Article by Katrina Elsken Cattle ranches have been in the Lake Okeechobee watershed since pioneers first settled the area, but before the Central and South Florida Project for Flood Control, the nutrient loads entering Lake Okeechobee were not a problem, Gary Ritter of Florida Farm Bureau told South Florida Water Management District representatives at the Nov. 5 workshop in Okeechobee. “The …
SFWMD Starts Public Process to Revise Rules for Northern Everglades and Coastal Estuaries Water Quality
Schedule of public workshops and interactive website announced where public can participate and provide input as District works to amend a Northern Everglades and Estuaries Protection Program rule (SFWMD) — The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) initiates a public rule-making process to support water quality improvements in the Northern Everglades, which includes the Lake Okeechobee Watershed and the St. Lucie …
Heartland Seat on SFWMD Board Draws 13 Applicants
Publisher/Editor Katrina Elsken, of Lake Okeechobee News, gives us a rundown of each of the 13 applicants for the vacant seat for the at-large member for an area that includes Glades, Highlands, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola and Polk counties. The Heartland seat has been vacant since March on the South Florida Water Management District board. TALLAHASSEE — Thirteen people have submitted …
Former SFWMD Gov. Board Member Talks Flood Control, Misinformation and Ag Concerns
This is the final installment in a series about the recent dismantling and complete replacement underway of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) governing board. As the debate about South Florida’s water woes continues to grow almost as fast as the Florida population, farmers and ranchers around the state are starting to wonder what these abrupt changes at SFWMD …
South Florida Environmentalist Shares Concerns Amidst Growing Water-Quality Debate
A native of the Pacific Northwest and now a resident of St. Lucie County, Nyla Pipes began working in 2013 with those concerned about growing water-quality and related environmental issues in Florida. She’s been a driving force and is now executive director of the non-profit One Florida Foundation. Pipes gave an exclusive interview following the February meeting of the South …
South Florida’s Water Politics Raising Questions
By Gary Cooper One of several bombshells dropping at last week’s South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) governing board meeting was the resignation of district executive director Ernie Marks. In the audio clip below, Governing Board Member and Vice Chair Brandon Tucker echoed the feelings of several other board members about Marks’ resignation: There was no quorum at last week’s …
New Leader Picked for South Florida Water Management District
by Jim Turner, News Service of Florida A key player on Everglades issues was elevated Monday to become executive director of the South Florida Water Management District, replacing Pete Antonacci who is leaving to become Gov. Rick Scott’s top business recruiter. The district’s Governing Board unanimously agreed during a teleconference to promote Ernie Marks, district director of Everglades policy and …
EAA Farmers Achieve Another Year of Water Quality Success for the Everglades
Environmental Agency Announces Everglades Agricultural Area Reduced Phosphorus by Nearly 3 Times the Goal The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) announced that farmers in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) achieved another successful year of water-quality success, announcing a 70 percent reduction in phosphorous for Water Year 2017. The reduction is nearly three times the 25 percent reduction goal set …
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