.S. Sugar/Hilliard’s lengthy development application for transmittal to Tallahassee.
Under a law signed by Gov. Scott in 2011, the state’s sector planning program now lets local governments engage in long-term planning for large areas with minimal state interference. The same law abolished Florida’s Department of Community Affairs, which had overseen state growth management efforts and reviewed local comprehensive plans, and transferred its planning function to the newly created Department of Economic Opportunity.
Christensen also reports that the possible development largely hinges upon whether plans for an airport in Hendry County, called Airglades, gets approved. The hope is that  Airglades– as well as developments such as Sugar Hill– will serve as a means of economic growth in the area, which has been struggling to get on its feet.
In the meantime, future plans depend on approval from various agencies– and possibly the results of the state’s upcoming gubernatorial election.

140916-b
Invasion of the tegus ?
KeysNews.com - by Josh Gore, Free Press Staff
September 16, 2014
Wildlife officials: By land or by sea makes lizards difficult to track
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials expect to be on the frontlines of the battle to keep the invasive tegu lizard from securing a foothold in the Florida Keys.
Some 450 tegus have been reported on the loose in recent years in Homestead and Florida City, to the north of the Monroe County line. However, in May 2013, Monroe County animal control workers trapped a tegu in a cat trap on Bahama Drive in Key West.
Animal control officer Mitch Smith speculated that the tegu was someone's pet that either escaped or was set free.
The usually aggressive tegu, dubbed Zorro, was unusually docile, Smith said. Smith was able to pet the lizard and put it in a harness and leash.
It's not uncommon for the lizards to take down mice and small mammals, he added.
"He enjoyed being touched," Smith said.
Animal control officers decided to give the tegu to the sheriff's Animal Farm so the public could get a peek at the species close up, being it was friendly and liked people. The farm is currently looking to build a new cage for the tegu, according to Smith and Jeanne Selander, who oversees the sheriff's farm.
But not all tegus are of the friendly nature.
As Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Manager Jeremy Dixon awaits the eventual arrival of the omnivorous lizard, he has set up new camera systems in the North Key Largo refuge to monitor what would be ideal habitat for the South American reptile.
These areas include egg and hatchling sites for crocodiles, where the lizard might try to feed.
"We really don't know what these things will do," Dixon said.
The black and white Argentine import, which some people keep as pets, typically grows to about three feet long and weighs eight pounds.
Tegus, which can be mistaken for monitor lizards, usually have banding on their tails. They have established breeding grounds in Miami-Dade, Polk and Hillsborough counties. A mature female will lay about 35 eggs per year. In Florida, the eggs usually hatch in early summer.
If the lizards eventually make their way to the Key Largo refuge or adjacent botanical state park, the lizards could harm the endangered Key Largo woodrat population, Dixon said.
It's the latest in a long line of invasive species to threaten the Keys, including the Indo-Pacific lionfish, the Gambian pouch rat and the Burmese python.
At a recent meeting at the Key Largo Library, Florida Keys Refuge Complex Project Leader Nancy Finley said four tegus have been captured in the Florida Keys. She said they were probably released by owners who no longer wanted to care for them.
The new camera system was made possible through an agreement with Everglades National Park officials who are tracking tegus on the mainland. The lizard has the ability to swim and stay underwater for long periods of time, which makes it a threat to arrive by sea or land.
Along with federal park managers, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials have joined the fight against the lizard on the mainland. FWC officials are routinely called to capture tegus in the Everglades area.
A multiagency effort to combat the invader primarily uses targeted trapping to catch tegus. The agency does not recommend homeowners try to capture the reptile as it has sharp teeth and claws to defend itself.
Anyone coming into contact with tegus should call FWC at (888) IVE-GOT1 for removal and documentation of the creature.

140916-c
Scott calls for scrutiny of Big Sugar development plan
Sun Sentinel – by Andy Reid
September 16, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott Tuesday called for state regulators to pay “special attention” to potential effects on the Everglades that could come from sugar industry development plans for farmland south of Lake Okeechobee.
The Sugar Hill development proposal to allow new neighborhoods and shopping centers on 43,000 acres in Hendry County has triggered opposition from environmental groups worried that it would block efforts to send more Lake Okeechobee water south to replenish the Everglades.
Dozens of environmental advocacy groups last week called for the governor, the South Florida Water Management District and other state agencies to consider the threat to Everglades restoration posed by the development proposal from U.S. Sugar Corp. and Hilliard Brothers.
Scott responded Tuesday with a letter that didn’t oppose or endorse the Sugar Hill plan, but did call for scrutiny of the potential impacts of the development proposal on Everglades restoration plan.
State reviewing agencies “hold a special responsibility to ensure that proper rigor and careful, thorough evaluation is given” to the Sugar Hill proposal, Scott wrote.
The governor’s letter also reminded state officials reviewing the Sugar Hill proposal of his $880 million plan, endorsed by the Florida Legislature, to clean up Everglades water pollution.
“The Florida Everglades plays an important role in Florida’s economic growth and job creation as well as in the lives of millions of Florida families,” Scott said in the letter.
The Sugar Hill plan would allow as many as 18,000 new homes and 25 million square feet of shops, offices and other development on sugar industry farmland near Clewiston.
Sugar Hill backers say the development could bring much needed jobs and economic investment. They say there’s land elsewhere that could be used to for building the additional water storage and treatment areas envisioned Everglades restoration.
But environmental advocates maintain that much of the Sugar Hill proposal overlaps with land already targeted for Everglades restoration. They say that even just approving the long-term development plan would inflate the cost for taxpayers to buy the farmland for Everglades restoration.
The controversy over the Sugar Hill proposal puts Scott in a potentially awkward position in the midst of his re-election bid.
Scott and the Legislature in recent years scaled back much of the state’s role in regulation of large-scale developments, turning more power over to local governments.
Also, when Scott was running for governor in 2010 he opposed a land deal aimed at buying U.S. Sugar land for Everglades restoration – a land deal championed by Scott’s predecessor and current challenger, former Gov. Charlie Crist.
When Crist was governor, the South Florida Water Management District in 2010 spent $197 million to buy 26,800 acres from U.S. Sugar for Everglades restoration efforts. The deal also gave the district a 10 year option to buy some or all of U.S. Sugar’s remaining 153,200 acres.
The district’s exclusive right to buy a 46,800 acre portion of that U.S. Sugar land – which overlaps with some of the proposed Sugar Hill development area – expires in October 2015.
Environmental advocates warn that the chance to secure that land for Everglades restoration is threatened by the Sugar Hill proposal.
The Hendry County Commission in August gave its initial approval to the Sugar Hill plan.
That sent the proposal to the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity, which is in the midst of reviewing the Sugar Hill plan with input from the South Florida Water Management District, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and other state agencies.
After state officials weigh in, the Sugar Hill proposal goes back before the Hendry County Commission for a final decision.
The Hendry County Commission was one of the recipients of Scott’s letter Tuesday calling for paying special attention to Everglades concerns.
“Our restoration efforts are critical to our state’s future, and we must ensure that any decision we make or endorse will not hinder our ability to fulfill our promises to future generations in any way,” Scott wrote.

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State approves $69 million for spring restoration projects
Independent Florida Alligator – by Melissa Mihm
September 16, 2014
David Lee knows Florida’s springs.
The 22-year-old UF environmental engineering senior has led a handful of Travel and Recreation Program journeys through the state’s waterways since January of last year.
So when the state legislature announced a $69 million surge in springs funding, Lee was pleased.
“It’s an awesome thing to see conservation happening around Florida,” he said. “It allows us to continue to do what we love and take people out and teach them about the environment.”
The Joint Legislative Budget Commission approved the multimillion-dollar conservation plan proposed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Wednesday.
Approval of the funding increase green-lights the department’s 27-project plan to rejuvenate the springs, bringing the total amount of springs-conservation investments to more than $100 million in the past two years.
Projects scheduled in the springs restoration plan include assessing water quality in individual spring systems and fixing low-flowing rivers.
Mark Wray owns eight Florida springs in the Santa Fe River System, including Ginnie and Blue springs. Wray said evaluating water quality is the state’s biggest issue.
“What’s truly hurting the springs is agriculture, bar none,” Wray said. “That’s what we have to get a handle on. Nitrates and pesticides are having a huge impact.”
The Santa Fe River System, which includes 81 private and state-owned springs around northeast Florida, currently holds an Outstanding Florida Water designation from the DEP.
According to the department’s website, this designation is intended to protect the naturally exceptional quality of the water by prohibiting direct and indirect discharges that could lower the water’s quality.
“The state knows what the issues are; they just need to start fixing them,” Wray said. “Hopefully this money will help.”

140915-a
EPA Administrator won't back down on controversial water rules
Newsmax.com
September 15, 2014
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy said Monday she's not backing down on her agency's efforts to implement a new rule that would assert regulatory authority over many of the nation's streams and wetlands despite criticisms that it amounts to a federal water grab.
The U.S. House approved a bill last week that would block the agency from moving forward with the rule, which aims to clarify the streams and waterways that could be protected from development under the Clean Water Act.
McCarthy denied the rule would expand the jurisdiction of the act, but she said it's time — given drought pressures in the West and the effects of climate change — to clarify some of the act's provisions to make them more understandable and to establish regulatory certainty when it comes to drinking water supplies.
"We've seen some things happen with water that made us realize we need to do better and work together," she said. "But one of the most important things is, as you take a statute that's over 40 years old and say what it means, that you look at the science and the law and you stay within your boundaries."
House Republican leaders have said the rule would extend the EPA's power to include streams, ponds, ditches and even stormwater runoff, with economic consequences for everyone from farmers to small businesses.
McCarthy said her agency will continue talking to states and communities about the need for the rule and what the Obama administration hopes to achieve.
McCarthy made her comments Monday during a visit to New Mexico, where she helped to commemorate the start of a $2 million flood-control project aimed at keeping sediment out the Rio Grande and alleviating flooding concerns for the village of Corrales.
Once the catchment basins and other features are complete, officials say the area along the arroyo where storm runoff currently rushes through will be more like a park, where residents can hike or bike. Boulders and other natural features will be used to slow down the water and catch the sediment before it's funneled into Corrales and the Rio Grande. Reclaimed water from the nearby city of Rio Rancho will be used to irrigate native vegetation throughout the area.
Funding for the project comes from a federal loan and a grant. Officials said it marks the first time in New Mexico that clean water funds have been used for such a project.
Related:           Despite House vote, EPA administrator pushes to clarify agency's ...

140915-b
Fire in Everglades intended to kill non-native plants
Sun Sentinel - by David Fleshler
September 15, 2014
Ten thousand acres of Everglades National Park will burn Tuesday, as the park attempts to destroy an infestation of plants from Asia and Africa that can kill native vegetation.
Unless bad weather forces a postponement, a helicopter will drop plastic spheres of combustible chemicals over an area of sawgrass and tree islands just north of the main park road. On the ground, an engine crew will use drip torches to dribble flaming liquid on vegetation along about 200 feet of the road.
The object of this assault by fire is a plant called lygodium, or Old-World climbing fern, a plant that has overrun parts of the Everglades, from the southern end of Everglades National Park to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in western Palm Beach County.
The fern covers trees and plants with macabre green shrouds, killing them by depriving them of sunlight. It can kill mature trees, climbing up their trunks to smother them with dense green mats.
"It causes landscape-level changes to the ecosystem," said Jonathan Taylor, restoration program manager for the park.
Some animals may be harmed, some may benefit, he said. But the main problem is that it can transform classic Everglades landscapes into something else entirely.
"You would look at it and say, 'This isn't what my grandfather saw,'" Taylor said.
The burn will take place about six miles north of the Flamingo area in a region threaded with wetlands that won't burn, said Katie Corrigan, a spokeswoman for the park. She said this will leave unburned areas to which animals can escape.
Old-World climbing fern first came to South Florida as an ornamental plant, cultivated at a Delray Beach nursery in 1958, according to a study by the University of Florida. It was found in wild in 1960, and by the late 1970s was well established in South Florida.
"It has the potential to outcompete native plants," Corrigan said. "By using fire, we can maintain those prairies."
Fire is one of a trio of control methods used against Old-World climbing fern, including the use of insects and herbicides. But despite years of work to fight it, the plant reproduces very quickly and effectively, with a single leaf sending out more than 28,000 spores.
Of the three methods of attacking the plant, fire is relatively cheap and effective, according to the park.
"We have found that treating Lygodium with prescribed fire at about a dollar per acre is a cost effective technique," said Jennifer Adams, a prescribed fire specialist at the park.
All areas of the park will remain open during the burn, although the park said visitors, including boaters, should stay clear of the fire and proceed cautiously, with lights on, if there's smoke.
Related:           Fighting Fern With Fire In Florida's Everglades National Park         Business Insider (by Reuters)
Wildlife officials are preparing to set a 10000acre...  Mynextfone

140915-c

Sally JEWELL,
Interior Secretary

140915-c
Interior Dept.: DOT grants help Fla. Everglades
TheHill.com - by Keith Laing
September 15, 2014
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Monday that a $20 million grant that was issued by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to help construct a bridge in Florida will help preserve the state's Everglades.
The grant is scheduled to be used to help pay for a 2.6-mile bridge in the Miami area Jewell said in a blog post on the transportation department's website would "restore the flow of water through the Everglades.
"The Everglades in Florida is one of America’s great treasures, a natural wonder that is home to thousands of species of fish and wildlife and Indian tribes who have called these lands home for millennia," Jewell wrote.
"It is also one of our most imperiled ecosystems, threatened by loss of water quality, well-intentioned but ecologically damaging water control projects of the past, and invasive species – all further exacerbated by the effects of a changing climate," she continued. " I commend the strong leadership of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and the State of Florida for making this critical restoration effort a priority."
The grant, which was issued last week, was one of $600 million worth of funding that transportation department officials said is being provided to 72 infrastructure construction projects in 46 states and Washington, D.C.
The grants are being paid for with money from the transportation department's 2014 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program, which was created by the 2009 economic stimulus bill. The program allows states to apply for funding for transportation projects that "will have a significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area or a region," according to the DOT's website.
Jewell said the transportation department funding "when combined with the $90 million invested by the State of Florida and contributions from other federal agencies, will enable engineers to correct the unintended consequences of the construction of the Tamiami Trail in the 1920s that is choking off water to the south while drowning important habitat like tree islands to the north.
"This will be the second span of bridge to be constructed that will eventually allow water to flow under the Trail, breathing life back into the 'River of Grass,'" she wrote. "The completion of this second span will enable the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) to go forward. This massive project will capture and clean up water that is currently damaging estuaries to the north and will divert it south to flow under the Tamiami Trail bridges to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay." 

140915-d
Real estate tax would fund land conservation
Daily Business Review – by News Service of Florida,
September 15, 2014
Florida voters appear poised in November to pass a constitutional amendment that would require setting aside billions of dollars for land conservation and other environmental projects.
The proposed Water and Land Conservation amendment would earmark 33 percent of the state's documentary-stamp tax revenues—fees paid when real estate is sold—for 20 years. The money would go to buy conservation lands, protect areas vital to the water supply and restore natural systems that have been degraded, such as the Everglades.
But some Republican and business leaders are raising concerns that Amendment 1 could make it harder to balance the state budget in the future.
"In a perfect world, you wouldn't want it in the constitution," said incoming Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando. "As a legislator, you want as much flexibility as you can, and it doesn't belong in the constitution."
Other critics of the measure include House Speaker Will Weatherford, a Wesley Chapel Republican who has argued that "legislating via constitutional amendments" does not work, and Senate President Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who has said the amendment would shift too much land to state control.
Taking The Hit
But supporters of Amendment 1 say it came about after state funding for land preservation dwindled during the last recession.
"The conservation community took the hit like everyone else when the economy turned south," said Allison DeFoor, chairman of Florida's Water and Land Legacy campaign, which backs the amendment. "And then things just didn't get readjusted when the economy began to turn."
The proposal appears likely to get the required 60 percent support from voters to pass. According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce—which opposes the measure—78 percent of the state's voters support the amendment.
"Little is known about it, but it has a powerfully effective ballot title in synch with Florida's pro-environment leanings," said University of South Florida political science professor Susan MacManus, who expects it to pass.
Supporters point to the Florida Forever program, which uses bonds backed with revenue from documentary stamps and authorizes lawmakers to spend up to $300 million a year for land preservation. The last year Florida Forever's funding approached that mark was 2008.
Supporters of Amendment 1 say it will generate about $10 billion over 20 years, while the state appears to project higher numbers. A state analysis estimates the total would be $648 million during the fiscal year starting in July 2015 and eventually grow to $1.268 billion by the 20th year.
Economy V. Conservation
"You would think that we could at least spend 1 percent of our state budget on water and land conservation," said Will Abberger, campaign manager for Florida's Water and Land Legacy. "That's what Amendment 1 represents: having that constitutional dedication so that no matter who's in public office, we know that there is going to be funding."
But others are wary. David Hart, executive vice president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, said Amendment 1 would put state leaders in a bind during an economic crisis.
"It's hard enough for the Legislature to balance (competing) budgetary needs, but if $20 billion is set aside and untouchable, what else is going to get cut to make up for that ?" Hart asked. "Are they going to have to cut education or senior health care? Those are some choices that are very real, should we get another recession."
DeFoor said the amendment had been carefully crafted to budget for hard times.
"It's short in duration, it's only 20 years, it's reasonable in the amount (and) it puts us kind of back where we were," he said. "It's fixed by percentage, so if things get better we all get better. And if things were, God forbid, to deteriorate, we'd take the hit, too."
Despite their qualms about Amendment 1, Republican legislative leaders say they respect voters' support for it.
"If the amendment is passed, then we're certainly going to scrupulously follow it and put those revenues toward those purposes," said Senate Appropriations Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart.
• Also known as the Water and Conservation amendment
• Will appear on November statewide ballot
• Approval requires a supermajority of 60 percent
• The amendment will earmark 33 percent from the state's document stamp taxes for the next 20 years to fund conservation and land acquisition
• Polling shows broad public support
Related:           John Byron: Amendment 1 is a no-brainer     Florida Today

140914-
More water OK'd for nuclear plant
Associated Press
September 14, 2014
State officials have approved an emergency request for more water to control temperatures in cooling canals at a nuclear power plant near Miami, while critics want for more scrutiny of the system.
The South Florida Water Management District on Thursday approved the request for 14 million gallons of water a day to cool the canals at Florida Power & Light's Turkey Point power plant. The Miami-Dade County Commission takes up the request Tuesday.
The utility blames below-average rainfall for raising temperatures and salinity and fueling an algae bloom that's also trapping heat in the canals. FPL and nuclear regulators say the canal temperatures don't pose any public safety risk.
The Miami Herald reports that critics worry that diverting water to the canals could affect efforts to revive Biscayne Bay.

140913-a
Scotts trying to do its part to clean Florida waters
Palm Beach Post – Point of View by Chris Allen, South Region President of ScottsMiracle-Gro.
September 13, 2014
In the nearly 150 years we’ve been here, ScottsMiracle-Gro has worked to fulfill its mission to provide products that allow people to express themselves in the great outdoors – everything from tending gardens and growing produce to cultivating rare flowers and managing their lawns. But this year, we’re doing something different.
With Florida’s waters, especially the lagoon along our east coast, showing signs of significant stress and pollution, we’re stepping up to help. Earlier this year, we announced a $5 million dollar multiyear initiative, focused on research, restoration and education for the Sunshine State.
Our Scotts Smarter Solutions initiative is ambitious, and to create the type of collective impact Florida needs, we’ve created partnerships that bring nontraditional allies together.
Working with the world-renowned scientists at the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA), ScottsMiracle-Gro is investing in ground-breaking research to determine the sources of pollution in the Indian River Lagoon. ORCA’s innovative methodology and technology can provide valuable insight into the sources of pollution in the lagoon, and can also provide a model that can be replicated throughout the state, and beyond, to provide precise data that fuels positive action.
As research works to provide guidance for the future, restoration efforts can provide an immediate positive benefit. On Florida’s west coast, Scotts is working with Tampa Bay Watch, a group that has been dedicated to restoring the bay for over 20 years. Through their Bay Grasses in Classes program, Scotts is providing funds and volunteer support to grow and replant 80,000 saltmarsh plants, enough to restore more than 5 acres around the bay. This program also works to educate local middle and high school students about environmental stewardship, ensuring the next generation is dedicated to caring for the environment.
In essence, the Scotts Smarter Solutions initiative is encompassed by education. Research results and restoration efforts will only take us so far – education turns these into effective practices that help to protect our environment. A significant portion of the initiative is dedicated to education, including the creation of www.scotts.com/florida, which aims to serve as a hub of information for Floridians.
Smarter solutions won’t change our water quality or our environment overnight, but it can provide a path to the positive solutions we need.

140913-b
Walmart developer faces South Florida environmentalists seeking to protect endangered forest
Associated Press
September 13, 2014
MIAMI — The Palm Beach developer who wants to build a Walmart store on an area containing an endangered forest faced his opponents for the first time. Peter Cummings promised Thursday to make his project a model for environmentally sensitive development during a meeting of the Kendall Federation of Homeowners' Associations.
The Miami Herald reports (http://hrld.us/1BBsRwz) Cummings told angry neighbors and environmentalists the four separate preserves planned for the 137-acre development could help scientists understand the disappearing Richmond pine rockland.
Environmentalists say the planned 43 acres preserve, which would be divided four ways, doesn't do much.
The store is slated for a corner of 2,200 acres near Miami's zoo. The area includes the largest remaining such forest outside Everglades National Park and is home to endangered bats and butterflies, among other species.
Related:           Developer defends Walmart to be built in rare forest            MiamiHerald.com

140913-c
Water Management District drops taxes a bit
KeysNet.com - by Kevin Wadlow
September 13, 2014 
Property taxes to support the South Florida Water Management District and its Everglades Restoration projects could drop slightly next fiscal year.
Board members of the 16-county district that runs from Orlando to the Keys approved the first reading for the $720.4 million overall budget Thursday at the agency headquarters in West Palm Beach.
If the budget and tax rate aren't changed, the owner of a Florida Keys home with a taxable assessed value of $250,000 would pay about $96 to the district for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.  That would be a decrease of about $6 from the current year.
The district's final budget hearing is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Sept. 23 at the agency's headquarters at 3301 Gun Club Road in West Palm Beach.
On a Monroe County tax bill, the Water Management District accounts for three separate lines: One for the main district, one for the Okeechobee Basin that covers southeast Florida and one for Everglades construction projects.
About $71.4 million of the fiscal year 2015 budget goes toward new projects to hold, treat and distribute Everglades-related waters.
A separate $20.6 million cost in the C-111 South Dade Project will expand water-detention areas around Everglades National Park. The goal is to contain needed fresh water inside the park. That water restores some natural sheet flow that eventually reaches Florida Bay.
The South Florida Water Management District is the state's lead agency on Everglades restoration. The district was founded to ensure a fresh water supply to South Florida and protected inhabited areas from flooding.

140912-a
Big Sugar aims for big payoff
TampaBay.com - Editorial
September 12, 2014
Big Sugar's big plans are coming into sharper focus. U.S. Sugar and its allies are not just interested in influencing an upcoming water policy debate in Tallahassee. They are quietly pursuing big development plans on land the state has an option to buy to protect the Everglades. No wonder U.S. Sugar has been organizing secret hunting trips to Texas for Gov. Rick Scott, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and top legislators. And no wonder the politicians are reluctant to talk about hunting with sugar interests intent on increasing the value of land that taxpayers could wind up buying at inflated prices.
It's an insider's game that Republican leaders enabled and Big Sugar exploits, and it's an outrageous betrayal to Floridians.
As the Tampa Bay Times' Craig Pittman reported, changes pushed through during Scott's first year in office to decentralize land-use planning for major projects have worked just the way critics warned. U.S. Sugar and an adjoining property owner, Hilliard Brothers of Florida, appear on the verge of winning approval to develop 67 square miles of sugar land southwest of Lake Okeechobee in Hendry County — population 39,000. Just how gargantuan is this so-called "sector plan"? It calls for 18,000 homes and 25 million square feet of commercial space and industry in one of the state's least-populated areas.
Under previous governors, such ambitions would have required significant state review as "developments of regional impact" on infrastructure such as water supply, roads, schools and the environment. But under Scott, the state's growth management agency was abolished and its mission largely handed off to local governments. That lessens the likelihood anyone will consider how to comprehensively plan and pay for the infrastructure such massive developments require.
In economically depressed Hendry County, the U.S. Sugar/Hilliard proposal received scant review and little opposition before unanimous approval by county commissioners. Now it only needs the support of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the economic development agency Scott created. Not much suspense there. The department has not rejected a single sector plan.
Should U.S. Sugar and its partner win, they won't necessarily need to turn a shovel of dirt to see their fortunes grow: Just winning development rights on the property will significantly increase the land value. And that will greatly increase the cost to taxpayers if the state exercises options to buy U.S. Sugar land. The state paid for the 10-year option in 2010 in anticipation it might want to restore the historic water flow of the Everglades to ease contamination that occurs from heavily polluted Lake Okeechobee.
The pieces are falling into place now. It's clearer why a year before U.S. Sugar and Hillibrand began their formal development planning, U.S. Sugar bought a hunting lease on the famous King Ranch in Texas from Joe Marlin Hilliard Sr. and began inviting Florida's top politicians. As Pittman colleague Michael Van Sickler revealed, U.S. Sugar has donated more than $95,000 to the Republican Party of Florida since 2011 for at least 20 unspecified weekend trips. The dates of those trips line up within days of more than a dozen politicians registering for Texas hunting licenses. The trips are on top of $2.2 million U.S. Sugar and its officers have donated to Republicans in the 2014 election cycle. Democrats have received $132,000. King Ranch guests — from Scott to Putnam to outgoing House Speaker Will Weatherford and incoming Speaker Steve Crisafulli — have refused to discuss who they visited with at King Ranch or what was discussed. A U.S. Sugar spokeswoman told Pittman that the Hendry County sector plan was not on the agenda. Not that anyone without a vested interest can confirm that. Politicians and special interests long ago figured out how to exploit campaign finance laws and deny any direct connection between big checks, fancy hunting trips and public policy. After all, that would smack of corruption. But it's still possible, with enough information culled from public records, to connect the dots.
Related:           US Sugar seeks OK for huge development after news it paid for GOP ...    MiamiHerald.com
Environmental groups object to development of U.S. Sugar land in ...         Tampabay.com

140912-b
Conservation amendment poised to pass
Herald Tribune - by Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida
September 12, 2014
TALLAHASSEE — Florida voters appear poised in November to pass a constitutional amendment that would require setting aside billions of dollars for land conservation and other environmental projects.
The proposed “Water and Land Conservation” amendment would earmark 33 percent of the state’s documentary-stamp tax revenues — fees paid when real estate is sold — for 20 years. The money would go to buy conservation lands, protect areas vital to the water supply and restore natural systems that have been degraded, such as the Everglades.
But some Republican and business leaders are raising concerns that Amendment 1 could make it harder to balance the state budget in the future.
“In a perfect world, you wouldn’t want it in the constitution,” said incoming Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando. “As a legislator, you want as much flexibility as you can, and it doesn’t belong in the constitution.”
Other critics of the measure include House Speaker Will Weatherford, a Wesley Chapel Republican who has argued that “legislating via constitutional amendments” does not work, and Senate President Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who has said the amendment would shift too much land to state control.
But supporters of Amendment 1 say it came about after state funding for land preservation dwindled during the last recession.
About Amendment 1
• Also known as the Water and Conservation amendment
• Will appear on November statewide ballot
• Approval requires a supermajority of 60 percent
• The amendment will earmark 33 percent from the state’s document stamp taxes for the next 20 years to fund conservation and land acquisition
• Polling shows broad public support
“The conservation community took the hit like everyone else when the economy turned south,” said Allison DeFoor, chairman of Florida’s Water and Land Legacy campaign, which backs the amendment. “And then things just didn’t get readjusted when the economy began to turn.”
The proposal appears likely to get the required 60 percent support from voters to pass. According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce — which opposes the measure — 78 percent of the state’s voters support the amendment.
“Little is known about it, but it has a powerfully effective ballot title, in synch with Florida’s pro-environment leanings,” said University of South Florida political science professor Susan MacManus, who expects it to pass.
Supporters point to the Florida Forever program, which uses bonds backed with revenue from documentary stamps and authorizes lawmakers to spend up to $300 million a year for land preservation. The last year Florida Forever’s funding approached that mark was 2008.
Supporters of Amendment 1 say it will generate about $10 billion over 20 years, while the state appears to project higher numbers. A state analysis estimates the total would be $648 million during the fiscal year starting in July 2015 and eventually grow to $1.268 billion by the 20th year.
“You would think that we could at least spend 1 percent of our state budget on water and land conservation,” said Will Abberger, campaign manager for Florida’s Water and Land Legacy. “That’s what Amendment 1 represents: having that constitutional dedication so that no matter who’s in public office, we know that there is going to be funding.”
But others are wary. David Hart, executive vice president of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, said Amendment 1 would put state leaders in a bind during an economic crisis.
“It’s hard enough for the Legislature to balance (competing) budgetary needs, but if $20 billion is set aside and untouchable, what else is going to get cut to make up for that?” Hart asked. “Are they going to have to cut education or senior health care? Those are some choices that are very real, should we get another recession.”
DeFoor said the amendment had been carefully crafted to budget for hard times.
“It’s short in duration, it’s only 20 years, it’s reasonable in the amount (and) it puts us kind of back where we were,” he said. “It’s fixed by percentage, so if things get better, we all get better. And if things were, God forbid, to deteriorate, we’d take the hit, too.”
Despite their qualms about Amendment 1, Republican legislative leaders say they respect voters’ support for it.
“If the amendment is passed, then we’re certainly going to scrupulously follow it and put those revenues toward those purposes,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart.
Related:           Trade groups rallying support for preservation of Fla. lands and water         First Coast News

140912-c
Elevated bridge to replace part of Tamiami Trail
Local10.com – by Michael Putney, Senior Political Reporter
September 12, 2014
$180 million bridge project will allow more water to flow into Everglades National Park.
MIAMI - The U.S. Department of Transportation deputy secretary was in South Florida on Friday to announce more improvements to the Tamiami Trail, which will allow more water to flow into Everglades National Park.
"Today we are announcing the awarding of a $20 million grant to help replace part of the Tamiami Trail with a new two-and-a-half-mile elevated bridge," said DOT Deputy Secretary Victor Mendez.
For 75 years, the Tamiami Trail has connected one side of Florida to the other, and cut off the natural flow of water into Everglades National Park.
"The 2.6-mile western bridge we will now build will work in tandem with the one-mile eastern bridge that we just completed, re-hydrating the east Everglades area that is dying of thirst," said Everglades Nat’l Park Superintendent Bob Krumenaker. "It will also provide a path to move water south from Lake Okeechobee."
The Federal Department of Transportation is awarding $20 million for the new bridge and the state of Florida has already kicked in $90 million.
"By uncorking this road we allow that water from Lake Okeechobee to flow through the central parts of the Everglades into Everglades National Park, which unfortunately is starved for water," said Everglades Foundation CEO Erik Eikenberg.
The total cost of the bridge project is $180 million.
Related:           Second Tamiami Trail bridge, to improve water flow to Florida Bay ...        Florida Keys Keynoter

140912-d
Water managers give first approval for $720M budget
News-Press.com – by Chad Gillis
September 12, 2014
A state water agency that oversees 16 counties and more than 8 million Floridians approved a $720 million budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year Thursday night.
The budget is more than $50 million more than 2013-14 and includes $1.25 million for stormwater improvements in the Lely area of Collier County as well as more than $700,000 for the Caloosahatchee River estuary and sediment nutrient monitoring.
The districtwide tax rate is about 38 cents per $1,000, or $38.42 for a $100,000 home. The $720,792,791 is an increase over $665 million for the 2013-14 fiscal year, although the tax rate is slightly less than last year. Districtwide, property owners will likely pay $2.68 less per $100,00 of taxable property, said Doug Bergstrom, director of the district's administrative department.
Two public meetings must take place before the district can adopt the budget. Thursday night was the first meeting, and a second one will be at 5:15 p.m. Sept. 23 at the WMD headquarters in West Palm Beach.
Board member Sandy Batchelor of Miami-Dade voted against tax rate but did give reasons why.
Some environmental groups asked district governing board members to increase the tax rate, to charge property owners more to ensure South Florida's ecological systems are protected and well-managed.
"For the average property owner, it would be the cost of a pizza or frappuccino," said Jane Graham with the National Audubon society.
Martha Musgrave with the Florida Wildlife Federation said she'd like to see the district collect more money and use those funds for Everglades restoration and water quality improvement projects.
"Even a (10 percent) increase could get you out of the most difficult of situations," Musgrave said. "I think you need to leave yourself some cushion and some flexibility."
Randy Smith, spokesperson for the district, said money going to projects such as the Caloosahatchee Reservoir will have lasting impacts on Southwest Florida.
"It certainly doesn't cure the problem of lake release from Okeechobee, but it along with other projects there are certainly substantial," Smith said. "This is taking water aside and storing it before it gets to the estuary. And then there is water in the system when the estuary needs it."

140912-e
We've got the weather forecast for 2050 (and it doesn't look very good)
MNN.com - by Laura Moss
September 12, 2014
The Weather Channel's futuristic weather report is based on current climate science and was released as part of a video series preceding the U.N. Climate Summit.
Flooded Miami streets, North Pole vacations and Anchorage hosting the Summer Olympics ? This will be our world in 2050, at least according to The Weather Channel.
Three of the channel's biggest stars — Sam Champion, Jim Cantore and Stephanie Abrams — star in a hypothetical weather forecast highlighting the threats of climate change.
The new video is part of a series produced for the World Meteorological Organization ahead of the U.N. Climate Summit, which will take place Sept. 23 at U.N. Headquarters in New York.
The WMO invited newscasters and meteorologists across the globe to prepare a daily weather report based on climate science documented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report. By 2050, global temperatures could rise more than 7 degrees Fahrenheit if greenhouse gas emissions from human activities continue at the current rate.
With its futuristic gadgets and "footage" of an Arctic Circle cruise ship, The Weather Channel's video may seem like a parody, but some of 2050's top stories are eerily similar to current weather reports.
In the video, Abrams reports that the southwestern U.S. is suffering from a "megadrought" — a word that's already being used to describe California's long dry spell.
Bioclimatologist Park Williams recently told USA Today that "more area in the West has persistently been in drought during the past 15 years than in any other 15-year period since the 1150s and 1160s."
In another scene, Cantore stands in several feet of water in Miami reporting on an offshore hurricane.
"A storm that's over 400 miles offshore would never be a problem many decades ago," he says, "but now that we have sea level rise, even a storm that's over 400 miles offshore can still cause big problems like you see here."
While such a scenario may seem extreme, according to research by nonprofit Climate Central, there's a 100 percent chance of at least one Miami flood rising above 6 feet by 2100, putting $15 billion worth of property at risk.
"Areas of Miami Beach could experience constant flooding," Florida International University scientist Rene Price recently told the National Science Foundation. "We could see large portions of the Everglades taken over by the ocean. Areas that are freshwater today could become saltwater by 2100."
In addition to The Weather Channel's futuristic news segment, newscasters and meteorologists from Bulgaria, Brazil, Denmark, Japan and Zambia have also released 2050 weather reports.
The WMO will post videos from more countries over the next two weeks leading up to the climate summit.

140911-a
Big Sugar building proposal raises Everglades restoration concerns
Sun Sentinel - by Andy Reid
September 11, 2014
Everglades restoration could get torpedoed by a sugar industry push to allow new neighborhoods and shopping centers on 43,000 acres of farmland south of Lake Okeechobee, according to environmental activists.
Dozens of environmental advocacy organizations on Thursday called for Gov. Rick Scott and the South Florida Water Management District to put the brakes on the proposed Sugar Hill development plan for sugar cane fields near Clewiston in Hendry County, not far from Palm Beach County's western boundary.
U.S. Sugar Corp. and Hilliard Brothers are trying to get development approvals that could eventually allow 18,000 new homes and 25 million square feet of shops, offices and other development on sugar cane fields located between Lake Okeechobee and what remains of the Everglades.
If allowed, the sprawling development threatens to block Everglades restoration efforts to move more Lake Okeechobee water south to Everglades National Park. Sugar Hill would be the "death knell" of the Everglades, said Jonathan Ullman, of the Sierra Club.
"If we want to restore the Everglades water flow … we need to say no to this plan," Ullman said.
Even if Sugar Hill isn't built, just getting development approval could drive up the price of the farmland and make it more expensive for taxpayers to buy the land for Everglades restoration.
"It would do a … disservice to taxpayers to let this move forward," said Lisa Interlandi of the Everglades Law Center.
Sugar Hill supporters say that the development would bring jobs and an economic boost to the area. They maintain that there would still be other land elsewhere that could be put to use for Everglades restoration.
"We need to create jobs in Hendry County," said Gregg Gillman, president of the Hendry County Economic Development Council. "We want our share."
Everglades restoration is intended to protect dwindling wildlife habitat while also boosting South Florida water supplies and correcting flood control problems.
A big part of the taxpayer-funded restoration effort is to buy farmland that can be used to create water storage and treatment areas to get more Lake Okeechobee water flowing south to the Everglades, like it did before South Florida development and farming got in the way.
The South Florida Water Management District in 2010 spent $197 million to buy 26,800 acres from U.S. Sugar for Everglades restoration efforts. That deal also gave the district a 10 year option to buy some or all of U.S. Sugar's remaining 153,200 acres.
The district's exclusive right to buy a 46,800 acre portion of that U.S. Sugar land – which includes some of the Sugar Hill area – expires in October 2015.
Hendry County commissioners last month gave initial approval to the Sugar Hill development plan. That plan is now in the midst of a state review, including consideration by the water management district, before it goes back before the Hendry County Commission for a final decision.
The Sugar Hill proposal is a long-term economic development plan that does not get in the way of the state acquiring more land for Everglades restoration, according to U.S. Sugar spokeswoman Judy Sanchez.
"U.S Sugar is not getting out of agriculture, now nor in the foreseeable future. What we are doing is making good long-range planning decisions for our business and providing good long-range economic opportunity and job creation for Hendry County," Sanchez said.
Sugar Hill opponents want Everglades restoration concerns to factor into that state and local review.
Everglades restoration has cost taxpayers about $3.1 billion so far, with $2.4 billion of that coming from Florida taxpayers.
Related:           Environmental groups object to development of U.S. Sugar land in Everglades -Tampabay.com
Editorial: Big Sugar aims for big payoff        Tampabay.com

140911-b
Could Scott – Crist race decide the future of the Everglades ?
Palm Beach Post – by Stacey Singer
September 11, 2014
People worried about the health of the St. Lucie River and the Indian River Lagoon need to pay attention to an issue that has emerged in Hendry County.
U.S. Sugar is seeking approval from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to build up to 18,000 homes and 25 million square feet of commercial space — the equivalent of 25 Gardens Malls — on thousands of Hendry County acres once pledged for Everglades restoration.
The South Florida Water Management District has options to buy that land, but one of the options expires in 2015.
Former Gov. Charlie Crist told the Post Editorial Board Wednesday that should he be re-elected, closing the U.S. Sugar land deal will be one of his top priorities.
The effect of Gov. Rick Scott’s administration now giving U.S. Sugar those development approvals would be to drive up the cost of restoring the Everglades, and possibly compromise it forever.
Some environmental leaders are asking the water district’s governing board to tell the DEO that “critical state interests” are at risk. Doing so could slow down the state’s speedy review, and possibly enable administrative challenges later. The water district has about three weeks to send its comments.
It was 2008 when Crist proposed to buy up nearly 200,000 acres of sugar cane fields to allow for the restoration of the historic water flow that once fed the swamp and kept it healthy. The plan would have allowed not only the Everglades, but the estuaries of the Indian River Lagoon, Florida Bay and the Caloosahatchee River to recover. And so Crist used soaring rhetoric to describe his vision:
“It is a gift to present and future generations,” Crist wrote of the planned $1.34 billion land purchase in 2008 guest editorials. “I can envision no better gift to the Everglades, to the people of Florida, or to our country — than to place in public ownership this missing link that represents the key to true restoration.”
The economic downturn, plummeting land values and political push-back have prevented that purchase from being fully executed. But the state, through the South Florida Water Management District, was able to buy a fraction — one-seventh of the land — from U.S. Sugar for just under $200 million. It’s now under restoration, and provides a place for often dirty flood water to be cleaned and stored, water that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers might otherwise send out to pollute the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers.
Over thousands of years, nature designed the perfect system for absorbing the ebb and flow Florida’s sub-tropical wet and dry seasons, creating a rich ecosystem that has birthed unique flora and fauna evolved to thrive amid Florida’s natural phases of flood, drought and fire.
Since the 1890s, engineers have foolishly tried to “perfect” this system. What exists now has become unbalanced, overburdened, dangerous and unsustainable. The evidence is everywhere, from the inadequate sand berms of the Herbert Hoover Dike to the bacteria-filled waters of the Indian River Lagoon; from the Melaleuca-choked vistas of Tamiami Trail to the muck-depleted acres of sugar cane fields.
U.S. Sugar clearly wants its sector plan changes finalized now, while Gov. Rick Scott is in office. Scott’s priority has been speeding approvals for large developments, to create jobs, and so his administration seems certain to approve it.
The region is starving for economic development and jobs, and so the proposal sounded like a godsend to most Hendry County officials. But others say it’s a false hope, a mirage that would never materialize.
Do you think U.S. Sugar really plans to build its city amid the sugarcane fields? Or is this a ploy to boost the price of land already destined for sale to the state, to restore the Everglades ?

140911-c
Enviros plan to oppose Sugar Hill proposal today at water district
Palm Beach Post - by Christine Stapleton, Staff Writer
September 11, 2014
Environmental groups are expected to to oppose Sugar Hill — a massive development proposed by U.S. Sugar Corp. and pioneer ranch family Hilliard Brothers — at today’s meeting of the South Florida Water Management District, even though the project is not on the agenda.
U.S. Sugar Corp. and Hilliard Brothers have submitted plans for the 67-square mile development to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, which has 30 days to review the plan. The water management district will be required to submit comments on the plan. Today is the only meeting of the district’s governing board during that 30-day period.
The Sugar Hill plan calls for development to occur over the next 46 years through 2060. The development would be made up of 18,000 residential units and 25 million square feet of industrial, retail, office and other commercial space. It would take up much of northeastern Hendry County, which is southwest of Lake Okeechobee.

140911-d
Florida wildlife regulators clamp down on invasive lionfish
AllmediaNY
September 11, 2014
Florida wildlife regulators on Wednesday banned lionfish breeding as part of a struggle to control the invasive species that devours other fish and threatens coastal ecosystems.
The state prohibited the possession of lionfish eggs and larvae as well, after Florida last month became the first state in United States to outlaw importation of the barbed fish.
Bringing lionfish into Florida is now punishable by up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
"Every change that encourages removal is a step toward successfully limiting the negative impacts lionfish have on native fish and wildlife," said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive Director Nick Wiley in a statement.
Florida also has loosened fishing rules for recreational divers and fishing enthusiasts to catch lionfish and encouraged hobbyists and chefs to pull them out of the water and into the kitchen.
Scientists fear the voracious lionfish, which can grow to over a foot (30 cm) in length, will decimate other species in Florida waters. The lionfish has few known predators and can feed on anything from shrimp to other fish.

140911-e
Remember Charlie Crist and Everglades history correctly
SunshineStateNews - by J.P. Sasser
September 11, 2014
I read with great interest the story on the U.S. Sugar project in Hendry County in Thursday's edition of the Palm Beach Post.
While I mostly agree with the editorial ("Don’t rush decision on U.S. Sugar-Hendry County sector plan"), I want to share with my fellow Floridians a few facts that never seem to be discussed in public but are well-known to us here in the Glades region.
In 2008 when Gov. Charlie Crist spent a large chunk of the public's change to purchase some of U. S. Sugar Corp. (USSC) land , he only had to wait a short time and he would have spent pennies on the dollar. U.S. Sugar was going bankrupt. Charlie could have bought those parcels on the courthouse steps.
We here in the Glades region knew this and we knew there were other parties interested in purchasing all or part of U.S. Sugar that had the potential of creating new jobs. Instead, Gov. Crist bailed them out under the ruse of saving the Everglades.
It was a win-win situation for USSC. They got the money and still got to farm their land. Hey, hats off to them for pulling that one off! Business is business, right ? The environmental groups would have made a deal with the devil to "save" the Everglades. Poor Charlie just wanted to be a senator.
Now imagine our shock when a political ad pops up on TV blaming Gov. Rick Scott for bailing out sugar. Right now, that is a bold-faced lie.
However, if Gov. Scott does approve USSC's land-use proposal, he is in the same boat with Charlie Crist. Both -- not just Charlie -- would become high-priced prostitutes for not only U.S. Sugar Corp. but for any other business with a large pocketbook. The citizens of the state of Florida deserve better from our leaders. It's our fault, we need to demand better.
The cities of Pahokee, Belle Glade, South Bay, Clewiston and Moore Haven are located at the southern end of Lake Okeechobee. We are spread across Palm Beach, Hendry and Glades counties. The reason we were originally settled was for agriculture.
However, we are not synonymous with sugar. To judge us that way is not only narrow-minded, but shows a lack of knowledge of an area that puts a lot of food on the table. Also, U.S Sugar Corp. is not the whole sugar industry, either in what it's doing now or in the decisions it has made in the past. To fail to make that distinction is not fair to the rest of the industry.
We here in the Glades are under attack by those who see us as the sole cause of the environmental issues facing the St. Lucie River, Indian River Lagoon and the Everglades.
Nothing would make the affluent residents of the Treasure Coast happier in their million-dollar homes on the Intracoastal Waterway than to see us flooded out while they sit on their toilets connected to 250,000 septic tanks that feed the toxic blue-green algae they blame us for. I say again, when they deal with their septic tanks, they can talk to us about water flowing south.

140911-f
Springs projects approved by Florida legislative panel
Southeast AGNet - by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
September 11, 2014
THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSE - - Money is now flowing toward 27 projects intended to improve some of the state’s most endangered natural springs.
The Joint Legislative Budget Commission, made up of House and Senate members, agreed Wednesday to use $25 million for a list of springs projects outlined last month by Gov. Rick Scott and the state Department of Environmental Protection. Lawmakers put the $25 million into this year’s budget but still needed to sign off on the list.
Combined with local contributions, nearly $70 million is expected to go to work on springs throughout Central and North Florida that have faced years of decline due to drought, development and excessive groundwater pumping.
But don’t expect the water flow and quality to improve overnight.
Tom Frick, a DEP official who helps oversee watershed protection, noted after the commission meeting that the restoration work is a “multiple year effort” that will vary based upon the needs of each spring.
“We didn’t get to this point overnight, and certainly the restoration and these efforts won’t happen overnight,” Frick said. “This is just one of the steps to restore the springs.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Andy Gardiner, an Orlando Republican who is slated to become Senate president in November, said lawmakers need to set a multiple-year work plan for water projects and land preservation, similar to the Department of Transportation’s five-year work program.
Such a plan may also be modeled after a proposal the Senate approved earlier this year that would have provided a long-term outline for improving the springs by seeking to control the amounts of fertilizers allowed into waterways, redirecting waste water, replacing septic systems at no charge to homeowners and having the state rank the needs of the various critical springs projects.
The House never took up the proposal.
“It was important for the Senate to say, ‘We want a long term solution,’ ” Gardiner said after the commission meeting. “If you have a five-year work program, like we do the DOT, I think that’s good to do that for the springs and for land purchasing and things like that.”
Gardiner and Merritt Island Republican Steve Crisafulli, who is slated to be the next House speaker, have previously announced that water projects will be a priority of their leadership terms.
The springs benefiting from this year’s money include Fanning, Levy Blue, Jackson Blue, Wakulla, Volusia Blue, Silver, Wekiva, Aripeka, Chassahowitzka and Crystal springs, and springs associated with Econfina and Holmes creeks, the Ichetucknee, Santa Fe and Suwannee rivers and Lake Panasoffkee.
This year’s state springs funding is an increase from the $10 million set aside in 2013.
The state has about 1,000 springs that face an intrusion of nitrates and increasing signs of saltiness. The state spent nearly $25 million over a decade on springs, starting in 2000, before the funding tap temporarily went dry.
Scott, as part of a re-election platform, has outlined a $1 billion environmental blueprint for Florida that would include $50 million a year in funding over 10 years for the springs.
But Gardiner said any future funding for the springs will depend on the outcome of Amendment 1, which goes before voters in November.
The proposed constitutional amendment, backed by a group called “Florida’s Water and Land Legacy, Inc.,” seeks to set aside 33 percent of the state’s documentary stamp tax revenues — fees paid when real estate is sold — for 20 years to acquire conservation and recreation lands, manage existing lands, protect lands that are critical for water supply and restore degraded natural systems.
“I think when we get past November, and if Amendment 1 passes, it’s going to give us a diagram for coming up with something for that 33 percent of the doc stamps,” Gardiner said. “Do you start by putting it in for the springs programs, lane projects, bike trails and things like that? But we also have to identify where we’re already spending money. Then we can start building for the future.”
The amendment, which requires approval from 60 percent of voters to pass, could generate $10 billion over its life, the group says.
Gardiner, who doesn’t believe the funding should be locked into the state constitution, expects the amendment to pass.
Related:           Wakulla Springs Included In $25M Restoration Plan Approved By ...         WFSU
Springs projects approved by legislative panel           The News Herald

140910-a
Don’t rush decision on U.S. Sugar-Hendry County sector plan
Palm Beach Post – Editorial
September 10, 2014
For a brief moment in 2008, it appeared Florida was ready to do right by the Everglades, after over a century of dedicated destruction.
Then Gov. Charlie Crist proposed an audacious plan to buy up nearly 200,000 acres of sugar cane fields to allow for the restoration of the historic water flow that once fed the swamp and kept it healthy. The plan would have allowed not only the Everglades, but the estuaries of the Indian River Lagoon, Florida Bay and the Caloosahatchee River to recover. And so Crist used soaring rhetoric to describe his vision:
(Continued upon subscription only).

140910-b
‘Floating homes’ technology has demonstrated usefulness
Miami Herald – by Fane Lozman
September 10, 2014
It is an unfortunate reality that those who currently live on Eastern Shores in Maule Lake will have to abandon their homes in the next 30 years because of rising tides. The only residents around Maule Lake will be the Amirillah floating islands, and any new developments built after Miami 21-like building codes are enacted.
The current Eastern Shores residents should be making plans now for where they will be moving once North Miami Beach condemns their residences for sea water intrusion. Instead, their fears are focused on the floating islands and reflect a total lack of knowledge about floating technology that has been proven over the last century.
Just like floating oil rigs moored to the ocean floor survive Category 5 hurricanes without being torn off their moorings, floating islands use similar technology. The land-based houses around Maule Lake would be swept clean off their concrete pads as the eye wall of a hurricane similar to Andrew made a direct hit, while the Maule Lake floating islands wouldn’t slide an inch off their permanent moorings.
Even more impressive is that these foam-cored, reinforced concrete islands are unsinkable, even after being pelted with 200-mph, windswept debris from the destroyed houses on shore.
The West Coast of the United States has thousands of floating homes that are a welcome addition to their communities in Washington, Oregon and California. The Maule Lake floating-island residences will introduce a new generation of floating homes to the East Coast. They will be completely self-sustaining and have the “greenest” footprint of any dwelling in South Florida.
The landlubbers whose attitude is that “I got to Maule Lake first and no one else should ever join me” forget one thing. The actual lake bottom is privately owned, and the submerged lands do not belong to those who are fortunate to live on its borders. Perhaps a 50-foot-high floating privacy screen running on the east side of Maule Lake would be soothing to these residents so they would not have to be jealous of their floating neighbors?
The floating islands will also help solve a simple reality that the political leaders of North Miami Beach can no longer ignore: New sources of tax revenue will be desperately needed to supplement the hidden pension demands of civil employees (i.e. police) over the coming years.
The 29 floating islands that will be assessed at $12.5 million each will bring in a staggering $363 million in new property assessments. This windfall for the city will be further magnified by the increased tax assessments for the Eastern Shores residents as their droopy neighborhood wakes up to become part of South Florida’s most unique residential community.
Like any new technology, whether it was the Wright brothers’ first airplane flight, or the $3 billon Perdido oil rig anchored in 2,438 meters of water in the Gulf of Mexico, there are “talking heads” that will refuse to accept the inevitable march of technology. It makes one wonder: How many Eastern Shores residents still have horse and buggies in their back yards?
Fane Lozman won a precedent-setting victory last year against Riviera Beach when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with him that his floating home — which the city had seized and destroyed under laws governing ships at sea — was a house, not a vessel covered by maritime law.

140910-c
Lawsuit against DEP over fracking in Everglades dropped by Collier County
Broward-PalmBeach News Times - by Fire Ant
September 10 2014
Environmentalists took one on the chin Tuesday when Collier County officials voted to drop a lawsuit they'd filed against the Department of Environmental Protection over the state's policing of fracking by Texas oil prospectors in the Great Cypress Swamp watershed.
See also:
Collier's Board of County Commissioners in April voted to file the suit, in response to public fury over the February disclosure -- after months of public hearings on the controversial drilling -- that Houston-based Dan A. Hughes Company was found to have violated state law late last year. The company had used a technique known as acid fracking on a well site adjoining the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, a major nesting site for wood storks, a species just recently taken off the endangered species list.
The DEP had tried to scare county officials off the suit but the commission refused, lacking faith in the state agency's commitment to rigorous enforcement. Late to the game, in July the state took legal action of its own against the drillers. In response, the Hughes Company and Florida land baron Collier Resources, holder of 115,000 acres of mineral rights leased to the Texans, announced the cessation of all the company's activity in Florida -- except that on the Collier-Hogan well, where last winter's acid fracking occurred.
At yesterday's hearing state officials sold the Collier Commission on the belief in a new, more aggressive DEP. As reported on NPR affiliate WGCU:
State Environmental Protection Chief Herschel Vinyard appeared before Collier commissioners to urge county officials to partner with his agency as the state drafts new oil drilling rules.
"I would appreciate and welcome your input in partnership in what's going on in the 2015 legislative session," Vinyard said.
...Collier County Commission Chair Tom Henning said DEP's action is a sign the agency is serious about protecting Southwest Florida's natural resources.
"We need to be partnerships with the agency, not fighting the agency," he said "Now, they are proving that they have our best interests at heart by going after Dan A. Hughes, which is exactly what we wanted."
The citizen activists who pushed the officials to take action were outraged by the commission's procedure and the timing of its decision. As reported in the Naples Daily News:
Jennifer Hecker, director of natural resource policy for the Conservancy [of Southwest Florida], said that by dropping their petition, commissioners lost their leverage to find out what really happened during the Hogan well procedure.
She said what happened at the well wasn't a natural condition, and that since the older abandoned wells weren't capped at today's standards, they still could act like "straws" that could allow the flow of contaminants either up or down.
She also wanted to know what happened to half-a-million gallons of flowback material from the well, which isn't accounted for in trucking logs.
"I don't think we got safeguards," she said.
John Dwyer, a member of the Stonecrab Alliance environmental group, was appalled that citizens weren't allowed to speak on the oil issue at Tuesday's meeting.
"We were stabbed in the back," he said.
The Collier Commission has left open the possibility of joining with the DEP in the state's ongoing legal action against Hughes.

140909-a
Everglades Clean-Up: $20 million for bridge to keep water moving
Palm Beach Post - by Christine Stapleton, Staff Writer
September 9, 2014
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has approved a $20 million grant to build a 2.6-mile bridge over the Tamiami Trail in Miami-Dade County — an effort that will allow water to flow into the drought-plagued Everglades National Park.
The department sent notice Tuesday to Florida’s representatives and senators in Washington that it intended to fund the project. The Tamiami Trail roadway has long been viewed as one of the key barriers to restoring the Everglades ecosystem.
The Tamiami Trail, built in 1928, sliced through the Everglades to connect Miami with the west coast of Florida. It unintentionally blocked water from flowing south to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay. As a result, water backs up, limiting the flow that managers can send south.
In March 2013, a 1-mile stretch of bridge was completed along the Tamiami Trail. However, efforts to move water south have been stymied by water-quality concerns. The $20 million grant will pay to replace another section of the Tamiami Trail with an elevated 2.6-mile bridge that will help to restore natural storm water flows into the Everglades National Park and Northeast Shark River.
Related:           Feds to send $20M for Everglades project - The News-Press
Florida legislators approve spending millions on projects to aid the ...          Greenfield Daily Reporter
Conservancy of SWFL applauds grant to elevate parts of US 41      FOX 4

140909-b
Polluted waters
Gainesville.com - Editorial
September 9, 2014
A proposed rule that would clarify what bodies of water fall under federal regulation has created a political firestorm here in Florida, pitting dozens of environmental groups against a powerful coalition of big business, big agriculture and conservative politicians.
The idea originally was to bring clarity to what waters and wetlands fall under Environmental Protection Agency purview, as ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress. But so far, the only thing that is clear is that the opposition — led by U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam — is more concerned about protecting big business and agricultural interests than protecting our state's steadily deteriorating rivers, lakes and springs.
Southerland has introduced H.R. 5078 in Congress, which would virtually strip the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of any authority over Florida waterways and wetlands. Instead, Southerland would hand that power to the states.
“Florida can better regulate its water than bureaucrats in D.C.,” Southerland said at a news conference last month in Tallahassee, with Putnam at his side.
The congressman and commissioner cannot expect anyone to take that statement seriously. Certainly even they know that Florida's waters are increasingly polluted from Pensacola to the Everglades.
The fact is that the proposed rule is not a “power grab” nor would it include “puddles and ditches to farmland ponds” as Southerland claims in his own verbal overreach.
In fact, EPA officials say the rule clarification would change very little in terms of current regulation of farms, forestry or development.
Yet not only does Southerland's bill seek to strip the EPA and the Corps of regulatory authority, it would shut off all public comment on the rule. Even more curious is why U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Gainesville, is co-sponsoring this misguided and reckless legislation.
Southerland's and Putnam's credibility on this issue, not to mention Gov. Rick Scott's, is questionable at best, considering all three were exposed last month for going on a hunting trip to the King Ranch in Texas that was hosted and at least partially paid for by Big Sugar, arguably the biggest of Florida's corporate polluters.
The state's recent track record on water — slashed water-management budgets, relaxed water standards, lax enforcement and declining water quality and supply — hardly gives us reason to trust Florida's leaders to do right by our wetlands and waterways. And besides, the U.S. Corps that regulates wetlands development in Florida is located in Jacksonville, not D.C., and is staffed by Floridians.
Southerland, Putnam and Yoho should be embarrassed to be carrying water for some of Florida's biggest polluters. They should be working instead to clean up our endangered waterways and springs, and to stop the steady depletion of our aquifer.
That would be in the best interests of their constituents and state. Yet they seem more interested in serving their biggest donors than addressing Florida's biggest environmental problem.
Related:    Southerland's Anti-EPA Bill Passes, Underscores Campaign ...        WFSU

140908-
Progress is clear, challenges remain in planning for First Coast sea-level change
StAugustine.com - by Steve Patterson
September 8, 2014
MARINELAND — When the ocean rises along First Coast beachfronts, some of the first land to go under should be here.
So plans to deal with that need to start there, too.
“No, we’re not ready. Yes, we have some plans … That’s the good news,” Crescent Beach resident Pat Hamilton told a crowd that showed up Monday to talk about planning for sea-level rise that could move shorelines inland and turn some woodlands into marshes.
Some projections have said seas could rise 3 feet by 2100, though they rose less than 10 inches in the previous century and no one truly knows what changes are coming.
Despite the uncertainty, local officials have been thinking about possible effects on assets such as water supplies, roads and drainage systems. A lot of St. Johns County’s planning is done in five-year increments, and plans may need to look much further, maybe 50 years forward, to anticipate some problems, county environmental director Jan Brewer told groups, who rotated in and out of the Whitney Lab for Marine Biosciences for a planning workshop organized with staff from the Guana, Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Impacts from rising waters will vary a lot from spot to spot because ridges will hold the water back, for a while, then they’ll stop, said Greg Kiker, a University of Florida professor of agriculture and biological engineering who managed computer modeling of how water would build up around the Matanzas River basin.
Out of 44 animal species that researchers studied, 39 were projected to lose habitat. Some of that would happen when marshes were permanently flooded and became open waterways. Farther inland, land that’s now pinelands was projected to become marshland, forcing black bears, gopher tortoises and some other uplands species to move somewhere else, maybe to suburban neighborhoods.
Researchers from UF and the research reserve have worked for three years on ways to think through the effects around the Matanzas — but lessons from that sort of work could be needed elsewhere.
Arlington resident Lad Hawkins, part of a group that visited for the workshop, said he’s thinking about the effects of sea level rise on the miles of marshes near the mouth of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville.
Hawkins said he expects a lot of those marshes to be lost to rising water, and noted that the property surrounding the marshes already have houses on them that will keep the shoreline from moving back easily.
How to handle situations like that has started to get attention around the First Coast.
Late last year, a committee of volunteers from the Northeast Florida Regional Council finished drafting a thin “action plan” of steps the council’s seven member counties could all take to help handle expected impacts from water-level changes in the ocean and the St. Johns River.
That plan was entirely focused on steps that could be taken locally, not counting on anything being done in Washington or farther afield, said Margo Moehring, the council’s director of policy and planning.
People are coming around to talking about issues tied to sea-level changes, Hamilton said.
When the Matanzas basin project started three years ago, he said, people around it were reluctant to say the words climate change, focusing instead on practical questions like what to do when water rises.
The final report from that project is scheduled to be delivered to the research reserve by the end of the year.
Hamilton told people at the workshop that was a sign of the progress that’s been made, but said more ordinary people need to help prepare.
“Are we ready?” he asked a group during the workshop. “Absolutely not. We’re not ready.”

140907-a
18,000 homes proposed for land owned by U.S. Sugar and ranching family
TCPalm.com – by Eve Samples, Columnist
September 7, 2014
U.S. Sugar Corp. and Hilliard Brothers are proposing a 67-square-mile community with 18,000 new homes on farmland south of Lake Okeechobe
For much of the past century, the biggest obstacle to restoring the flow of water from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades has been the sugar cane fields that stand between the two.
The 400,000 acres of farms in the Everglades Agricultural Area have been the missing link for the onetime River of Grass.
Propped up by federal price supports, the cane fields are a big part of the reason the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries get flooded when Lake O rises too high.
In 2008, then-Gov. Charlie Crist brokered a deal to buy almost half of the sugar land in the EAA. That deal was downsized when the economy tanked.
It’s looking like an even more remote prospect now.
That’s because another obstacle to Everglades restoration is rearing its head south of Lake Okeechobee.
This time, it’s a force familiar to all South Floridians: urban development.
Late last month, U.S. Sugar Corp. and another agricultural powerhouse, the Hilliard Brothers, got initial approval for a long-term plan that would bring 18,000 homes to 67 square miles just west of Clewiston.
The proposal, known as the Sugar Hill Sector Plan, also includes 25 million square feet of nonresidential buildings and preservation of some farmland.
In terms of acreage, it would be twice as large as the island of Manhattan.
And on Aug. 26, the Hendry County Commission agreed to send the proposal to the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity for review.
If it gets final approval, it could drive up the price of land owned by U.S. Sugar that the South Florida Water Management District retains an option to buy for Everglades restoration.
“Is it going to increase the value to a point where, if it’s gone to development, we can’t buy it anymore ?” asked Mark Perry, executive director of Florida Oceanographic Society and a longtime advocate for the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon.
The 430-page application U.S. Sugar and Hilliard Brothers submitted to the state makes no mention of the Everglades or estuaries.
That’s despite the fact that about 12,800 acres of the Sugar Hill proposal is part of an option the taxpayer-funded South Florida Water Management District retains until October 2015. The district has a longer-term option on 153,000 acres of U.S. Sugar land that expires in 2020
I asked U.S. Sugar spokeswoman Judy Sanchez why the company was pushing this proposal now, even as Crist has promised to revive the U.S. Sugar deal if elected in November. Sanchez replied via email that the company was “being responsive to the economic development efforts of the state, the region and our local community. Hendry County has been pushing for agricultural land to be made available for business and economic development for years.” she continued, “and it makes sense to begin this type of master planning now, so that the required sector planning is in place when needed in the future.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Sugar Corp.’s own website still touts the Everglades land deal.
It proclaims the company “proud to be part of this historic opportunity to make extraordinary progress in Everglades restoration and restore much of the natural footprint of South Florida.” Which is it ? Time to build on the land south of Lake Okeechobee ? Or time to preserve it ?

We can understand why Hendry County would consider this massive development plan. It has the highest unemployment rate of all 67 counties in Florida (12.5 percent in July, compared with 6.8 percent in Martin County).
But 18,000 new homes won’t transform the economy of Clewiston, which has a population of about 7,000. And simply building an “employment center” doesn’t mean the jobs will follow. Just ask the city of Port St. Lucie.
Even if it’s approved, the Sugar Hill plan wouldn’t happen overnight. Its horizon is 2060.
That might sound like a long time until we compare it with the pace of Everglades restoration. It’s doubtful the River of Grass will be completely restored by then.
Putting a major development project in the works would only create more obstacles.
Eve Samples is a columnist for Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. This column reflects her opinion.

140907-b
After Toledo water scare, states ask EPA for help
Associated Press – by John Seewer
September 7, 2014
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Algae that turned Lake Erie green and produced toxins that fouled the tap water for 400,000 people in the Toledo area are becoming a big headache for those who keep drinking water safe even far beyond the Great Lakes.
But with no federal standards on safe levels for drinking algae-tainted water and no guidelines for treating or testing it either, water quality engineers sometimes look for solutions the same way school kids do their homework.
"We are Googling for answers," said Kelly Frey, who oversees a municipal system in Ohio that draws drinking water from the lake. "We go home and spend our nights on the Internet trying to find how other places manage it."
The contamination left about 400,000 people in parts of northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan without clean tap water for two days in August.
Spurred by the water emergency, that saw thousands lining up for water for two days in early August, a growing chorus is calling for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create a national standard for allowable amounts of microcystin, the toxin that contaminated Toledo's water.
Ohio, Oregon, Minnesota, Florida and Oklahoma have set their own drinking water standards for microcystin, which can cause headaches or vomiting when swallowed and can be fatal to dogs and livestock. Most of those states rely on a measurement suggested by the World Health Organization.
"There needs to be one consistent standard," said Dan Wyant, director of Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality.
Environmental regulators from Ohio, Indiana and Michigan met with U.S. EPA officials last month, asking the agency to press not only for clear water quality standards, but also a strategy for reducing the pollutants that help the algae thrive.
But it may be several more years before the EPA is able to come up with a new benchmark because a great deal of study is still needed to determine how different amounts of the algae-related toxins affect people of all ages, said Craig Butler, director of the Ohio EPA.
"That puts the states in a tough spot," Butler said. "We wish there was more data and information, as does U.S. EPA."
The federal agency is working toward developing drinking water advisories and testing methods that would be released sometime next year and give treatment plants and states guidance for dealing with microcystin and another toxin, said Laura Allen, a U.S. EPA spokeswoman.
Water plant operators contend there's also a need for more guidance on how often to test the water and more sharing of information on combating the toxins.
Some cities where there's a known threat of harmful algae take samples daily, while others getting water from the same source might run tests once a week. Sometimes, it depends on when the testing lab is available, said Frey, the sanitary engineer in Ohio's Ottawa County.
The EPA did announce this past week that it would put more money toward helping cities along Lake Erie monitor their water. Ohio's environmental regulators also have pledged help and have been taking a bigger role in assisting water plants as of late, Frey said.
That includes routine conference calls over the past year between Ohio EPA administrators and water plant operators on the front line of the algae threat, Butler said.
Algae outbreaks — some that leave behind a variety of toxins and some that don't — are popping up increasingly in every state, fouling rivers and lakes of all sizes.
In Iowa's largest city, water plant workers decide when to sample based on "instinct and experience as opposed to requirement," said Bill Stowe, chief executive of the Des Moines Water Works. "We have a public health need that tells us we have to go beyond regulations."
Des Moines uses water from two rivers, both of which have had high levels of algae-fueled toxins on a few separate occasions in recent years. The worry is what would happen if those two drinking water sources are contaminated at the same time.
"It's not a matter if, it's a matter of when," Stowe said. "We've had near misses, and realistically they were near misses by the grace of God."
How many city water supplies could be vulnerable to toxins from algae is difficult to pinpoint. Those that use groundwater are not at risk, but about two-thirds of the nation's public drinking water comes from lakes, rivers and manmade reservoirs.
Still, conditions have to be just right for harmful algal blooms. The water needs a large dose of nutrients feeding the algae, such as phosphorus from farm fertilizers, livestock manure and sewage overflows. Heavy rainstorms washing pollutants into the water and warm weather help the algae grow, too.
Scientists say research suggests that climate change and the increasing amount phosphorus may be why there have been more harmful algae occurrences documented in recent decades.
The lake that supplies drinking water for Waco, Texas, has been plagued by algae since the mid-1980s. It hasn't reached a dangerous level, but did make the water smell and taste so bad that restaurant waitresses used to warn customers about the "Waco water."
The city completed a new $50 million treatment plant last year that uses tiny bubbles to remove algae from the water and ozone gas to destroy the toxins.
Those plants are common in Europe, but there are just four in the U.S., said Tom Conry, the city's water quality manager. "We finally realized we cannot control our watershed, and evidently no one else can," he said.
Conry doesn't think the process will work for every city and believes the real solution is protecting drinking water from pollutants that give life to the harmful algae. "We're treating the symptoms, but we're not addressing the cause," he said.

140907-c
If you don't ask, Gov. Rick Scott won't tell
StAugustine.com - by Carl Hiaasen, Syndicated Columnist
September 7, 2014
Rick Scott is our own man of mystery, Austin Powers without the hair mop and dance moves.
No Florida governor has ever operated with such jet-setting stealth, concealing so many details of his daily travels and contacts. He says he’s out working nonstop for the citizens of his adopted state, yet his official schedule is full of more gaps than the Nixon transcripts.
Occasionally, Floridians catch an intriguing glimpse of Scott’s shadow life. His secret hunting trip to a Texas game ranch courtesy of U.S. Sugar had been kept under wraps for more than a year before it was sniffed out by reporters from the Tampa Bay Times.
The governor still refuses to divulge who went with him, or whom he met. One known fact is that U.S. Sugar, an epic polluter of the Everglades, has donated more than $534,000 to Scott’s reelection campaign so far.
His recent predecessors regularly made public their detailed travel and work records, including political fund-raising trips. Up until Scott took office, it was generally accepted that Floridians have a right to know where their governor is going, and why.
Whenever Lawton Chiles took a private plane to a campaign stop, his office released not only the names but also the phone numbers of other passengers on the aircraft. Both Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist, who’s running against Scott this year, often provided lists of who attended private meetings with them, and what subjects were discussed.
Since his arrival in Tallahassee, Scott has promised “transparency,” and on his first day signed an executive order restarting the Office of Open Government, which is supposed to help Floridians gain easier access to public records.
However, Scott’s concept of a public record is narrow, to put it kindly.
By using his own Cessna Citation instead of a state jet, he definitely saves the taxpayers money. He also conveniently shields himself from potentially embarrassing inquiries regarding his whereabouts.
The tail numbers of his plane have been removed from flight-tracking websites, so you can’t see where it’s heading or where it’s been. Scott and his staff won’t disclose even the most basic travel information — destination, times of departure and arrival — until days after the trip, if then.
Key details are typically blacked out, using a public-records exemption that was intended to shield “surveillance techniques” of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The FDLE provides security staff for the governor.
His secrecy obsession policy extends beyond his travel plans.
As part of his initial push for transparency, Scott launched of Project Sunburst, which was supposed to makes available his state emails and those of his executive staff.
It would have been good for open government, if only Scott’s chief of staff (and then his successor) hadn’t ordered all employees to use private emails and cell phone texts when discussing sensitive matters.
The objective was to hide important policy-making from outside scrutiny, reducing Project Sunburst to a farce.
A suit by Tallahassee lawyer Steven Andrews has revealed that private emails were used by Scott’s top staff, and even his wife, to coordinate a $5 million project to re-manicure the entrance of the governor’s mansion and purchase nearby real estate for a “governor’s park.”
The planning was being done on state time, and the Republican-controlled Legislature obligingly allotted $2.5 million for the makeover.
For the rest of the funds, a “Governor’s Mansion Foundation” hit up major companies eager to stay in Scott’s good graces — including Florida Power and Light, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the GEO Group, which operates two state prisons.
“U.S. Sugar just came thru w check for $100k!!!” burbled the mansion curator to Scott’s deputy chief of staff, via private email.
A judge’s order was necessary before this interesting message and others were uncovered. It’s a matter of significant public interest when corporations that rely on state approval shower hundreds of thousands of dollars on a sitting governor’s pet project.
You think U.S. Sugar or FPL gives a rat’s azalea about the landscaping at the mansion? They gave the money for the same reason they write campaign checks — to purchase favor
Scott won’t talk about this because he is, after all, a man of mystery.
Now you see him, now you don’t.

140907-d
Let’s keep cleaning up Florida’s water
Tallahassee Democrat - My View by Manley Fuller and Jan Goldman-Carter
September 7, 2014
Floridians love water, whether it’s fishing, boating, swimming or stretching back to soak in a beautiful sunset over Apalachee Bay.
And one might say that our water loves us back. The recreational fishing industry alone supports 79,200 jobs in our state.
Then there’s tourism, a whopping $70 billion industry and a major driver of our state’s economy. Millions of people head to the Sunshine State to relax on our sparkling beaches, boat on our lakes and admire the wonders of the Everglades.
But all these waters are in jeopardy.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection reports:
• The growth in urban development over the past decades has caused extensive habitat loss in aquatic areas and has affected the viability of fisheries in many estuarine areas.
• Right now, 28 percent of the state’s rivers and streams, 25 percent of the state’s lakes and 59 percent of the square miles of estuaries have poor water quality.
• Algal blooms and red tides like one currently threatening the west coast of Florida are increasing in frequency, duration and magnitude and could become an even greater threat in the future.
The message should be loud and clear: We need to do all we can to protect our rivers, lakes and estuaries if we want to keep our economy strong.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency is currently taking comments on a proposal to do just that. The Clean Water Act, which passed with strong bipartisan support in 1972, has helped keep much of the nation’s water clean and unpolluted for 42 years. But two controversial Supreme Court decisions have left it unclear if the law applies to smaller bodies of water, such as headwater streams and smaller wetlands.
Why should Floridians care about these small streams and wetlands? All our waters are interconnected. Headwater streams are where our rivers begin. Small streams and wetlands can trap sediments, nutrients and pollutants — keeping our downstream waters clean and safe for drinking and recreation. The health and productivity of the Apalachicola River, the bay and the eastern Gulf of Mexico depend upon sufficient flows of clean water coming from the many small streams and wetlands that feed into the river upstream in Georgia and the Florida Panhandle. When wetlands are filled and streams are channelized and polluted upstream, the entire river system suffers — along with all those who depend on it.
In Bay County, for example, more than 75 percent of the stream miles are currently in this legal limbo and therefore at increased risk of pollution.
Furthermore, one acre of wetland can store up to 1.5 million gallons of flood water. A few more intact wetlands might have helped cities in the Panhandle during the unbelievable rains in May. And while that was an exceptional event, flooding in the Panhandle is not: North Florida’s Escambia and Santa Rosa counties have some of the highest flood damage costs in the U.S.
Why then is Congressman Steve Southerland championing a bill to block this protection of our waterways and wetlands? Furthermore, Congressman Southerland’s inaccurate claims — alleging that the proposal will regulate sprinkler puddles — smacks of election year fear-mongering.
The EPA proposal itself is fairly clear. It specifically carves out exceptions for normal agriculture uses while bolstering protections for our waters. Read the rule for yourself and make a comment to the EPA at http://www2.epa.gov/uswaters.
As a supporter of reduced government spending, Southerland should be backing the proposal instead of attacking it. Healthy streams and wetlands clean our waters and boost our economy. Without those services, government will spend more money to deal with problems caused by flooding and pollution.
Southerland’s constituents benefit daily from clean water and healthy wetlands. The EPA proposal would simply eliminate confusion, reinforce the original intent of the Clean Water Act and protect the waters that benefit Florida’s economy. It deserves Floridians support.
Manley Fuller is president of the Florida Wildlife Federation. Jan Goldman-Carter is senior manager, wetlands and water resources, at the National Wildlife Federation.

140907-e
Politics moved Nixon, but Fla. reaped environmental benefits
Orlando Sentinel - by James C. Clark, Guest columnist, a lecturer in the University of Central Florida History Department
September 7, 2014
Yes, yes, there were the high crimes and misdemeanors, the rampant paranoia, the bigotry, the dirty tricks, the questionable mental balance, and of course that break-in.
And just in case anyone is inclined to forget any of these things, there are anniversaries to remind us just how bad Richard Nixon was. There is the anniversary of the Watergate burglary in June, the resignation anniversary in August, and the pardon anniversary in September.
And in case we overlook any of these anniversaries, there is always journalist Bob Woodward popping up to remind us, and what would an anniversary be without a new book from former Nixon aide John Dean?
This year, it is the 40th anniversary, and once again the angry mob has gathered with torches to denounce Nixon.
But as we gather, let's pause a moment to remember one overlooked fact about Richard Nixon: He was Florida's greatest president, the man who protected us from ourselves, saved the aquifer and the Everglades and made Florida a leader in the burgeoning environmental movement.
In the late 1960s, the Dade County Port Authority secretly began buying land in the Everglades to build an airport, and a city with thousands of homes and businesses. Known as a jetport, it would have been the world's largest airport. It also had the ability to destroy the water-recharge area South Florida desperately needed.
The authority moved quickly, breaking ground with Gov. Claude Kirk turning a ceremonial shovel of dirt.
As historian Jack Davis found, opponents of the jetport were badly outnumbered, but had a friend in Nathaniel Reed, Kirk's assistant for the environment.
Kirk was a strong jetport supporter. His transportation secretary, Michael O'Neil, failed to see any link between South Florida's water supply and the Everglades. O'Neil said, "I call the Everglades a swamp. My children can't play in it."
In Washington, there was increasing criticism of the jetport, but the Nixon administration was divided. The Transportation Department and the Army Corps of Engineers supported the project, while the Interior Department was opposed. Nixon supported an Interior Department study and ordered work on the jetport halted on Sept. 17, 1969. The jetport died and the Everglades lived.
But the jetport was not just a one-time save for Nixon and Florida's environment. The dream of building a canal across Florida began with the Spanish in the 1500s. Once Florida became part of the United States, there were attempts to make the canal a reality. Beginning with Andrew Jackson, and continuing with Franklin Roosevelt and John Kennedy, a number of presidents offered various levels of support for a canal. But it was Lyndon Johnson who pushed a symbolic button to begin construction in earnest. It had the backing of the Army Corps of Engineers, Florida's business establishment and the state's leading Republicans, Kirk and Congressman William Cramer.
But it drew increasing opposition from environmentalists who thought digging a canal would harm the aquifer by allowing seawater to flood in.
On Jan. 19, 1971, Nixon killed the Cross Florida Barge Canal, then almost reversed course. Historians Steve Noll and David Tegeder wrote that under pressure from his best friend, Bebe Rebozo, Nixon told aides to overturn the decision, then reversed course again and stuck by his original decision. He anticipated the damage it would cause him among the Jacksonville business interests. "Too bad," he joked with his aides. "Jacksonville was a great town." Nixon's executive order was challenged, and it would be 20 more years before the canal was finally put to rest.
It would be great to say that Nixon had acted solely out of concern for the environment, but like everything else he did, politics was at the heart of his decision. He saw the canal as a program of the Democrats, going back to Andrew Jackson.
Nixon also started the Environmental Protection Agency, and he named Florida environmentalist Reed as assistant secretary of the Interior Department, giving Florida environmentalists a strong voice in Washington.
So, if your plans for marking the 40th anniversary of Richard Nixon's pardon on Monday include drinking a glass of water, or taking a shower, perhaps you should remember Nixon a bit more kindly.

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Red tide bloom moves closer to Pinellas
TBNweekly.com – by Suzette Porter
September 6, 2014
Congressman David Jolly asks NOAA for help.
Fish kills at Honeymoon Island and respiratory irritation at Anclote Key, Honeymoon Island and Three Rook Island are signs that a red tide bloom is moving closer to Pinellas County.
“The bloom is within six miles if not closer,” Alina Corcoran, a researcher at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Institute in St. Petersburg, confirmed Friday afternoon.
Reports of dead fish washing ashore on Honeymoon Island started coming in over the Labor Day weekend. Brandon Basino, spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute in St. Petersburg, said an estimated 100 or so fish were found along the beach. But, most of the dead fish were species that live in deeper water, leaving researchers to believe that they may have died offshore and then washed onshore due to winds and waves.
However, if dead fish are being washed ashore, so is the red tide, Corcoran added.
Fish kills have been occurring offshore in the bloom area due to low oxygen in bottom waters for weeks, according recent red tide reports from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Satellite photos from the Optical Oceanography Laboratory at the University of South Florida show that the bloom has moved to about 5 to 15 miles offshore northern Pinellas.
FWC has been monitoring the large patchy bloom in the northeast Gulf of Mexico since July. Early on, scientists thought it would move rather quickly, Corcoran said.
“But the currents slowed it down, and it has been creeping south and toward shore for the last two months,” she said.
The surface bloom now stretches offshore from Dixie County all the way to northern Pinellas. And it is likely to continue moving closer to Pinellas, Corcoran said.
How soon is still unknown. The latest forecast from the Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides shows little movement of the bloom for the next three days. Three days is the maximum forecast time available to researchers for red tide, Corcoran explained. Movement is mostly dependent on winds and currents. The organism itself can’t swim more than about 2 feet a day.
“It is hard to predict where it might go,” Corcoran said.
Corcoran explained that Pinellas is a little more vulnerable than other counties.
“The shoreline is closer to the bloom because Pinellas County sticks out (into the Gulf of Mexico),” she said.
She added that because the bloom is patchy, some county beaches might escape its effects. However, she also said there is a “decent chance” the bloom will affect the others.
Research is ongoing to try to develop better models to predict behavior of a bloom based on how the red tide organism interacts with the water column, the effect of nutrients, sunlight, rain and other factors, Corcoran said.
Corcoran explained that dealing with red tide was a difficult challenge. Trying to disperse the bloom would cause it to release its toxins, making a bigger problem. Other potential solutions also have been found lacking. More funding is needed for red tide research, she said.
Congressman David Jolly is working on that. He wrote a letter Aug. 28 to the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Kathryn Sullivan asking for more resources to fight the current red tide outbreak.
He related his concern about the outbreak and asked Sullivan for details on NOAA’s plan to mitigate current and future red tide events.
“Pinellas County is home to a large and diverse economy that is based on the marine environment,” Jolly said in his letter. “The last major red tide bloom in 2005 had significant impact on our fisheries, the marine recreation industry, the local tourism industry and the quality of life of all Pinellas County residents. The current bloom has the potential to affect our economy in much the same way as the 2005 event.”
Jolly took a boat ride to look for red tide in the Gulf of Mexico Sept. 4 on the Gulfstream II, a charter-fishing vessel.
“The great news is we did not see any red tide, but we must continue to push for expanded research so we can learn if there are ways to better monitor blooms and better predict where they are going once they form,” Jolly said via email on Friday. “My intent as we begin this next budget cycle is to work very hard and make a very aggressive push for additional research dollars for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.”
As of Friday night, NOAA had not responded to Jolly’s letter, said Preston Rudie, Jolly’s communications director.
About red tide
There are about 50 species of red tide in Florida. But only one, Karenia brevis, Florida red tide, produces brevetoxins, which is the cause of respiratory irritation, fish kills and other problems, Corcoran said. K. brevis is found almost exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico from Mexico to Florida, according to information found on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s website, myfwc.com/research/redtide.
K. brevis is a single-celled organism belonging to a group of algae called dinoflagellates. Large concentrations of these cells can discolor water red to brown. It is a naturally occurring alga. References are found in Spanish explorer’s logs dating back to the 1400s, Corcoran said. Red tide was documented in the southern Gulf of Mexico as far back as the 1700s and along Florida's Gulf coast in the 1840s.
The brevetoxins can affect the central nervous system of fish and other vertebrates, causing these animals to die, FWC says. Wave action causes the release of the toxins into the air, which leads to respiratory irritation.
It’s common to find K. brevis in local waters at background concentrations, less than 1,000 cells per liter, Corcoran said. At very low concentrations, 1,000 to 10,000 cells per liter, respiratory irritation is possible and officials could choose to shutdown shellfish harvesting. At low concentrations, 10,000 to 100,000 cells per liter, respiratory irritation is more probable and fish kills are likely. As concentrations increase, so does the probability of fish kills, respiratory irritation and other problems, such as the death of other marine animals.
Each species of red tide has its own threshold of when concentration levels are considered a bloom. For K. brevis, it is about 5,000 cells per liter, Corcoran said. Bloom concentrations have been found offshore between Citrus and Pinellas counties in surface and bottom waters.
FWC’s Sept. 5 report shows one water sample collected 7.3 miles west of Anclote Key with medium concentrations of K. brevis. A sample taken from surface waters 19 miles west of Anclote Key had low concentrations, as did a sample taken 6.7 miles west of Clearwater Beach. A fourth sample taken from bottom waters 19 miles west of Anclote Keys showed very low concentrations.
Background concentrations were found in a sample taken alongshore/inshore at Clearwater Pass. K. brevis was not found in samples from Redington Pier, Mullet Key or Boca Ciega Bay.
Water samples are collected weekly. Another full report is expected Sept. 12.
Public safety
“As red tide blooms approach coastal areas, breaking waves can cause their toxins to become mixed with airborne sea spray,” according to information at the Florida Department of Health’s website, www.floridahealth.gov. “People in coastal areas can experience varying degrees of eye, nose, and throat irritation. When a person leaves an area with a red tide, symptoms usually go away. People with severe or chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic lung disease are cautioned to avoid areas with active red tides.”
Symptoms of breathing red tide toxins include coughing, sneezing and teary eyes. The health department says wearing a particle filter mask and the use of over-the-counter antihistamines may lessen the effects. Toxins are less prevalent when the wind is blowing offshore.
People who believe they are suffering from the effects of red tide can call the Florida Poison Information Center’s toll free hotline at 1-800-222-1222. It is staffed 24/7 by medical professionals. If symptoms are severe, the health department urges the public to call their local doctor.
The health department also cautions the public not to eat shellfish, such as clams, oyster and coquinas harvested from areas with active red tide blooms. These shellfish are filter feeders that can concentrate the toxins. Eating contaminated shellfish can cause food poisoning, known as Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning.
“Scallops can be consumed if only the scallop muscle is eaten,” the health department says. “Scallop stew, using the whole animal including guts, should not be eaten. Seafood, also commonly called shellfish such as crabs, shrimp, and lobster can be eaten because they do not concentrate the toxin.”
Finfish caught live and healthy can be eaten if filleted.
Do not eat or allow pets to eat dead or distressed fish that may have been affected by red tide.
Fish kills should be reported to FWC by calling 1-800-636-0511.
Related Stories: • Red tide bloom moves closer to Pinellas
Fish kills reported at Honeymoon Island
No red tide bloom found in Pinellas
Red tide bloom still 20 miles offshore
No red tide found onshore in Pinellas

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Sunlight on shady sugar men
PensacolaNewsJ. – by Andy Marlette
September 6, 2014
Wanna know the one guy who might annoy state Republicans more than Charlie Crist ? Craig Pittman, that pesky, watchdog reporter for the Tampa Bay Times (who once worked here at the PNJ, by the way). Bit by bit, his reporting is giving Floridians the impression that there may be sweet, secret deals between big-time polluters of Florida’s wetlands (like U.S. Sugar) and the noble stewards of Florida’s government (like the state’s top Republicans).
This is far worse than the unconfirmed Internet rumors that Adam Putnam goes by the nickname “Sugar Cookie” when he exchanges nude selfies with sugar industry executives. Because Pittman’s narrative is actually based on facts.
His latest story details U.S. Sugar’s plans for a sprawling development on “67 square miles of sugar land southwest of Lake Okeechobee” that has been deemed environmentally crucial to Everglades restoration. Pittman says it would “plop down 18,000 homes and 25 million square feet of stores, offices, warehouses and other commercial buildings amid the rural landscape.” Yeah, that’s how Florida should diversify — more strip malls, pawn shops and Chinese drywall.
At one point, our state was on track to buy the land and let overflow from Lake Okeechobee run South. It’s the way the Everglade’s purifying water once moved — naturally. And natural water flow is what we need more of ASAP, given a looming state water crisis.
The good news is the South Florida Water Management District holds an option to acquire 100 percent of U.S. Sugar's land by 2020. The bad news is if the sprawl plans are approved, taxpayers’ purchase price gets way more expensive.
This is far worse than the unconfirmed Internet rumors that Gov. Rick Scott once twerked and performed a karaoke version of Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me” while lobbyists made it rain dollar bills.
Because as Pittman revealed in previous reporting, Scott, Putnam, Weatherford and company have been sneaking off on secret hunting trips to the legendary “Big Ranch” in Texas. At least 20 of such trips had all expenses laundered… I mean… paid for by U.S. Sugar, to the GOP. The men will not discuss those trips — a ritual known as “Brokeback Politics.” The stars at night may be big and bright when politicians cuddle up with corporate bigwigs, but alas, what happens in Texas stays in Texas.
It’s all worse than the unconfirmed Internet rumor that lobbyists replace salt with sugar to do body shots off the bare midriffs of legislators in Tallahassee.
Because with all the sugary secrets Pittman keeps digging up, one fact is certain: We Floridians are about to get the short end of the stick.

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Former Florida Gov. Bob Graham holds forum on lake, river conservation
Independent FL Alligator – by Ariana Figueroa, Writer
September 5, 2014
Former U.S. Sen. and Florida Gov. Bob Graham discussed the benefits of voting for the Florida Water and Land Conservation Amendment on Thursday.
At the public forum in Pugh Hall, Graham and David Hart, vice president of governmental affairs and political operations from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, debated the pros and cons of passing the constitutional amendment, which would provide funding to protect and manage conservation lands.
Amendment 1 would create a legacy for preserving rivers, lakes and springs for the future, Graham said at the forum.
"The amendment would be the key to protecting Florida’s water supply," he said.
Attendees also contributed to the discussion by asking questions to both panelists.
If another recession were to hit, the government would have to cut funding elsewhere, Hart said.
"We don’t want our beaches looking like Coney Island on the Fourth of July," Graham said.
Voters will be able to vote on the amendment this November.
Jenna Goldman, a 21-year-old UF history and political science senior, said she was still in favor of Amendment 1 after the debate.
"Knowing that we’ll always have money going toward the environment in Florida is really important," she said.

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Permit issued for St. Lucie Inlet dredging
DredgingToday.com
September 5, 2014
Martin County has been granted a draft permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for periodic maintenance dredging of the St. Lucie Inlet.
This will allow the County to continue maintaining the impoundment basin and navigation channel of the Inlet and bypass the sand onto beaches in the county both north and south of the project area.
Dredging will continue to be conducted in accordance with the State approved Inlet Management Plan, based on need and available funding. The timing of the permit is critical, as Martin County will remain eligible to apply for funding for the inlet dredging project through the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND).
The permit also gives the County the ability to respond to any emergency conditions or natural disasters that could negatively impact the inlet, a critical need in the aftermath of a hurricane or other severe storm activity.
The St. Lucie Inlet is vital to Martin County both environmentally and economically. The Inlet serves an essential environmental function, flushing water discharged from Lake Okeechobee via the St. Lucie Canal into the Atlantic Ocean.
It is also one of the richest and most diverse estuaries in North America. The inlet is where the exchange of fresh and salt water occurs, providing essential habitat for estuarine and marine fish nurseries.
From an economic standpoint, the St. Lucie waterways provide approximately $362 million in annual sales, $123 million in personal income, and $588 million in property values. One out of every 10 jobs in Martin County is marine related.
The permit provides for a 14-day comment period by persons with substantial interest in the project. Should any substantive objection to the permit be made, it could not only derail the opportunity for funding through FIND, but it could also leave Martin County unable to respond to any impact from natural disasters on the Inlet as the peak of hurricane season approaches.
The County continues to work with other government agencies and local partners, as it has for years, to implement a portion of the state’s 1995 Inlet Management Plan and continues to do so as both the Inlet Plan and permit are updated.

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U.S. Sugar plans development on land Florida wanted for Everglades restoration
Tampa Bay Times – by Craig Pittman
September 5, 2014 2:27pm
For the past two years, as its executives were taking Florida politicians on secret hunting trips to the King Ranch in Texas, U.S. Sugar was planning for a massive change in its business plan.
The company, which has been growing and processing sugar cane in South Florida since the 1930s, has mapped out a way to turn itself into one of Florida's biggest developers.
On 67 square miles of sugar land southwest of Lake Okeechobee in Hendry County, U.S. Sugar and Hilliard Brothers of Florida, another sugar company with adjoining property, have joined forces on a project that would plop down 18,000 homes and 25 million square feet of stores, offices, warehouses and other commercial buildings amid the rural landscape.
But the land that U.S. Sugar wants to designate for development is the same land that Florida officials have an option to buy for Everglades restoration. If the sugar companies' development plan is approved, that land would be worth a lot more — making it more expensive for the state to purchase.
"It's good for business, but bad for taxpayers," said David Crawford of the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council.
U.S. Sugar says this is not a problem, because it's not inclined to develop its land any time soon — only if the market dictates such development would be worthwhile. If approved, the plan could be developed anytime before 2060, but some land would remain designated for agriculture, the company said.
"U.S. Sugar is not getting out of agriculture, now nor in the foreseeable future," company spokeswoman Judy Sanchez said. "What we are doing is making good long-range planning decisions for our business and providing good long-range economic opportunity and job creation for Hendry County."
U.S. Sugar and Hilliard Brothers aren't the only sugar companies eyeing a future in land development in Hendry County.
In land-use planning parlance, their proposal is called a "sector plan,'' which requires a simpler approval process than the more involved "development of regional impact.'' But environmentalists say such a major plan would reverberate beyond economically depressed Hendry County.
Texas-based King Ranch, the largest member of the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, came up with its own 23,000-acre sector plan two years ago, calling for nearly 23,000 homes, plus hotels, offices, stores and warehouses. That plan was approved this year.
The difference between the two is that the U.S. Sugar land was deemed important to the future of Everglades restoration.
The South Florida Water Management District holds an option to acquire 100 percent of U.S. Sugar's land through October 2020. The water district, a state agency, also has an option to acquire only 47,000 acres that expires in October 2015.
At this point, water district spokesman Randy Smith said, the U.S. Sugar bid for a Hendry County development plan does not affect the state's option to buy the same property. As for the higher price tag, Smith said, "the district doesn't speculate on future land costs."
The option to buy is a legacy of what once seemed the biggest Everglades land deal ever.
In 2008, a judge ruled that the sugar industry's long-standing practice of dumping polluted water into Lake Okeechobee was illegal and a state agency voted to forbid the practice. U.S. Sugar lobbyists went to see then-Gov. Charlie Crist seeking his help.
Crist proposed the state buy all the company's 187,000 acres and various assets and use it for Everglades restoration projects. But in 2010, amid the economic meltdown, the state bought just 26,800 acres from U.S. Sugar for $197 million, with an option to buy the rest later.
Recently the idea of buying that land has cropped up again as a solution to a long-standing problem with Lake Okeechobee.
Whenever the lake's water level reaches a certain high point, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases some of it along a pair of canals that carry the polluted water to estuaries on the gulf coast and the Atlantic coast. Invariably those releases cause algae blooms, fish kills and other woes that are bad for the tourism and fishing industries.
Instead of dumping that water to the east and west, coastal residents and environmental activists have called for the state to buy the remaining sugar land and use it to route the water south, as it flowed when the Everglades operated naturally.
The state has not pursued that solution.
In 2011, a year after the state purchased some of its land, U.S. Sugar bought a hunting lease on the famous King Ranch in Texas from Joe Marlin Hilliard Sr., who has helped run family-owned Hilliard Brothers since 1961.
Sugar executives began inviting Florida politicians for hunting trips there. Among those who have attended: Gov. Rick Scott, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, House Speaker Will Weatherford and Speaker-designate Steve Crisafulli.
A Times/Herald analysis of campaign records found that since late 2011, U.S. Sugar paid more than $95,000 to the Republican Party of Florida for at least 20 weekend trips — destinations unspecified on public documents — within days of more than a dozen Florida politicians registering for Texas hunting licenses.
Additionally, during the 2014 election cycle, U.S. Sugar and its officers, lobbyists and corporate entities have contributed $2.2 million to Republican state candidates, and $132,000 to Democrats.
But U.S. Sugar, Republican Party officials and the politicians who took the trips have all been reluctant to say anything about the hunting trips, which were not mentioned in Scott's or Putnam's official schedules, nor disclosed under the King Ranch name in RPOF documents.
This silence foreclosed any scrutiny of whether the sugar industry is using these trips to influence decisions on such issues as the future of the Everglades or state water policy.
A year after buying its hunting lease, U.S. Sugar began working on its development plan. Sanchez said company officials did not discuss its development plan with any of those elected officials who took the trips.
"I'm sure we probably talked to some of our local (elected) folks, but not the folks you're thinking of," she said.
She said they did not coordinate the plan with officials from King Ranch. The vice president in charge of King Ranch's Florida lands is Mitch Hutchcraft, whom Gov. Scott appointed to the South Florida Water Management District governing board a month after Scott's trip to King Ranch. Hutchcraft would not discuss his company's plans, instead repeatedly referring a reporter to the documents the company filed.
When asked if he had met with Scott during the governor's hunting trip, Hutchcraft said, "You have a good day now."
Scott has also refused to say whether he met Hutchcraft at King Ranch.
U.S. Sugar's Sanchez said the development plan was a response to repeated requests by Hendry County officials for projects that would diversify and revive the local economy. Sugar is such a mainstay that the county seat of Clewiston is known as "America's Sweetest City."
Five years after the official end of the recession, Hendry remains the only one of Florida's 67 counties that struggles with double-digit unemployment.
So far the U.S. Sugar sector plan has had smooth sailing. When the Hendry County Commission was scheduled to vote on it in late August, three environmental activists stood up to protest making this major change in such an important landscape. The commissioners voted unanimously to approve it.
"It was all over in about 15 minutes," said Cris Costello of the Sierra Club. "I was astounded. There was no discussion."
Sector plans such as this one must also be approved by the state Department of Environmental Opportunity. So far the agency, which during Scott's administration replaced the less business-friendly Department of Community Affairs, has not rejected a single sector plan.
To Crawford of the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council, though, putting so much development on the drawing board for the future is "totally unnecessary," There's already more than enough development planned to accommodate future growth, he said.
He also contended grafting plans like this one onto existing county plans for future growth will lead to urban sprawl, while shutting down objections from surrounding counties that will face more demands on their roads, water and other resources.
"The way things are going," he said, "we won't have any place left to plant food because we've paved over it."

140904-
Dirty water politics
Ocala.com - Editorial
September 4, 2014
A proposed rule that would clarify what bodies of water fall under federal regulation has created a political firestorm here in Florida, pitting dozens of environmental groups against a powerful coalition of big business, big agriculture and conservative politicians.
The idea originally was to bring clarity to what waters and wetlands fall under Environmental Protection Agency purview, as ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress. But so far, the only thing that is clear is that the opposition, led by Congressman Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, are more concerned about protecting big business and agriculture interests than protecting our state's steadily deteriorating rivers, lakes and springs. Southerland has introduced a bill in Congress, disingenuously named the "Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act," or H.R. 5078, that would virtually strip the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of any authority over Florida waterways and wetlands. Instead, Southerland would hand that power to the states.
"Florida can better regulate its water than bureaucrats in D.C.," Southerland said at a news conference last month in Tallahassee, with Putnam at his side.
The congressman and commissioner cannot expect anyone to take that statement seriously. Certainly even they know that Florida's waters are increasingly polluted from Pensacola to the Everglades, with our own Silver Springs serving as ground zero for a growing citizen-led water-quality movement.
The fact is, the proposed rule is not a "power grab" nor would it include "puddles and ditches to farmland ponds" as Southerland claims in his own verbal overreach.
In fact, EPA officials say the rule clarification would change very little in terms of current regulation of farms, forestry or development.
Yet, not only does Southerland's bill seek to strip the EPA and the Corps of regulatory authority, it would shut off all public comment on the rule.
Even more curious is why Marion County's own congressional representatives, Republicans Rich Nugent and Ted Yoho, are co-sponsoring this misguided and reckless legislation.
Southerland's and Putnam's credibility on this issue, not to mention Gov. Rick Scott's, is questionable at best, considering all three were exposed last month for going on a hunting trip to the King Ranch in Texas that was hosted and at least partially paid for by Big Sugar, arguably the biggest of Florida's corporate polluters. The state's recent track record on water — slashed water-management budgets, relaxed water standards, lax enforcement and declining water quality and supply — hardly gives us reason to trust Florida's leaders to do right by our wetlands and waterways. And besides, the U.S.. Corps that regulates wetlands development in Florida is located in Jacksonville, not D.C., and is staffed by Floridians.
Putnam, Nugent and Yoho should be embarrassed to be carrying water for some of Florida's biggest polluters. They should be working, instead, to clean up our endangered waterways, like Silver and Rainbow springs, and to stop the steady depletion of our aquifer. That would be in the best interests of their constituents and their state. Yet, they seem more interested in serving their biggest donors than addressing Florida's biggest environmental problem. Go figure.

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Tom STEYER

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California environmentalist puts money behind anti-Gov. Rick Scott ads
Orlando Weekly - by Dara Kam and Brandon Larrabee
September 3, 2014
Political committee linked with West coast tycoon Tom Steyer takes to TV to target climate-change skeptics.
A political committee linked with California tycoon Tom Steyer unleashed its fifth television ad attacking Gov. Rick Scott this week. Steyer has pledged to spend plenty of green – $50 million in seven states, including $10 million in Florida – targeting climate-change skeptics like Scott.
When asked about global warming recently, Scott told reporters, “I’m not a scientist.”
Steyer and enviros are hoping to make global warming a wedge issue in the November elections, something that could give Democratic nominee Charlie Crist a boost.
One ad links the governor to Duke Energy Florida customers being forced to pay higher fees to underwrite a never-built nuclear power plant. The Republican Party of Florida countered with its own ad accusing Crist of signing the “nuclear cost recovery” law, but Jeb Bush was actually governor when the 2006 law went into effect.
The latest attack highlights stories by the Tampa Bay Times revealing a secret hunting trip Scott took last year to King Ranch in Texas. Scott later appointed Mitch Hutchcraft to a spot on the board overseeing the Everglades restoration project. Hutchcraft works for King Ranch, a major player in Florida’s citrus and sugar industries.
“What was Rick Scott really hunting for in Texas ? Campaign cash from the sugar industry,” a voiceover says while a rifle targets – and blasts – a stack of money. “The same industry that got a massive bailout from Rick Scott, sticking taxpayers with the bill for cleaning up Big Sugar’s water pollution. Rick Scott: sweet deals for the powerful few – not you.”
Scott and supporters have taken nearly $750,000 in campaign contributions from Big Sugar, the ad proclaims. The ads are paid for by NextGen Climate Action Committee Florida, which has thus far collected more than $1.8 million in contributions, almost exclusively from other committees affiliated with Steyer, a hedge-fund manager and philanthropist.
The spots don’t mention Crist, who, as Florida’s Republican governor from 2007 to 2011, pushed policies aimed at reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. After taking office, Crist convened a two-day energy summit in Miami, attended by then-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The event earned private rebukes from Republicans.
Crist himself was once the sweetheart of Big Sugar. As governor, he struck a deal with U.S. Sugar to pay $1.75 billion to purchase land considered critical to cleaning up the troubled ‘Glades. As the state’s economy tanked, so did the deal. In the end, the state purchased just 73,000 acres – a fraction of the original 187,000-acre plan – for about $500 million

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Comment period extended for Central Everglades plan
Palm Beach Post - by Christine Stapleton, Staff Writer
September 3, 2014
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has extended the deadline to comment on the revised final report for the Central Everglades Planning Project from Sept. 8 to Oct. 3.
The goal of CEPP is to restore the central and southern Everglades and Florida Bay by redirecting water south from Lake Okeechobee and Central Florida instead of sending it east through the St. Lucie Estuary, Caloosahatchee River and canals. The Corps is conducting this planning effort with the South Florida Water Management District.
Comments and responses during the ongoing review period will be considered and incorporated into the final report, which based on the current timeline is expected to be presented to Congress this fall.
Supporters missed the window to get the plan included in the $12.3 billion Water Resources Development Act approved by Congress this summer and now are working to get it included in the next water authorization bill, which could come up as early as 2016.
This year’s water authorization bill does include language that would allow the water management district to start CEPP without federal funding and seek reimbursement later.
The CEPP report is available on the project’s Web page at: www.bit.ly/CentralEverglades_CEPP. Comments can be submitted electronically to: CEPPcomments@usace.army.mil or mailed to: Dr. Gretchen Ehlinger, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019.

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Opposition mounts to proposed EPA rule
HighlandsToday - by John Buchanan
September 3, 2014
A coalition of agricultural organizations, farmers, ranchers, and a key member of the Florida Congressional delegation has come together to strongly oppose a proposed new rule from U.S. Environment Protection Agency that could have serious negative implications for land use. Last April, EPA and the U.S. Corps of Engineers published in the Federal Register a proposed new rule on the regulatory definition of the term “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, American Farm Bureau, and Rep. Steve Southerland are leading the fight against the new regulation proposed in an 11,000-page document that defines what types of waterways the Clean Water Act regulates. “This issue specifically deals with the question of what are the boundaries of the federal government’s authority to exert its control over waters that exist on the landscape?” said Rich Budell, FDACS’s director of agricultural water policy. The critical issue, Budell said, is what will be defined as a “navigable waterway.” Under the proposed rule, a ditch that has accumulated rain water will, in effect, be defined as a waterway that falls under federal regulation. “We are concerned that EPA is exerting authority over drainage features that no one would normally think of as ‘navigable waters,’” Budell said. “We’re talking about ditches, isolated wetlands and low-lying areas that occasionally provide flow to larger water systems.” Don Parrish, senior director of regulatory relations at American Farm Bureau in Washington, D.C., agreed with Budell’s assessment and shared his concern. At issue are two prior U.S. Supreme Court rulings that narrowed federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. Budell and Parrish say EPA does not have the authority it claims. “In the Clean Water Act, Congress used the term ‘navigable’ for a reason,” Parrish said. “Even though they intended for EPA to give that term broad meaning, they didn’t intend for it to provide no limit whatsoever to their authority. And we see this effort as an end-run by EPA around the two Supreme Court rulings and Congress.” The potential implications of the proposed new rule for farmers and ranchers could be severe, Parrish said. It could mean that ordinary field work, fence construction and even planting could require a federal permit. The result will be a wave of new regulations or outright prohibition of routine farming practices, ranching and forestry. Parrish said AFB is particularly concerned about the impact on small farmers and ranchers. “They are the ones most vulnerable to this, because it could mean they would have to give up the use of their land as a result of this,” he said. “And we’re not just talking about people that conventionally farm fruits and vegetables, but we’re also talking about people that operate a small greenhouse.” The reason: If EPA can extend its regulatory reach beyond navigable waterways and require permits, which could cost at least $30,000 for a general permit and as much $100,000 for an individual one, many small farmers and ranchers will not be able to afford the permits, Parrish said. “But they also will not want to run the risk of violating the law, because there are criminal and civil penalties are being contemplated.” Meanwhile, the proposed new rule is gaining support from environmental groups. Last month, the Florida Conservation Coalition, which includes more than 50 groups and individuals and was founded and is chaired by former governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham, encouraged public support in Florida. U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland II, a consistent champion of Florida agriculture, is leading Congressional opposition to the proposed rule. He has introduced a Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act (HR 5078) that would prohibit implementation of the new rule. Southerland’s bill is endorsed by more than 40 national organizations and has earned the bipartisan support of more than 120 cosponsors in the House of Representatives. “I’m proud of the tremendous support our legislation has generated because it’s common sense, bipartisan and the right thing to do for Florida’s farmers, growers and ranchers,” Southerland said. “ It ensures that hardworking men and women in agriculture aren’t crushed by regulatory overreach, while preserving the successful federal-state partnership that has made our water cleaner for 40 years. That’s a win for everyone, except maybe the folks in the Obama administration trying to expand their power.” Southerland, Parrish and Budell encouraged Florida farmers and ranchers to make their voices heard during the public comment period now open. It closes Oct. 20. “It’s important for anyone involved in agriculture and everyone else involved in land use and development to be engaged in this process,” Budell said.

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State's invested in Florida's natural beauty
Daytona Bch.News Journal – by Steve Crisafulli
September 3, 2014
We are blessed to live in a state abundant in environmental riches, including more than 600 miles of beautiful beaches, over 900 freshwater springs, more than 11 million acres of wetlands and our own national treasure, the Florida Everglades.
Our waterways and natural spaces are not just objects of beauty but foundational to the health of our two “ecos” — Florida's ecosystem and Florida's economy.
It has been an honor to advance policies and support funding initiatives to help protect and preserve our environment. Recent reports by the Tampa Bay Times have distorted the Legislature's record on these issues, particularly the landmark Everglades bill that passed in 2013.
I write to provide readers with an alternative view based on actions that can be independently verified. By doing so, it is my hope that Floridians will gain a better understanding of our record of service and commitment to protecting our state's natural resources.
For the past two years, the Legislature has increased funding for the Florida Forever program. In fiscal year 2013-14, we provided $81.8 million, representing a 90 percent increase over 2012-13. This year, we added another $57.5 million. The conservation land funds provide money for natural spring protection, military buffering, water resource protection and targeted land acquisitions.
We also made the first significant dedicated investment to restore our freshwater springs. We provided more than $40 million, along with tens of millions of local matching dollars secured by the state's Department of Environmental Protection, to help address nutrient pollution.
Over the past two years, we also provided over $148 million for local water projects. In addition, our last two budgets directed funding for beaches, including $84.8 million toward financial assistance to local governments for beach and dune restoration, beach nourishment, inlet sand bypassing, regional sediment management and other such innovative projects.
We have invested $32 million toward repairs and renovations to state park facilities, $10.5 million to restore the St. Johns River ecosystem, $4 million for water quality restoration projects in the Apalachicola Bay estuary, and more than $750,000 for oyster shelling and research to help that industry's recovery.
Finally, we have made policy decisions and invested significant state dollars to benefit the Florida Everglades. In the last two budgets, we have invested $205 million toward Everglades restoration and will provide funding for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, Northern Everglades, and Estuaries Protection Program, including an additional $11 million for innovative nutrient reduction projects to help restore the Northern Everglades, Lake Okeechobee, and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.
It is not just funding. In 2013, the Legislature passed a historic Everglades restoration bill that was supported by every Republican and Democratic member of the House and Senate. Everglades Foundation CEO Erik Eikenberg heralded it as a bill that “provides funding for construction projects to ensure water quality standards in the Everglades are finally achieved. These projects will bring needed jobs to Florida and when completed will treat polluted water before it further destroys America's Everglades.”
Also supportive of the bill was Audubon Florida. Executive Director Eric Draper joined Gov. Rick Scott, legislators, farmers and other Floridians to celebrate the signing of the bill into law. Such broad and diverse support could not have happened without a singular focus on doing what is best for the state. It is significant to note that Florida would be able to realize hundreds of millions more if Washington would follow our lead and work in a bipartisan manner to fulfill its commitment to protect our River of Grass.
These focused efforts will yield measurable results to the quality and sustainability of our environment and sensitive water bodies. But our work is nowhere near done. In cooperation with Senate President-designate Andy Gardiner, we will continue our focus on strategic statewide water and land funding initiatives in the upcoming legislative sessions.
My interest in our environment is rooted in a wonderful family heritage. I was born and raised in Florida. I work the same farm that my father and his father worked. Six generations of my family before me loved this state enough to live here, work here and raise their families here. It's why I stayed in Florida to raise my family, too. As the beneficiary of their stewardship and dedication, I am committed to help this and future generations enjoy this state in its natural splendor. Florida deserves no less.
Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, is a seventh-generation Floridian. He will serve as speaker of the House for the 2015-16 legislative session. Column courtesy of Context Florida
Related:           Rep. Crisafulli: Legislature committed to protecting environment    Florida Today

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George Sheldon’s new committee seeks Common Ground in solving Florida’s problems
Saint PetersBlog.com - by James Call
September 2, 2014
When announcing formation of a political fundraising committee for his Attorney General campaign, George Sheldon also outlined his attack on incumbent Pam Bondi.
“People have gotten very frustrated that government just doesn’t work,” Sheldon said at a Tallahassee news conference where former Attorney General Bob Butterworth and Corrections Secretary Walt McNeil were introduced as chairs of Sheldon’s Floridians Seeking Common Ground political action committee.
“But I think on both sides of the aisle there are very moderate people who want to bring us back together again,” said Sheldon.
And in an attempt to appeal to moderates, Sheldon is using the solid reputations of both Butterworth and McNeil, who is now the chief of police for the City of Quincy, west of Tallahassee. The two will vouch for where Sheldon gets his campaign money and how he will spend it.
“He’s going to be transparent about it,” said McNeil. “The idea is for citizens to understand how the money is being spent.”
Sheldon ended the primary with about $70,000 in the bank. Bondi and committees supporting her have about $3 million on hand.
Bondi is well-known in conservative circles due to her defense of Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage and her campaign against President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Sheldon intends to make her involvement in court cases outside of Florida an issue.
He suggests she lacks the proper focus to be the people’s Attorney General.
“She has intervened in every national philosophical debate, knowing full well that her intervention will have nothing to do with the outcome. Whether that is opposing the cleanup of Chesapeake Bay –  What about the Everglades? –  or getting involved in the Hobby Lobby case, trying to prevent contraception being accessible to working women, or the marriage equality cases, over 25 courts in this country, federal and state, have thrown out those bans,” said Sheldon.
“Those are the kinds of things I think she wants to highlight, and I’m willing to talk about them,” said Sheldon.
Sheldon’s Common Ground committee will reach out to environmental, women and marriage equality groups around the country for support.
“They are very concerned about Florida – Florida is the bellwether,” said Sheldon.
Trey Stapleton, Bondi’s campaign spokesman responded to Sheldon’s comments.
“While our opponent, an Obama D.C. insider, is focused on launching the same old, tired, political attacks, Attorney General Bondi will continue to talk directly to voters across the state about her record of shutting down pill mills, taking synthetic drugs off the shelves, fighting human trafficking, providing consumer relief for Floridians, cracking down on Medicaid fraud and how our citizens can continue to work together to make our state the safest place to live, work and raise a family,” said Stapleton
Bondi challenged Sheldon to a debate the night he won the Democratic nomination to face her in November. Sheldon responded with a call for five debates. It is unclear if and how many times the two will meet. The campaigns are working out details.

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Hydrilla nuisance rises in Lake Eufaula
DothanEagle.com – by Tiffiny Woo
September 2, 2014
Many boaters on Lake Eufaula may notice what seems like a rise in hydrilla nuisance.
Corps of Engineers lake manager Bill Smallwood says they expect to receive more complaints about hydrilla growing around public use areas and private boat docks this time of year. They faced a similar situation this time last year, as well.
“At that time, we had two options,” says Smallwood, “either make plans to re-stock grass carp or wait and see if Mother Nature would help us out over the winter.”
Plentiful rain and high water during the winter slowed the re-growth of aquatic weeds in the spring and summer, but Smallwood says it didn’t eliminate hydrilla in large areas.
“As a result, it’s now covering the water surface in many areas (of the lake),” says Smallwood. He also notes that this problem has also been evident to a larger degree on Lake Seminole.
The Corps will do an aquatic plant survey this month to get a better idea of the size and location of the worst-affected areas.
“At that time we’ll decided on a course of action,” said Smallwood, “but we are strongly considering stocking more carp early next year when the weather and water are cooler. That is our cheapest and longest lasting method of hydrilla management.”
The Corps made an initial stocking with grass carp in August 2007 and an additional stocking in 2009 to manage the hydrilla.
Smallwood reports the grass carp population has declined, which reduced their pressure on the hydrilla. Regular stocking is required to replace the grass carp because many die or migrate downstream through the dam.
“The two grass carp stockings occurred in 2007 and 2009 which means the fish would be approaching the expected lifespan,” says Smallwood. His information is based on a study by Kirk and Socha in 2003 on the expected lifespan of grass carp, which is 5-9 years.
The aggressive growth nature of hydrilla makes maintenance a constant balancing act. A University of Florida study showed hydrilla grew 192 inches per day in laboratory conditions at the height of growing season.
Smallwood says drought can also be a contributing factor to the hydrilla spread in Lake Eufaula. Dry seasons lower lake levels and enable Hydrilla to grow into deeper water, he says.
“When the water level rises, the hydrilla becomes established in deeper water where it is more protected from cold temperatures, wind action, boats, and the grass carp.
After restocking, the Corps’ future management plans include treating priority areas such as Corps operational areas, public use areas and environmentally sensitive areas. They can also issue permits to shoreline permit holders to treat using qualified aquatic applicators and registered herbicides to control hydrilla near private boat docks.

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Sea-level rise, eco-damage target of Everglades Foundation grant
Palm Beach Post
Sept. 2, 2014
The Everglades Foundation announced today it will award a $143,000 grant to the National Park Service to pay half the cost of an environmental assessment of canals that are harming the ecosystem of Cape Sable, a remote peninsula in southwestern Florida that is part of Everglades National Park.
In the 1920s, canals were dredged to drain the cape’s interior marshes. Today, salt water from tidal flow enters the fresh water marshes, causing extensive damage. As these marshes are destroyed, the nutrients stored in the soil are released and threaten to trigger algae blooms in Florida Bay.
Environmental destruction in Cape Sable damages the ecosystem in Florida Bay and the Florida Keys. Harm to fish populations there impacts commercial and recreational fishing, tourism, and related businesses.
The Park Service is moving forward to address the damage to the ecosystem caused by the canals. Part of the remedy is plugging the canals to prevent the inflow of salt water and the outflow of freshwater.
“Restoring a functioning freshwater ecosystem on Cape Sable will not only improve the water quality in Florida Bay, but will also improve the Everglades’ resilience against sea level rise,” said Everglades National Park Acting Superintendent Bob Krumenaker.
The environmental assessment is expected to be completed in about 18 months.

Sugar has become the
new tobacco.
Everywhere, sugary
drinks and junk foods
are pressed on
unsuspecting parents
and children by a
cynical industry
focused on profit not
health.

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Florida's sugar barons grow fat on subsidies, diabetes and Everglades destruction
Ecologist – by Alan Farago, President of Friends of the Everglades 
September 1, 2014
Big Sugar is the new Big Tobacco, writes Alan Farago - lethal to human health, wreaking environmental devastation, gouging huge public subsidies, and with the political clout to stop First Lady Michelle Obama from breathing a word against it. Only an alliance of 'green', health and taxpayer campaigners can kill the beast.
'Drastic Measures', in the Financial Times details a dramatic shift in health care priorities and the effect of putting the first significant, coordinated pressure on sugar consumption: 
" ... governments are waking up to the rising costs of illnesses such as diabetes and cancer that have increased alongside obesity. 'The discussion of sugar linked to dietary concerns has been has been gathering momentum,' says Stefano Natella of Credit Suisse. 'The related global healthcare costs are at an all-time high-the bill is $500 billion or over 10 percent of global healthcare spending - as are obesity and diabetes levels.' "
The way that smoking leads to tobacco farmers, the path to the current health care crisis begins with sugar producers. In the United States, the obesity and diabetes epidemic point to Florida where sugar billionaires tied massive subsidies in the Farm Bill to subsidies for corn fructose.
Health impacts - still undecided on how to respond
When earlier this year the World Health Organization reduced the recommended daily sugar intake by half, to the equivalent of six teaspoons of sugar a day, billionaire sugar barons in West Palm Beach and Coral Gables paid closest attention.
Florida sugar producers have a global reach - with operations proliferating in low-cost labor nations like the Dominican Republic, but their intense focus is the Florida proving ground where a sophisticated mobilization of economic, social, and political resources maintains the aura of Big Sugar as good corporate citizen.
Big Sugar is quick to repel environmental and community indignation in Florida - as well as decades of lawsuits over its pollution of the Everglades - but it hasn't decided what direction to take with respect to emerging science on the crisis triggered by its products.
While Republican members of Congress rant and rave about the costs of the Affordable Health Care Act, none complain about the toll on consumers' health through excess consumption of sugar. Thirty years ago, 1 in 20 kids were obese. Today, it's 1 in 5.
The Institute for Responsible Nutrition notes that 77% of grocery store items contain added sugar; "Food companies know that the more sugar they add, the more people buy." In Great Britain, policy makers are considering a sugar tax.
Holding off the threat of a pollution tax
In Florida during the first Clinton term, when Big Sugar faced a tax that would have forced the industry to pay for polluting the Everglades, it enlisted among its chief supporters the churches and leaders in the African American communities of Florida, appealing to minorities disproportionately bearing its high costs.
A recent investigative series by the Tampa Bay Times disclosed that Florida's top GOP politicians, including Gov. Rick Scott and senior Republican legislators, were flown to all-expenses paid hunting trips to the King Ranch in Texas by US Sugar.
Through its Florida subsidiary, the King Ranch is a major sugar and citrus producer and bridges sharply contested water policies in both states: in Texas, where water rights go with land title and in Florida, where the public commons are supervised by the state's nine water management districts, each administered through a board of gubernatorial appointees.
Florida's top Republicans attempted to reassure the public that no state business with their hosts was discussed, but it is impossible to dispel the myriad ways that Big Sugar freely undermines the ideals of its base; a heavily subsidized industry that dedicates a portion of its profits to control state and federal regulations that might otherwise protect Americans and the fading Everglades.
In sugar we trust
Daniel Ruth, for the Tampa Bay Times, opined, "It's merely an idea, but perhaps the oath of office for our state's elected panhandlers should be rewritten to read:
"I do solemnly swear that I will support, protect and defend the sugar industry interests of the state of Florida; that I am duly compromised to hold office under the legalized bribes of various vested interests in this state, and I will well and faithfully perform the duties of a compliant shill and will to the best of my abilities follow the hunting laws of the great state of Texas for which I am about to board an airplane for an all-expense-paid trip by agricultural lobbyists to butcher unsuspecting critters, so help me (a lot!) the Republican Party of Florida." (Visions of sugar dance in legislators' heads, August 20, 2014)
Big Sugar reacted with predictable indignation to the outrage triggered by the Tampa Bay Times disclosures. Florida House Agricultural Chair, Matt Caldwell, wrote in the Fort Myers News Press:
 "Unfortunately, for much of the last 30 years, an all-consuming obsession with sugar farmers prevailed in Lee County government. As statewide policy makers looked for solutions to heal the Everglades and our estuaries, the inability to see past this obsession meant we stopped getting invited to the table ... If we want to continue to have that seat, we must enable constructive leaders, not destructive naysayers. The old politics of division will not solve our woes."
Democrats in Big Sugar's pockets
It is not just the GOP. Democrats are also loathe to tie the costs of Big Sugar to the domestic health care emergency because of the enormous impact of campaign contributions to members of Congress and state legislatures where sugar is grown.
According to the website of the Center For Responsive Politics, "sugar is the only industry in the entire agribusiness sector that has consistently supported Democrats in the last two decades."
When Michele Obama tried to move her popular 'Get Moving' campaign towards the sugar problem, she was warned off by White House policy makers.
The only surprise in extravagant largesse parceled by Big Sugar to its political allies is that it is ever discovered at all.
Although the entire nation is afflicted by the 'corporations are people' results of Citizens United - blowing the doors off campaign finance rules - Florida is a special case. 'How-low-can-we-go' is the Florida meme, and it is linked to producing as much sugar as possible on hundreds of thousands of acres that were historically part of the Everglades.
The Constitution subverted
In 1996, Florida voters approved a Constitutional amendment holding sugar polluters to be responsible for cleaning up their farm runoff, laden with excess phosphorous. In the last session of the Florida legislature - nearly 20 years after the measure had been passed, Florida Republicans decided to side-step public outrage by proposing a measure to clean their farm runoff by capping and then reducing the tax sugar polluters pay at $25 per acre; a fraction of what the polluters should be paying for its share of destruction of the Everglades.
 The 1996 amendment instructs that Big Sugar is primarily responsible; interpreted by some that sugar should pay fifty plus one percent of cleanup costs associated with its mess.
"Those special taxes since 1995 have raised enough to equate to about 12 percent of the nearly $2 billion spent building 57,000 acres of stormwater treatment areas, which filter polluting phosphorus from stormwater runoff."  (Sugar industry accused of dodging Everglades clean-up costs, Sun Sentinel, June 15, 2014) 12% is a long way from 51%.
For Big Sugar, it is always someone else's fault: dairy and cattle ranches upstream or municipalities and coastal sprawl spreading inland from the coasts. Except for Big Sugar's intransigence, there would be land enough to cleanse and store the millions of acre feet of water that are periodically pulsing into the Everglades and estuaries; fouling both.
'It wasn't us!' - paying pennies on the dollar
Florida's waters are such a mess one wonders if God hasn't reached down in exasperation of paradise lost and with His Thumb smudged out the value of homes and real estate values because of water pollution.  As though that weren't enough, toxic algae blooms -  even flesh-eating bacteria - are proliferating in waterways contaminated by agricultural runoff.
Sugar's response; you can't prove it has anything to do with us. The entire governmental investment for Everglades restoration, spending billions of taxpayer moneys and hundreds of thousands of agency hours in the multi-decadal effort, is a work-around of Big Sugar.
Last June, Gov. Rick Scott signed into law the latest work-around: "Instead of increasing the $25-per-acre charge on sugar-cane and other growers as environmental groups had long sought, lawmakers last year opted to maintain the current charges through 2026 - 10 years beyond when the tax was set to start declining. After 2026, the tax begins to decline, eventually dropping to $10 per acre."
Gaston Cantens, Vice President of Florida Crystals, crowed: "For two decades, the Florida sugar industry has worked together with policymakers, environmental advocates, and other stakeholders in the best interest of Florida ... This agreement is a continuation of that successful collaboration and spirit of cooperation we know will get the job done for restoration."
Representative Matt Caldwell walked point for Big Sugar on the bill. "A few months later, Caldwell's re-election campaign received $4,750 from US Sugar and $500 from King Ranch. Soon after, Caldwell registered for his first ever Texas hunting license." Caldwell would not answer any follow up questions. (Why won't FL GOP leaders talk about hunting trips to King Ranch in Texas?, Tampa Bay Times, July 25 2014)
Emergency support measures from the Depression are in force today
Last year, Gov. Rick Scott appointed a top executive from the King Ranch subsidiary to the governing board of the water management district, the taxing entity that is shouldering most of the state's portion of costs related to Everglades restoration.
Cynical industry manipulation of public processes, with billionaires at their campaign contribution joysticks has crippled government agencies, forcing Congress through the Farm Bill and state legislatures through lax regulations to keep intact sugar's protected status. In June 2013, George Will, the conservative columnist, bemoaned in the Washington Post:
"The provisions by which Washington transfers wealth from 316 million American consumers to a few thousand sugar producers are part of a 'temporary' commodity support program created during the Great Depression.
"Not even the New Deal could prolong the Depression forever. It ended. But sugar protectionism is forever. The Senate recently voted 54 to 45 against even mild reforms of the baroque architecture of protections for producers of sugar cane and sugar beets."
So why haven't environmentalists decried Big Sugar as the same kind of destroyer as Big Tobacco?
The sweet spot - health care professionals and eco-campaigners unite!
Environmentalists are hunkered in their silos, hoping for some opening in the iron curtain drawn over the Everglades and Florida politics by Big Sugar. 
They ought to join forces with public health experts to provide a clear accounting:  to the multi-billion dollar costs of cleansing farm runoff in Florida, add the recruitment through farming practices of the most toxic substance known to mankind: methyl-mercury, then add the potentially lethal use of one of America's largest fresh water sources, Lake Okeechobee, as Big Sugar's reservoir, plus the unsustainable practice of exhausting the soil through its farming practices; these are still dwarfed by the public health costs of excess sugar.
"Sugar has become the new tobacco", says Simon Capewell, professor of clinical epidemiology at Liverpool University, one of the founders of Action on Sugar, a UK campaign group formed in January. "Everywhere, sugary drinks and junk foods are pressed on unsuspecting parents and children by a cynical industry focused on profit not health."
It is time for environmentalists and taxpayers to embrace the one tactic that hasn't been tried - teaming up with health care professionals and experts fighting the costs associated with excess sugar consumption.
Dr. Robert Lustig's video, 'Sugar: The Bitter Truth', has been viewed on YouTube nearly 5 million times. The public is ready for a very clear message: sugar poisons democracy, poisons the Everglades, and poisons people.

140901-b
`Everglades quarter' highlights Florida ecology
Sun Sentinel - by William E. Gibson, Washington Bureau
September 1, 2014
New coin expected to be popular.
WASHINGTON—  Coin collectors, nature lovers and anyone with change in their pockets soon will discover a new quarter featuring a long-necked anhinga spreading its wings in semitropical splendor in the heart of the Everglades.
The nature scene will grace the "tails" side of an Everglades National Park quarter, due for release Nov. 3 as part of a series of coins designed to rouse public interest in parks, wildlife refuges and cherished national sites.
Around the outer rim will be the words "Everglades," "Florida" and "E Pluribus Unum," plus the year of release: 2014.
Though worth just 25 cents, the new quarter is expected to spark an initial burst of popularity, at least in Florida, because of the state's identification with the famed River of Grass.
"Everyone in Florida will want to have at least one," said Jim Kauffman, who buys and sells special coins at the Coin Gallery of Boca Raton. "I think it's very cool. Why? I like to fish, and when you think of the Everglades you think of fishing. And it's very Floridian."
His coin shop and others expect to have some of the quarters on hand to sell to customers at face value.
"When it first comes out, people will want them, will collect them up and put them in their albums," said Jason Lowery, owner of the Orlando Coin Exchange. "You'll see people trying to get them from the banks. It will be popular here in Florida, but not so much nationally."
A rollout ceremony is expected in November somewhere near Everglades National Park soon after the quarter's release into general circulation. Park and U.S. Mint officials are expected to attend, local members of Congress and community leaders will be invited, and children from area schools will take part.
The ceremony will be open to the public. Mint officials plan to conduct a "coin exchange" afterward, meaning that you can buy rolls of the new quarters at face value up to $100. Once details are set, they will posted at usmint.gov/pressroom.
Rolls of quarters also can be ordered online from USMint.gov, with a small fee for packaging and shipping. Collectors can buy 5-ounce silver coins with the same design that will not be circulated.
The Mint already has made educational materials available on its website, including a lesson plan for kindergarten or first grade called "A Little Birdie Told Me: Everglades National Park." Students can learn about coins, plants, wildlife habitat and the wonders of the Everglades.
That includes the anhinga, sometimes known as a "water turkey" because of its broad tail and as a "snake bird" for swimming with just its long, serpentine neck sticking out of the water.
The Everglades quarter will depict an anhinga sitting on a willow tree in the foreground with a roseate spoonbill wading in the background. Both birds are widely seen in the park along the most popular trails. They also can be found in marshy and coastal parts of Central Florida.
The Mint's "America the Beautiful Quarters Program" began producing coins in 2010 and will continue through 2021 to honor 56 national parks and other national sites. The Mint has turned out 3.7 billion of the special quarters since 2010, ranging from 61 million Olympic National Park quarters to 504 million depicting Mount Rushmore.
The Everglades quarter will be the only one depicting a Florida site. It salutes a national park that encompasses almost 1.5 million acres, making it the third-largest in the continental United States. The design was selected after consultation with Gov. Rick Scott and a Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
The Mint has not yet determined just how many Everglades quarters it will produce, but they will amount to many millions, so you're bound to find one eventually.
"Once they are released, there will be some in circulation forever," Kauffman said.
Related:           New Florida quarter to feature the Everglades          CBS Miami, Sep. 1

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