FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA:
THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, January 15, 2014 ………. As the Senate continues to review a $220 million package to reduce pollutants out of Lake Okeechobee, scientific fixes to the system will take priority over longer-range research projects, the head of the Senate General Government Appropriations Subcommittee said Wednesday.
That could mean the package will continue to include the removal of muck from waterways in the Space Coast and Treasure Coast regions, water retention projects and steps to clean runoff from agricultural land, while proposals to improve oyster beds and seagrass in Southeast Florida are pushed aside for now.
“We’re not going to pay money to put any restoration efforts out there when we know they are likely to fail,” said Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, after his subcommittee meeting Wednesday. “If the current water environment is not conductive to that kind of growth, whether it be seagrasses, oysters, or any other type of thing, I’m not in favor of spending money in trying to establish that part of the habitat again. It’s wasteful. So let’s get the water chemistry right first and then put the proper organisms back in.”
Hays’ comment was the first potential change of course in the funding package that has been otherwise highly praised as lawmakers have started to place a greater emphasis on water quality issues.
Hays, along with Sens. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, and Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, continue to hammer out a separate package to protect Florida’s natural springs that could reach $380 million.
Meanwhile, Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, an advocate for St. Lucie estuary funding, said the House is working on a more comprehensive water package that looks at issues statewide, including impacts to the state’s natural springs.
Holding a press conference with other Treasure Coast lawmakers in the Capitol on Wednesday, Harrell called the Senate’s $220 million proposal a negotiating “starting point.”
“I know there is going to be considerable amount of money in the water issue,” Harrell said. “We will work closely with our Senate partners to make sure that aspects of the St. Lucie and Indian River Lagoon, Caloosahatchee endeavor are included in that massive bill. I don’t know what those numbers will be yet, but I’m pushing for as much money as possible.”
The House water proposal is being directed by Rep. Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, who is next in line to be House speaker.
Crisafulli has said he wants lawmakers to take a broader approach to the vast water problems that confront Florida.
Harrell on Wednesday also filed a memorial (HM 607) that asks the federal government to complete five key components that remain in Everglades restoration: Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands; the C-111 Spreader Canal; the Broward County Water Preserve Area; the Caloosahatchee River C-43 West Basin Storage Reservoir; and the Central Everglades Planning Project.
Florida House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Fort Lauderdale, said the Democratic caucus will support the memorial, which is a non-binding resolution.
Hays’ subcommittee spent the afternoon listening to presentations on different aspects of the estuary-funding package from Treasure Coast officials and organizations including the South Florida Water Management District, Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Institute and Palm Beach County.
The waterway restoration package was spearheaded by Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, as a response to impacts on the Caloosahatchee River and the St. Lucie Estuary from summer water releases from Lake Okeechobee overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Martin County Commissioner Sarah Heard, while pointing to a bottle of dark colored water taken from the St. Lucie River, said the releases have resulted in “toxic” water that during the summer required Martin County health officials to issue a warning advising residents against coming into contact with sections of the local waterway.
“The most bio-diverse estuary in North America, home to thousands of animal species, thousands of plant species, hundreds of bird species, home to over 30 endangered species, and this is the state it’s in,” Heard said. “We know what the solution is; it’s a federal-state partnership.”
Stuart Mayor Troy McDonald added that “we should not have to endure polluted, dangerous, filthy water that is risking our health, our environment, and our economy.”
Provisions of Negron’s plan include; $40 million to speed construction of the state’s portion of a C-44 reservoir and stormwater treatment area for the Indian River Lagoon-South Restoration Project; $32 million for projects tied to ensuring that all surface water discharges into the Everglades Protection Area meet water quality standards; and a request for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to give the Department of Environmental Protection authority to regulate releases when the risk of Lake Okeechobee dike failure is less than 10 percent.
The plan also includes $90 million proposed by Gov. Rick Scott to redirect water south through the Everglades by bridging a portion of the Tamiami Trail. Money to bridge the trail was included as Scott announced Monday he was going to propose $8.8 billion for transportation projects in the next budget.
Negron has also requested $1 million to help revive the oyster reefs and seagrass beds in the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.