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via wtsp.com
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - Governor Rick Scott has proposed restoring some spending for environmentally sensitive land.
The proposal would put $40 million into Everglades restoration.
Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard said this amount "will allow Florida to keep the momentum going in the state-federal partnership to restore one of Florida's most valuable natural treasures."
In case you missed it, please see South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Chairman Joe Collins’ op-ed, “Water Management Districts: Intact, on Task and Spending Wisely.”
November 30, 2011 Water Management Districts: Intact, on Task and Spending Wisely Myths and misinformation continue to swirl around Florida’s water management districts and their ability to do their job with lower revenues and smaller organizations. In South Florida, unfounded concerns have been expressed about the future of Evergladesrestoration, the capacity of our District scientists and the erosion of our regulatory authority. The facts can alleviate these unwarranted fears. Fact 1. The establishment of Florida’s five water management districts is firmly rooted in statute. In Florida, water is a public resource. The districts were specifically created by the Water Resources Act in 1972 to manage and protect the state’s waters on behalf of our citizens. For four decades we have fulfilled our responsibilities of managing water supply, water quality, flood protection and natural systems in the public interest through a solid regulatory framework, governing boards appointed by the Governor and state oversight through the Department of Environmental Protection. This framework has not changed. Fact 2. The South Florida Water Management District is indeed building a leaner, more efficient agency by eliminating unnecessary expenses and getting back to its core mission. In doing so, we are saving South Floridians $128 million through a 30-percent tax reduction, the majority of which was realized by cutting overhead and administrative costs. This is welcomed news for taxpayers who expect cost-effective services, government transparency and accountability in spending. Fact 3. The District continues to be a dynamic agency, providing more than 1,600 jobs across the region. Close to half of these jobs are dedicated to operating South Florida’s massive flood control system. To support water resource protection and environmental restoration, more than 25 percent of our workforce holds Ph.D. or Master degrees, and we have more than 150 certified professional engineers and geologists on staff. This highly qualified, capable and competent workforce is focused on efficiently achieving the agency’s water management responsibilities. Fact 4. The District’s $576.1 million budget is being used to deliver tangible, meaningful results. For fiscal year 2012, more than 70 percent of the budget will go toward flood control and restoring the South Florida ecosystem. With a combined investment of more than $850 million in 2011 and 2012, we will be completing construction on a half dozen restoration projects. And over the next five years, the District will use financial reserves to invest another $350 million toward developing and protecting the water resources of this state and to improving the Everglades, Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee watersheds. Fact 5. Our appointed Governing Board is highly engaged and actively guiding the agency’s work. Representing diverse South Florida interests, these volunteers have oversight of District activities and provide policy direction on all issues, including regulatory functions. The District continues to scrutinize permit applications to ensure water resource protection, and we share with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection the objective of improved statewide consistency while recognizing our regional diversity. There is no effort to weaken our standards. These facts do not represent the actions of a disabled water management district. Just the opposite. They are the actions of a government agency true to its founding principles, clearly focused on its mission, streamlined in its internal operations and delivering efficient and cost-effective water resource management. Joe Collins, Chairman South Florida Water Management District Governing Board
The sugar industry in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) often coexists with mining.
The harvest in action. What used to be arduous labor by hand, is now highly automated. And yet just a few machines accomplish massive amounts of work.
Here is a tracker in the process of laser leveling, a relatively sophisticated electronic process, that uses GPS coordinate tracking and measuring to achieve maximum filed penetration and ultimately, yield.
The sugar industry has a long and complicated relationship with the Everglades and our water supply. Nevertheless, during this harvest season, many are thankful for the sugar harvest, while many are angry about it.
The following is a #sneakpreview of the sugar harvest in action this year...
An upcoming Water Supply Summit hosted by the Everglades Foundation will include a “Legislative Briefing Breakfast” and a “Capital Lobby Day,” according to information released by the group.
Everglades National Park (Pic by Rodney Cammauf, National Park Service; via army.mil)
The summit will kick off in Tallahassee on Tues., Jan. 17, with a luncheon, and will wrap up the next day with “briefings, meetings, and advocacy to save America’s Everglades.” According to a press release, the event will be attended by top government officials and business leaders and will feature a performance by recording artist Gavin DeGraw.
An email sent out to supporters highlighted the recent problems plaguing the Florida Everglades — including one of the worst droughts the state has ever seen.
From the email:
In 2011, Florida witnessed one of the worst droughts in history. It was the third drought in the past ten years. This lack of rain sparked wildfires across the state and set large-scale destructive algal blooms in motion in the Caloosahatchee river. West Palm Beach and other municipalities came within days of running out of water.
The drought highlighted the issues that Florida should have been focusing on from the beginning: storing rainwater, cleaning it and supplying it to the millions of Floridians who need it.
The Everglades ecosystem is a crucial link between water storage and water supply for almost 7 million Floridians. And at less than half its original size, one out of every three Floridians relies on the Everglades as the source of their fresh drinking water.
For over a hundred years, we have built canals and levees to re-direct the natural southerly flow of freshwater from the headwaters of the Everglades in the Kissimmee river basin towards urban areas and coastal cities, disrupting the ecosystem’s delicate natural balance.
Meanwhile, 1.7 billion gallons of freshwater are dumped into saltwater estuaries every day.
Florida’s boating, tourism, real estate, hunting, recreational and commercial fishing industries all depend on a healthy Everglades ecosystem, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and contributing billions to our economy.
The Summit is being touted as “the first of its kind.”
