From: The News Service of Florida
The House isn’t ready to write a check for the Senate’s ambitious $220 million plan intended to help clean and redirect the flow of water from Lake Okeechobee south through the Everglades. Rep. Matt Caldwell, R-Lehigh Acres, said Wednesday the state needs to “balance” its water priorities, agreeing with the next House speaker that the Legislature needs to take a comprehensive statewide look at its water needs in 2014. “It’s real easy to write policy, the big question is where does the money come from,” said Caldwell, who chairs the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee. On Monday, Rep. Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, said the state needs a comprehensive approach to water that factors in issues faced by the agricultural industry, drinking-water sources, the state’s freshwater springs, the Apalachicola River region and South Florida. “It’s important we don’t get too laser-focused on one region of the state,” said Crisafulli, who is slated to become speaker after the 2014 elections. Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam has also been pushing for a statewide approach, noting that South Florida isn’t the only part of the state where water quality and quantity have become dire issues. The $220 million Senate plan includes projects such as $90 million that would be spread over three years to bridge a 2.6-mile section of the Tamiami Trail west of Miami. The Senate has been prompted by discharges of water from Lake Okeechobee that have caused pollution in waterways such as the St. Lucie River and the Caloosahatchee River.