A
Anonymous
Guest
This is interesting. Seems like it's not just sportsmen that they jerk around. Would be nice for sportsmen to utilize this development for our advantage. The last thing a bureaucracy wants is bad PR.
Maybe ask the legislature (via our lobbyist) to pull our hunting & recreational lands from the WMD & give them to FWC and reward FWC with a larger budget.
Ride the wave?
PW
*********************************************************
naplesnews.com
Commissioners want to pull county out of water district
By Charlie Whitehead
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Lee County commissioners will ask the state Legislature to allow the
county to withdraw from the South Florida Water Management District
and create a Caloosahatchee Basin Board.
Monday, frustrated and angry commissioners agreed unanimously to push
for the move. Commissioner Tammy Hall argued against the move, saying
she feels progress has been made since she came on the board two years
ago, and Commissioner Frank Mann, himself a former district board
member as well as a state legislator, said he feels the proposal has
little chance of passing. Both went along with the idea to express
their own continuing frustrations with the district.
Chairman Bob Janes said working with the district is no use.
"It hasn't worked," he said. "I'm absolutely and categorically furious
that they won't even talk about treatment for water coming down the
Caloosahatchee. I've about had it with the conciliatory approach. They
do it their way and their way period."
Judah was angered by recent comments by district board member Bubba
Wade, a U.S. Sugar vice president, who said agriculture in the
Everglades Agricultural Area is a public use and should be allowed to
use public lands. Judah feels the district and U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers manage the district for the benefit of ag interests to the
detriment of coastal environments.
"It's not in our best interests to have him on the governing board and
it's not in our best interests to continue to try to get along with
them," he said.
The local legislative delegation will hold local hearings on Dec. 18
New Commissioner Brian Bigelow, who ran on a platform of fighting the
district, said having the county be part of the district is a "sick
relationship."
"It's very clear to me it's us versus them," he said.
Locals have blamed polluted releases from Lake Okeechobee for harmful
algae blooms that have devastated estuaries. The management of the
lake alternately sends too much or too little water down the river,
causing nutrient imbalances in the wet season and saltwater intrusion
in the dry season.
Judah has campaigned to restore flows south of the lake through the
EAA. He points to the $53 million the district collected from Lee
taxpayers and to $3 million worth of projects budgeted here.
"That's $53 million primarily used to drain and irrigate sugar cane
fields," he said. "They're using Lee County taxpayers' money to
destroy the estuaries."
"That mindset is pervasive at the district and in the Corps of
Engineers and industry in the EAA," he said. "They feel it's their
inalienable right to use public lands for their own private gain."
Bigelow said working with the district is a losing battle.
"This is not premature," he said. "I'm terribly afraid the day has
come and gone that we can turn back the damage."
Mann said the county request has little chance of legislative
approval, and doubted withdrawing would solve the county's problems.
"The major problem I have here is the ill you describe has nothing to
do with the cure you prescribe," he said. "Policy decisions will
continue to be made by the water management district governing board."
Judah said at least the district wouldn't be using Lee County money to
benefit sugar growers at the county's expense.
"It's so blatantly obvious," he said. "Yes, I'm emotional. Yes, I'm
passionate. I'd submit everybody in this community should be."
(c) 2006 Naples Daily News and NDN Productions. Published in Naples,
Florida, USA by the E.W. Scripps Co.
Maybe ask the legislature (via our lobbyist) to pull our hunting & recreational lands from the WMD & give them to FWC and reward FWC with a larger budget.
Ride the wave?
PW
*********************************************************
naplesnews.com
Commissioners want to pull county out of water district
By Charlie Whitehead
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Lee County commissioners will ask the state Legislature to allow the
county to withdraw from the South Florida Water Management District
and create a Caloosahatchee Basin Board.
Monday, frustrated and angry commissioners agreed unanimously to push
for the move. Commissioner Tammy Hall argued against the move, saying
she feels progress has been made since she came on the board two years
ago, and Commissioner Frank Mann, himself a former district board
member as well as a state legislator, said he feels the proposal has
little chance of passing. Both went along with the idea to express
their own continuing frustrations with the district.
Chairman Bob Janes said working with the district is no use.
"It hasn't worked," he said. "I'm absolutely and categorically furious
that they won't even talk about treatment for water coming down the
Caloosahatchee. I've about had it with the conciliatory approach. They
do it their way and their way period."
Judah was angered by recent comments by district board member Bubba
Wade, a U.S. Sugar vice president, who said agriculture in the
Everglades Agricultural Area is a public use and should be allowed to
use public lands. Judah feels the district and U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers manage the district for the benefit of ag interests to the
detriment of coastal environments.
"It's not in our best interests to have him on the governing board and
it's not in our best interests to continue to try to get along with
them," he said.
The local legislative delegation will hold local hearings on Dec. 18
New Commissioner Brian Bigelow, who ran on a platform of fighting the
district, said having the county be part of the district is a "sick
relationship."
"It's very clear to me it's us versus them," he said.
Locals have blamed polluted releases from Lake Okeechobee for harmful
algae blooms that have devastated estuaries. The management of the
lake alternately sends too much or too little water down the river,
causing nutrient imbalances in the wet season and saltwater intrusion
in the dry season.
Judah has campaigned to restore flows south of the lake through the
EAA. He points to the $53 million the district collected from Lee
taxpayers and to $3 million worth of projects budgeted here.
"That's $53 million primarily used to drain and irrigate sugar cane
fields," he said. "They're using Lee County taxpayers' money to
destroy the estuaries."
"That mindset is pervasive at the district and in the Corps of
Engineers and industry in the EAA," he said. "They feel it's their
inalienable right to use public lands for their own private gain."
Bigelow said working with the district is a losing battle.
"This is not premature," he said. "I'm terribly afraid the day has
come and gone that we can turn back the damage."
Mann said the county request has little chance of legislative
approval, and doubted withdrawing would solve the county's problems.
"The major problem I have here is the ill you describe has nothing to
do with the cure you prescribe," he said. "Policy decisions will
continue to be made by the water management district governing board."
Judah said at least the district wouldn't be using Lee County money to
benefit sugar growers at the county's expense.
"It's so blatantly obvious," he said. "Yes, I'm emotional. Yes, I'm
passionate. I'd submit everybody in this community should be."
(c) 2006 Naples Daily News and NDN Productions. Published in Naples,
Florida, USA by the E.W. Scripps Co.
Seems to me like elected officials will hold a little more accountability :roll: