This 'new' dispute is as old as democracyBy HOWARD TROXLER, Times Staff Writer The coming fight for the soul of Florida is the oldest political fight there is. As we duke it out between now and November 2008, we will call it by its current label, "Hometown Democracy." But it's really an argument that began 2,500 years ago on a hillside in Athens. Can citizens govern themselves wisely? Or should somebody else make decisions for them? Florida Hometown Democracy is a group that wants to give voters control of major growth decisions in our state. The group is petitioning to put a constitutional amendment on the 2008 ballot. Countless times over the past 25 years, I have watched opponents show up at public hearings, angry, energized, saying the same things to fight a proposed development. Their City Council or County Commission shrugs and says, "Where were you when we were drawing the maps? Our maps tell us that we cannot say no." (See: Tarpon Springs, Wal-Mart, approval of.) So here is the genius of Hometown Democracy: It says that voters get to draw the maps in the first place. To be precise, the group's amendment would require local voter approval for any change in a community's "comprehensive plan." Plato would hate it. Aristotle would fret. Socrates would ask irritating questions for 15 hours or until somebody made him drink hemlock. Me, I kinda like it. I like it because (1) I am flat-out sick of local government saying yes and (2) because the opponents are frothing with ridiculous overstatement. "This will lead," warns a builder-funded group with the ironic name of Floridians for Smarter Growth, "to far less planning, increased urban sprawl, much more traffic, higher property taxes and anemic municipal services." Holy cow! All that, just from letting voters control growth in their own community. Floridians for Smarter Growth has a proposed counter-petition. It, too, claims to give citizens the "right" to control growth but sets up roadblocks to keep them out. Oh, and this rival amendment also says that if both it and Hometown Democracy pass, then Hometown Democracy won't count. Sneaky! So if somebody asks you to sign a petition to "control growth," make sure you know which one you're signing. This isn't black and white. I know lots of smart people who think Hometown Democracy is a bad idea. After all, in the end the Athenians turned into a fickle mob. They chose demagogues and fools as their leaders. They were whipped by Sparta, which was governed by kings and a kind of gussied-up County Commission. So by all means, if you think that decisions about growth are best made by "professionals" and local elected officials, then you should oppose Hometown Democracy. After all, they've done such a good job so far. The rival Web sites: www.floridahometown democracy.com www.flsmartergrowth.org Wildlife
board: friends or foes? The
appointees have ties to developers, but the governor defends his
selections. By
CRAIG PITTMAN and MATTHEW WAITE, Times Staff Writers To
run the board that oversees protection for the state's wildlife, Gov.
Charlie Crist has appointed a South Florida developer who was investigated
for wrestling an alligator and an Crist
also reappointed to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission a Among
the applicants Crist passed over: a biology professor from the Crist's
three appointments this week to the seven-member wildlife commission
sparked consternation among environmental groups, who had urged the
governor to pick someone not connected with the development business. The
other members of the commission are an executive with the Panhandle's
biggest developer, a "He
chose to go with people with the same development ... background as
before," said Laurie MacDonald of Defenders of Wildlife. "The
board does not represent the perspective of the majority of people in And
Jennifer Hobgood of the Humane Society complained that the commission
"should not be held captive by a few special interests." A
spokesman for the governor said Crist and his staff had reviewed "all
pertinent information" in making the three selections. "The
governor is confident his appointments to the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission will serve the people of The
wildlife commission manages all of The
seven unpaid commissioners who run the agency serve five-year terms. They
are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. The
last time an appointee ran into trouble was in 1997, when Gov. Lawton
Chiles' nominee withdrew amid allegations of cocaine use, lying, assault
and animal cruelty. One
of the three commissioners Crist appointed this week has recently been
investigated by the wildlife commission for mishandling a wild animal. Ron
Bergeron, 63, a Weston development tycoon who also owns a mining
operation, tried to spice up a tour of his Because
it is against state law to harass an alligator, wildlife officers
investigated Bergeron. When they turned their findings over to the Hendry
County State Attorney's Office, however, the state attorney declined to
prosecute the developer. Crist's
other new appointee is Kenneth Wright, 59, an Eight
years ago, when Wright was chairman of the Orlando-Sanford Airport
Authority, he steered an airport contract away from the company the board
had selected and handed it over to a company called Ecobank that had hired
two of his friends as salesmen. Wright's
friends, Seminole County Commission Chairman Randy Morris and Seminole
County GOP chairman Jim Stelling, split a $37,800 commission on the deal. Although
Ecobank officials alleged under oath that Wright himself was paid as well,
Wright on Wednesday denied ever taking money for the airport deal. "I'm
a straight guy," Wright said. He
said that taking such a deal would have endangered his law practice and
that "if you don't think I'm an honest guy, then I hope you deal with
me enough to know that I'm not a stupid guy." However,
Wright acknowledged that after the airport deal went through, he became a
salesman for Ecobank, too. In
one instance, Ecobank paid him a $6,000 commission for his help landing a
contract with Wright
has also been embroiled in a long-running scandal at the Orlando-Orange
County Expressway Authority over allegations that the chairman, an ally of
Wright's, paid off a critic to buy his silence. In
addition to Bergeron and Wright, Crist reappointed Kathy Barco, 48,
president of Barco-Duval Engineering and chairwoman of the Southeastern
Legal Foundation, which has opposed environmental regulations. When
Gov. Jeb Bush appointed her three years ago, she responded to questions
about her affiliation by saying, "I don't run the organization. I
just believe in what they do." The
new commissioners' first meeting will take place in Among
other issues, they will be voting on taking manatees off the state's
endangered list. Times
researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Sea
turtle nests show a big drop in numbers A
different kind of beachcomber has been patrolling in Pinellas, and the
news isn't good. By
STEPHANIE GARRY, Times Staff Writer It's
about 7:15 a.m., and he hasn't spotted a new nest yet. "I
already kinda know how my morning's going to go," he says. As
the end of the egg-laying season approaches, Clearwater Marine Aquarium
workers have found 36 nests on county beaches, not even half the usual
tally. As
Widlansky predicted, Wednesday's beachcombing didn't add to the total. A
few years ago, 195 turtles incubated their young on the Pinellas beaches
patrolled by the aquarium staff. Then nesting slowed to about 110. This
year, aquarium staff don't expect to pass 40. "I've
been here almost 11 years and we've never had it this low," said
Tammy Langer, director of sea turtle nesting and rehabilitation at the
aquarium. Until
final data on the turtle nesting season is reported in November, it's
unclear whether the problem this season is statewide. But
the forecast doesn't look good. The state Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission reports that loggerhead turtle nesting in The
number of loggerhead nests fell 44 percent over an eight-year period
ending in 2006. In nearly the same period, loggerhead deaths in the state
doubled. Nearly all of the sea turtles that nest in Pinellas are
loggerheads. "There
are fluctuations going on all the time, but I think what you have to do is
look at the big picture," said Anne Meylan, a research scientist for
the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. "That's where we see some
very worrisome trends." Long-line
fishing, meant to haul in tuna and swordfish in the But
an exact cause is hard to pinpoint because loggerheads travel the Atlantic
from the beaches in Sea
turtles play an important role in many marine ecosystems, said David
Godfrey, executive director of the Caribbean Conservation Corporation, the
world's oldest sea turtle conservation group. "When
they are in rapid decline, it is like the canary in the coal mine,"
Godfrey said. "They're telling us something abut the health of our
marine world and our beaches." Staffers
and volunteers scan the beaches during nesting season, which runs from May
through August, staking off nests and waiting for the eggs to hatch. They
also guard against beach restoration projects that could disturb buried
eggs. It takes the turtles about two months to hatch. Near
hatching time, they keep a vigil, often over several nights, to help the
turtles reach the water. "A
year like this is frustrating," Elko said. "We've had so much
progress on the things we can control." Stephanie
Garry can be reached at 727 892-2374 or sgarry@sptimes.com Fast
Facts:
The
last five years Sea
turtle nests, down from 2002, may not exceed 40 on Pinellas beaches in
2007.
Commissioners
want bigger say in study on region's water supply
Florida
Today Our view: Our seas at risk Come
on in, the water's fine. That's
the good news from a new report by the National Resources Defense Council,
which examined pollution tests around the country and ranked Brevard
County's surf among the cleanest in the nation. That
could put to rest concerns that contaminants are threatening our
near-shore Atlantic Ocean waters, which are a recreational haven for
locals and the foundation of Brevard's $2 billion a year tourism industry. But
does the report really sound the all-clear? True,
none of the 10 Brevard beaches sampled weekly have been forced to close in
the past year because of pollution. And
yes, consistently high levels of fecal coliform and enterococcus bacteria
-- which come from human and animal waste and can cause diseases,
infections and rashes -- have not been found. But
common sense tells us Brevard's rapid growth and the gambling ships that
continue dumping their partially treated sewage off-shore are putting our
waters at great risk now and in the future. That's
why a far more aggressive water-testing program is needed for the waters
of the Atlantic and Indian River Lagoon to spot any sign of trouble. Consider: Only
10 of Brevard's 27 beaches are monitored, because state and county
officials say they don't have the money for expanded testing. In
comparison, California takes twice as many water samples off its beaches
as Florida. Space
Coast beaches are not checked immediately after rainstorms when there's
the greatest probability of high bacteria counts. That's because
overwhelmed drainage and sewage systems can flush contaminants into
waterways. Lagoon
waters -- where bacteria levels can be much higher than the ocean --
aren't routinely tested even though they're a playground for boating,
fishing and swimming. That's
alarming, because the estuary is lined with potentially leaky septic
tanks, and the water already contains dangerous toxins that are likely
causing cancers and other diseases in dolphins. There's
also the memory of a Surfrider Foundation study in 2004 that found strong
evidence in offshore seaweed that sewage was seeping into the surf. The
possible sources included overflowing sewage lift stations, septic tanks
and a deep-injection well for sewage in South Brevard. A
follow-up study by Brevard County and the Canaveral Port Authority
disputed the findings, and a January 2005 report by federal researchers
found insufficient evidence of a contamination problem. However,
such conflicting results are another reason why tougher, long-term
monitoring should begin at once. Nature
has blessed Brevard in many ways, but that bounty is under assault by
development and pollution everywhere you look. While
our ocean waters may have gotten a clean bill of health now, there's no
guarantee that will last, or that problems may be lurking but unknown
because of insufficient testing. Protecting
our seas must be a Space Coat priority. That means taking every precaution
to make certain the waters are indeed safe. Ethanol
Sputtering At Start By
RUSSELL RAY, The Tampa Tribune Published:
August 9, 2007 TAMPA
- Ethanol-blended gasoline is trickling into Central Florida and now is
available at a few dozen gas stations throughout the region. Wholesale
fuel suppliers, however, say the flow into Florida of E10, a blend of 10
percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline, will remain a slow dribble until
the state modifies its standard for fuel. Houston-based
Marathon Petroleum and other wholesale suppliers say they want to sell E10
in Florida but can't because there's a chance the blend won't comply with
the state's fuel quality standards. For more than a year, the industry has
been trying to persuade Florida to join other states, including Arkansas
and Louisiana, which have altered their rules to encourage the sale of
ethanol-blended gasoline. 'What
we're talking about is a regulatory compliance concern, not a
fuel-performance concern,' said Dan Moenter, who manages government
affairs for Marathon in Florida. 'The fuel would pass the regulatory
standard the majority of the time, but we are obligated to meet the
standard all of the time.' Florida's
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says it is reluctant to
change its rules until it is certain the changes won't harm consumers,
because the risk of engine failure or reduced performance is real. 'The
potential is probably small, but there is a potential,' said Jay
Levenstein, Florida's deputy commissioner of agriculture. Millions
Spent To Prepare Moenter
said Marathon was encouraged by state regulators to start supplying E10 to
Florida retailers. Marathon thus spent several million dollars to add
storage and blending equipment at terminals in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale
and planned to market E10 to its Florida customers this summer. In
addition to being a few cents cheaper than conventional gasoline, E10 can
reduce tailpipe emissions by up to 30 percent, ethanol proponents say. However,
Marathon's marketing efforts have been put on hold because they were
contingent on Florida modifying its standard for fuel. 'We
have worked with the department on a very open basis for more than a
year,' Moenter said. 'We are not the only company that has this concern.' Murphy
USA, the retail arm of El Dorado, Ark.-based Murphy Oil Corp., has been
selling E10 at gas stations in Central Florida since the end of May and
hasn't had any problems complying with the state's fuel standards. 'We've
tested everything they've pumped, and so far they've met every
specification,' Levenstein said. Still,
without some waivers, E10 suppliers can't meet the state's standards 100
percent of the time, Moenter said. That's because ethanol, when it's
blended with gasoline, can lead to unpredictable changes in the fuel's
vapor volatility. On
rare occasions, those changes can cause car engines to lose power or
stall. The risk of that happening is higher in states with warm climates. Marathon,
however, said E10 has been performing well in hot climates throughout the
Midwest for two decades. What's more, ethanol now is blended in nearly
half of the nation's fuel supply and long has been used as an additive in
gasoline to reduce tailpipe emissions. 'We
market ethanol blends year-round throughout the Midwest in all climates
and temperatures,' Moenter said. 'That's why we are so confident it will
perform well in Florida.' Regulators
Confident Deal Is Near Moenter
said the same state leaders who tout ethanol's benefits are blocking its
expansion into Florida. 'We
were encouraged to move forward,' he said. 'The words and the actions
don't seem to be aligned.' State
regulators say they support ethanol use in Florida and are confident a
compromise will be reached with Marathon and other companies looking to
bring the homegrown fuel to Florida gas stations. The
state likely will move to adopt one of the changes Marathon has requested,
Levenstein said. Further discussions about Marathon's other requests are
expected. 'Our
whole focus is to protect consumers and not have drivability problems with
their vehicles,' Levenstein said. 'When we offer a variance to an existing
standard, we want to be sure there is sufficient evidence to support it.' Florida's
fuel standards are internationally recognized and developed by ASTM
International, a nonprofit advisory group for consumer products throughout
the world. Marathon
and other major refiners, however, prefer the recommendations of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology, a federal agency that
promotes better standards for products and services. Under the institute's
standard, E10 would comply as long as the gasoline met the specifications
for gasoline and the ethanol met the specifications for ethanol. Levenstein
said that standard may not suit the state. 'We
don't like that because it doesn't give you any standards by which to
measure the blend,' he said. 'It doesn't give you an opportunity to test
the blend and apply a standard to it.' Fill
'Er Up Murphy
USA began selling E10 at more than half of its 83 retail outlets in
Florida without any fanfare. Motorists
who fill up at a Murphy gas station may not even know they are buying
ethanol-blended fuel because the only indication the gas contains ethanol
is a blue sticker on the pump. Murphy
USA saw no need to advertise the availability of E10 at its Florida
locations because the blending of ethanol is 'part of our normal course of
business,' Murphy USA spokesman Dory Stiles said. Murphy has retail
outlets in 20 states and offers E10 in many of its markets. Houston-based
Kinder Morgan, another major fuel supplier in Florida, has been storing up
to 100,000 barrels of pure ethanol at its terminal at the Port of Tampa
since spring, Kinder Morgan spokesman Larry Pierce said. Kinder Morgan is
selling the ethanol to some of its Tampa Bay area customers, who are
blending it with gasoline. 'If
there is customer demand for it, we intend to make more tanks available
for storage for ethanol,' Pierce said. Reporter
Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870 or rray@tampatrib.com. St.
Johns pans Putnam project It's
'urban sprawl,' a commissioner says By
ANNE MARIE APOLLO, The Times-Union Those
against a proposed massive development in Putnam County don't have to look
far for examples of what can go wrong. They
didn't have to go searching for an ally, either. They
found both in St. Johns County. Home
to more than a dozen developments of regional impact itself - with three
more pending - Putnam County's neighbor has been among the loudest critics
of Mariposa, which would be the more rural county's first development of
regional impact. Last
month, St. Johns County officials started formal conflict resolution
procedures with Putnam County over the project, which would put more than
3,000 homes near the county line. The
Florida Department of Community Affairs echoed the concerned last week,
putting the brakes on the project over concerns over urban sprawl and
transportation. That
puts St. Johns County in an unusual place. The county with the reputation
for being friendly to developers, with one of the highest per-capita
household incomes in the state, is taking issue with the first major
development to come to Putnam County, where more than 17 percent of
households are classified by the federal government as under the poverty
line. St.
Johns County Commissioner Tom Manuel doesn't see it that way, though. A
member of the Northeast Florida Regional Council, he has been critical of
Mariposa's placement and the transportation issues thousands of new
drivers could bring to Florida 207 and the interchange at Interstate 95. "This
doesn't just have to do with Putnam County," he said. "Whether
it was in St. Johns or Duval, I would call the project urban sprawl."
Teresa
Bishop. director of growth management services for St. Johns County, said
it also has concerns demand for government services such as fire and
police that could bleed across the county line. With
a decades-old history with mega-developments, St. Johns County has gotten
better over the years at dealing with the sprawling projects, Bishop said.
The county now requires developers to build large improvement projects,
most recently construction of county roads near the Nocatee development of
regional impact. Still,
Manuel, voted into office last year, was against many of the development
of regional impact permits approved in St. Johns County when he sat on its
planning and zoning agency and said there are projects in his own backyard
that could be criticized. He
won't hear objection on that latter point. "We've
gained an incredible amount of information by watching these counties of
what not to do," said Chip Laibl, a Putnam County commissioner and
president of the regional council. "We don't want to be out of
balance like St. Johns County." Mariposa
would complete Putnam County's housing picture, Laibl said, and more. It
is a path to sewer and water service for portions of the county now on
septic systems, supporters say, a chance to partake in the property tax
riches reaped by its neighbors and a shot at attracting high-income
earners to the area. It
only needs one Mariposa, supporters said. It
might have to fight to get it. The
state review found that a map amendment approved by Putnam County to allow
the project from Delray Beach-based Ascot Development didn't comply with
state standards, citing issues of transportation, urban sprawl and
protection of natural resources. Joey
Kelly, spokeswoman for Ascot Development, said it is reviewing the
department's points and considering its options. That
may mean Putnam and St. Johns counties working closer. A
meeting between the two on Mariposa is planned for the end of the month. annemarie.apollo@jacksonville.com
(904) 359-4470 Concerns
about plan go beyond commerce A
Times Editorial Pasco
County wants to keep Pasadena Hills from developing into Pasadena
piecemeal. Tuesday,
commissioners correctly blessed a master plan to guide the largely rural
20,000 acres bordered by State Roads 54 and 52, Curley Road and U.S. 301
into a dozen high-density developments or villages connected via a grid
system of parallel roads amid parks, schools and other public spaces. The
self-contained urban centers are intended to provide a place for people to
live, work and shop. It
is a 50-year process that requires state approval, cooperation from lots
of land owners and most important, a plan by the end of next year to
finance the infrastructure. Some
current residents are skeptical. They want larger lots, the number of
homes reduced by a third to 30,000 and a community development district (CDD)
to front the road-building costs. They
weren't alone. Commissioner Michael Cox confessed his own suspicions about
landowners' ulterior motives in their pledge for a private-public
partnership. "We
just don't want you guys to abandon us after adopting the plan,"
attorney Joel Tew, representing an informal association of 20 landowners,
said to commissioners. Translation:
Hold on to your wallet. A
new assessment isn't going to be palatable to current residents. A tax
increment financing district, usually reserved for redeveloping areas,
might be more appropriate as a way to allow a growing tax base to pay off
bonds used for infrastructure expenses. If
the plan is followed, it will allow a rural area already targeted for
development to grow smartly. Commissioners showed their flexibility by
agreeing to add more room for office space in hopes of attracting
higher-paying, white-collar jobs to the villages and to consider
additional parking in the downtown areas to boost retailers' opportunities
to capture customers. They are logical modifications. But
there are concerns beyond commerce. The county shouldn't dismiss public
suggestions to consider transferring density credits to slow growth in
other areas of the county and to remain consistent with the comprehensive
land use plan on wetland protections. And
commissioners should recommit themselves to follow their own countywide
land use plan. Commissioner Ted Schrader pointed to the traffic congestion
on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel as what the
Pasadena Hills area hopes to avoid by having coordinated planning, rather
than fragmented growth. True.
But, the county also promised in its comprehensive plan to conduct a study
area for Wesley Chapel. It has yet to commission the report. At this
point, it likely would be a study of what not to do. Besides,
it will be of little benefit if the final product simply sits on a shelf
collecting dust like the citizen-written plans for Land O'Lakes. Impassive,
Newell is arraigned By
TONY DORIS Palm
Beach Post Staff Writer Thursday,
August 09, 2007 WEST
PALM BEACH — In what has become a familiar ritual in Palm Beach County,
a former public official surrendered in federal court Tuesday morning to
face allegations he used his public office for financial gain. Former
County Commissioner Warren H. Newell, after 15 years of public service,
entered an initial plea of not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit
honest services fraud, although he and prosecutors have said he will
change that plea to guilty as the process makes its way through U.S.
District Court. Newell
became the fourth public official hauled before a federal judge in the
county in less than two years, following former West Palm Beach City
Commissioners Ray Liberti and Jim Exline and former County Commission
Chairman Tony Masilotti - and other players, including power broker and
lawyer William Boose III, who allegedly helped Masilotti conceal corrupt
land deals. Newell,
alleged to have pocketed $500,000 from businesses that profited from his
votes, faces five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and forfeiture of
$150,000. Prosecutors also said he failed to pay income tax on much of the
tainted income. Looking
trim and unemotional in a gray suit, Newell, 52, arrived at the Clematis
Street courthouse Tuesday an hour and a half before his 10 a.m.
arraignment. He made no public comment before or after the hearing,
whisking from the public forum to the privacy of his criminal defense
attorney's black GMC Yukon with tinted windows. "Warren
Newell has worked very hard and honorably for the citizens of Newell,
a On
Tuesday, Tim Delaney, FBI assistant special agent in charge, said the
bureau is bringing a supervisor and four other agents to Newell's
conflicts of interests surfaced in February when
The Palm Beach Post reported his hidden interest in two land
deals that were enhanced by county commission votes. Around the same time,
Newell was being questioned about the $190 million purchase of
western-county rock pits by the South Florida Water Management District. Newell
voted in June 1999 for the county to pay $50,000 toward a study to
determine whether the rock pits could be used as public reservoirs without
disclosing that he and his business partners would collect a $2.4 million
"success fee" from the pits' owner, Palm Beach Aggregates, if
the water district bought them. Newell was paid $366,000, according to
court documents. As
recently as July 2, Newell filed a state financial disclosure form falsely
reporting $200,000 of the income from the secret success fee as a loan
from his business partner and friend, engineer Dan Shalloway. He failed to
report an additional $32,000 from the deal on his 2003 federal tax return,
according to prosecutors. As
a commissioner, he pushed a $50 million taxpayer initiative to preserve
access to the waterfront - with $14 million spent to buy the development
rights to After
the $14 million was paid, SFRN, Newell's engineering firm, billed the
marina for consulting work never performed. The payment from the marina
went to Newell, who used the proceeds to pay his dock fees. Newell
and two other partners contracted to buy nearly 7 acres within his
district for $1.9 million. Subsequently, Newell voted at least twice on
matters that enhanced the property's value, failing to disclose his
interest. The votes, making it possible for development of medical office
buildings, led to a profit of more than $2 million for the partnership -
and more than $100,000 for Newell, with most of it funneled through SFRN,
prosecutors said. Newell used nearly $40,000 of the proceeds to pay the
legal costs of his divorce. Newell's
next court date has not been set. Water
managers turn down backpumping into
Thursday,
August 09, 2007 Water
managers refused today to pump polluted farm runoff into "For
me to vote for this would be indefensible," said Charles Dauray of
"You're
getting ready to hurt agriculture," countered Harkley Thornton, a
board member from The
action came a day after a lengthy debate, which had ended Wednesday
evening with a vague prospect that some compromise might be in the works. Instead,
the board rejected even limited pumping from one set of pumps near The
district also promised to pursue other options for storing extra water for
agriculture, even though none offer anything close to the lake's
trillion-gallon-plus capacity. The
vote was 4-3, with Mike Collins of Islamorada absent. Board member Malcolm
"Bubba" Wade, a senior vice president of United States Sugar
Corp., abstained to avoid a conflict of interest. Environmentalists
had called the issue a crucial test of Gov. Charlie Crist's commitment to
the lake and the One
alternative would use the 14.6 billion gallons of reservoirs that the
rock-mining company Palm Beach Aggregates has begun digging for the
district near Loxahatchee, the result of a $190 million deal that steered
illegal kickbacks to former Palm Beach County Commissioner Warren Newell.
The district already has promoted those pits as the solution to a host of
woes, including The
district also suggested it might be able to stack 2 feet of water in more
than 60,000 acres of hunting grounds in the state's Putting
runoff in the Executive
Director Carol Wehle said her staff will provide the details on all of
those options, which might not require action until the end of the wet
season in October or November. Board
Chairman Eric Buermann pledged to do something to help growers. "We
need a Farmer's Relief Act of some kind to get them water," said
Buermann, a Pumping
runoff into the lake also has been controversial for decades, inspiring
lawsuits and other disputes among the district, the sugar industry and
environmental groups. In
Wednesday's debate, a representative from the state Department of
Agriculture said farms around the lake could lose $688 million and 9,500
jobs without relief from the region's severe water shortage. Growers also
pointed to district figures showing that the Glades' runoff ñ while
fouler than scientists consider ecologically healthy ñ is much cleaner
than the torrents of manure- and fertilizer-laden runoff that wash into
the lake from the north. But
an economist speaking for environmental groups disputed those figures, and
opponents said the limited amount of water from the pumps wouldn't
outweigh the ecological harm from the flow of phosphorus, nitrogen and
pesticides. Two
activists denounced the practice as "environmental racism"
because of the pumps' closeness to the drinking-water intakes in
impoverished, largely minority cities such as "Environmental
racism is an ugly phrase, but in this case the shoe fits," In
another wrinkle, a federal judge ordered the district in June to get
federal pollution permits for its pumps that send runoff into the lake.
District staff members said it's unclear whether that ruling would
preclude them from pumping as an emergency step in a drought, but they
said it might take months to clarify that issue Angry
citizens call for board resignation More
than 30 people were at the opening of the meeting of the |