Richard Gibbs
rgibbs@evergladesfoundation.org
http://riverofgrasscoalition.com/lower.php?url=your-opinions-need-to-be-heard
On August 6, 2009, Judge Donald W. Hafele in the 15th Judicial Circuit Court in West Palm Beach, Fla., will hear closing arguments from the South Florida Water Management District, which is seeking to validate the issuance of certificates of participation for the River of Grass acquisition. This acquisition will allow the South Florida Water Management District to purchase land for Everglades restoration which will create and protect jobs and sustain the water supply needed by businesses and municipalities in South Florida to grow and prosper. It is anticipated the judge could rule that day or any time thereafter.
Benefits from the land acquisition would include:
* Increases in water storage to reduce harmful freshwater discharges from Lake Okeechobee to Florida’s coastal rivers and estuaries.
* Improvements in the delivery of cleaner water to the Everglades.
* Preventing tons of phosphorus from entering the Everglades.
* Eliminating the need for “back-pumping” water into Lake Okeechobee.
* Sustainability of agriculture and green energy production.
Highlights of the proposed acquisition terms include:
* Reducing the immediate public investment by 60 percent, or $800 million, in addition to reducing annual debt service payments by an estimated $65 million.
* Tripling the land lease rate to $150 an acre per year to generate a minimum of $40 million in revenue and avoid at least $11 million in land management costs.
* Potentially freeing up revenue over the coming years for “shovel-ready” restoration projects that could create jobs and deliver environmental benefits to the Everglades Protection Area and Florida’s coastal estuaries.
* Sustaining regional agriculture.
* Keeping 1,700 direct jobs intact and protecting 10,000 indirect jobs for at least another decade with the continued operation of the United States Sugar Corporation’s mill and refinery.
Your opinions regarding the importance of this purchase need to be heard, please consider submitting an op-ed piece to the contacts at following media outlets. There are also links to past opinion pieces that favor the land acquisition below. You can make a difference.
Regards,
Richard Gibbs
Miami Herald
Kathleen Krog 305-350-2111
kkrog@miamiherald.com
Palm Beach Post
Randy Schultz (561) 820-4447
randy_schultz@pbpost.com
Sun-Sentinel
Antonio Fins (954) 356-4669
afins@sun-sentinel.com
St. Petersburg Times
John Hill (818) 226-3379
hill@sptimes.com
Ft. Myers News-Press
Mark Stephens 239-335-0226
mstephens@news-press.com
Scripps Treasure Coast
Laurence Reisman 772-978-2223
laurence.reisman@scripps.com
Tampa Tribune
Jim Beamguard (813) 259-7361
Jbeamguard@tampatrib.com
Bradenton Herald
Chris Wille 941-745-7047
cwille@bradenton.com
• EDITORIAL: On sugar deal, it’s try, try and try again: State’s revised land buyout offers a better compromise
The Miami Herald, 2009-04-12
Apr. 12, 2009 — Maybe for Gov. Charlie Crist the third time in his dance with U.S. Sugar will be the charm. The latest version of the governor’s proposal to buy land for Everglades projects is much improved over the previous two offers. The price is about a third of the $1.75 billion first offer, and it buys less than half of the original 180,000 acres. Now, the deal is affordable — a concession to the recession — and some of the unattractive features have been removed or changed for the bett…Read More
• Editorial: Scaled back sugar deal sweeter than initial Save The Everglades plan
The Stuart News, 2009-04-10
Friday, April 10, 2009 — The deal is getting better by the day. In June 2008, Florida was prepared to spend $1.75 billion to purchase U.S. Sugar’s entire Clewiston-based operation for Everglades restoration. In December, a new deal was negotiated: The state would purchase only the land — 180,000 acres — for $1.34 billion, and lease back the land to U.S. Sugar for seven years. …Read More
• Smaller deal, smarter bet
The Palm Beach Post, 2009-04-09
Thursday, April 09, 2009 In March, as the $1.34 billion deal to buy U.S. Sugar’s land unraveled, two company executives approached South Florida Water Management District Executive Director Carol Wehle in the state Capitol and suggested a new approach. As it turned out, half a deal would be better than none. …Read More
• $533 million Everglades land deal gets initial go-ahead
South Florida Sun-Sentinel , 2009-04-09
3:45 PM EDT, April 9, 2009 — South Florida water managers today gave the initial go-ahead to Gov. Charlie Crist’s scaled-down, $533 million land deal for Everglades restoration. …Read More
• Now that there’s a new deal with U.S. Sugar, can we get on with the Everglades restoration?
Sun-Sentinel, 2009-04-06
THE ISSUE: Everglades land deal is scaled down. April 6, 2009 — The new deal to buy land to help restore the Everglades may not stem controversy, but it should spur state leaders to finally get on with completing one of Florida’s more important public works projects. …Read More
• Sweeter Glades deal
St. Petersburg Times , 2009-04-03
In Print: Friday, April 3, 2009 The state of Florida has addressed the most troubling aspects of its deal to buy U.S. Sugar land to replumb the Everglades. The proposal, unveiled Wednesday, is fairer to taxpayers and more affordable. And it balances phasing in Everglades restoration while phasing out the agricultural operations that pollute Florida’s River of Grass. After three tries, Gov. Charlie Crist has a proposal that offers both fiscal sense and a road map for moving ahead. …Read More
• Keep full U.S. Sugar buy alive
Ft. Myers News Press, 2009-04-03
APRIL 3, 2009 — Now that the state has scaled its U.S. Sugar land purchase back for the time being to less than what’s needed for full Everglades restoration – and to protect the Caloosahatchee River system – future purchases are vital. …Read More
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