As you may have read last week, the restoration of the
Everglades got a huge boost from what could be a precedent-setting agreement
between a private company and the state of Florida. The state agreed to buy
187,000 acres from United States Sugar, which is currently the country’s largest
producer of sugarcane.The land in question
lies north of Everglades National Park, between Lake Okeechobee and the
Everglades, and its acquisition will allow a reconnection of the historic flow
of water between the two. Benefits include a better supply of water to the
Everglades and increased water-storage capacity in the region.
United States Sugar, which has farmed there since 1931, will
be able to continue using the land for six years, then will turn over its
assets, including a couple of refineries, to the state and will go out of
business.
Many environmental groups—especially the Everglades
Foundation, an umbrella group that works with many different organizations
involved with Everglades restoration—were ecstatic about the deal. There was
also some critics who thought the state was paying too much. (The details will
be worked out over the next two and a half months.) The purchase is being funded
by bonds and fees already being charged on water bills. The South Florida Water
Management District will have control over the land.
There is the potential, SFWMD says, for the restored natural
flow of water to save money, since it makes unnecessary some of the pumping
systems originally planned as part of the Everglades restoration, although some
engineered systems such as reservoirs will still be used to control flows.
A number of private organizations, such as The Nature
Conservancy and others, routinely buy land or use some mechanism like a
conservation easement to protect large areas. But this is Florida’s biggest-ever
land acquisition.
Do you think this sets a precedent for other states to get
involved in land acquisition for restoration and water quality? Or is the
Everglades a special case?